We have reviewed a few Spinnaker watches since the start of the year. We have enjoyed reviewing all of them but the best Spinnaker we’ve reviewed so far the was the new and improved Spinnaker Bradner. We even loved the older version but the improvements took the Bradner to another level. However, Spinnaker have added a new watch to their collection. It is the Spinnaker Hull California, an another edition to their existing Hull Edition. Will it replace our favourite? Let’s find out!

Spinnaker Hull California Edition

The Spinnaker Hull is a vintage timepiece built to last with a cushion style case. The first cushion watch case was introduced in the early 1900’s. It was Cartier who first introduced and experimented with asymmetrical cases, but some of its design were just pain weird. Since then the cushion has been redesign into a finer looking shape and some of the most luxurious brands such as Panerai, have become famous for using the cushion shape.

The Spinnaker Hull California Edition has followed with the cushion shape, however with the unique “California” style design, where both Arabic and Roman indexes on the same face. This design first appeared in 1930’s brands such as Rolex and Spinnaker have decided to bring it back.

There are three models in the California Edition and the model we will be reviewing is the .

Features

First Impression

You cannot deny that the Spinnaker Hull California Edition is stunning. The granite like blue matte finish dial is really vivid and will capture your attention straight away. The colour contrast from the blue dial, silver casing and black strap really go well together and add to the elegance of the watch.

So far so good. Let’s delve into more details.

Case

Let’s start with the cushion casing. It is quite large in diamater, 42mm, and the width is 12mm. It goes take a lot of space on the wrist but we do not mind that. You would want a large dial to showcase the matte blue dial.

The watch does sit well on the wrist because of the cushion casing. The casing wraps well around the wrist and put the dial at the forefront. The case has a convex design meaning the the dial is pushed towards you and helps the case to sit well on the wrist.

The lug is 22mm and has also be given a curve finish. The curve lug also helps to push the case on the wrist and to make it sit well.

The lens is made from mineral glass, with a domed convex shape and anti reflective coating. Reflection is at its bare minimal on the watch and the domed shape helps a lot with that.

To finish off, the case has a shimmering finish and really goes well with the blue dial and the black strap. The crown is also of a good size. It does not stick out too much and it is easy to use with the teeth cut design.

Dial

This is the showstopper of the Spinnaker Hull California. We have to start with the stunning matte blue granite dial. Every little detail and crease can be seen with the blue colour. The colour of the index has also bee well chosen. It is not too strong that it takes over the dial nor its too dull that it will be missed.

There are two indexes on the watch. The outer index is from a vintage railroad chronometer and it is in a light green colour. The inner index is half Arabic, 4 to 8 o’clock, and Roman, 10 to 2 o’clock. The size of inner index is large enough and fills the large dial very well. The numbers also have been given Swiss Super- LumiNova and they are decent. They can be brighter.

There are two types of design with the hands. The hour and minute hands are of a pencil design while the second hand has a Breguet hand. The minute and hour hands are quite long but not to bold to cover the dial. The colour of the hands have been well coordinated with the inner index and are of a lighter peach colour.

The date window is of a decent size and is legible. It does not take a lot of space and sits quietly in its corner.

Movement

Powering the Spinnaker Hull California  is an automatic Seiko NH35-TMI, 24 Jewels. We have come across this type of movement multiple time before and the time accuracy is good. At the moment, we are a looking at -20/+40 seconds per day.

We are assuming the power reserve is 42 hours. Overall it is a reliable and solid movement. Can it be better? Yes, but a better movement will inflate the price of this watch greatly.

Strap

The strap hand stitched water proof genuine leather. The width of the strap is around 22mm and it is a good size for the 42mm case. The strap wraps well around the wrist and sits comfortably. The strap is soft and does not need much time breaking into. There are enough holes for smaller wrist.

The only disappointment is the watch does not have quick release pins.

Buy, Shortlist or Avoid?

First lets talk about the price. The RRP of the watch is $250/ £195/ €223. The price is the same as other previous Hull model expect for the , which is $25 more. Taking into account the design and the price of the watch, this watch is a buy. It’s a beautiful watch at a reasonable price. If you already have a Hull watch, this will be a great upgrade, if you do not have a Hull watch, the  is a great place to start. Do visit to register your interest.

Use our code ‘NWL20’, if you have missed the early sign up campaign.

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