This is the ‘Harbormaster Spinnaker’ from newcomer Stolas Watches. Actually their name has a couple of accented characters that I am having trouble typing in, so ‘Stolas’ it is; you can see the correct version on the dial.
The Harbormaster is their first watch, available in three models: Genoa, Spinnaker and Gennaker. Different colors, bands and dials, with all sharing the other details. In common are the 44mm, stainless steel case, sapphire crystal, lumed bezel, lightning seconds hand, 200m water resistance, screwdown crown and bezel. The more expensive Genoa model adds applied hour markers, silver embossed dial and ETA 2824 movement; the movements in the others are Shanghai (SMC) 2824 clones.
Looking at the Spinnaker you can see hints of both IWC (lumed bezel) and Ulysse Nardin (dial and hands), but overall it’s clearly it’s own thing. In the dial closeup you can see the deep texture of the carbon fiber dial, the well-printed text and applied ‘6’. Pardon the dust!
Interestingly, the design skips some of the minute markers, there are only two every 5 minutes. It gives the impression of a relaxed attitude towards precise readings, also conveyed by the bezel with replaces minute markers with a stylized wave. This is a more of a lifestyle watch than a super-precise instrument.
At some angles the dial appears flat black or grey, depending on light source. However, the skeletonized black-on-black hour and minute hand tend to vanish against the dial. The Genoa version uses blue-on-white and seems more legible. Unlike the vivid seconds hand, they take a bit longer to spot and read and really the skeletonization isn’t needed as there are no subdials to block.
At night, however, the watch is superbly lumed:
Really really well done, and quite high quality – it remains legible for eight hours or more. The blue colors fade faster, but the hour, minute and dial markers are the longer-duration whitish green, well matched to the eye.
I don’t know how they prepared the bezel, it appears to be paint inset and filled, which is of unknown durability.
The case is extremely well finished, I’ve seen worse on watches costing more. Polished throughout, smoothly and evenly, with an etched designs on the caseback and next to the crown. There’s also an optional sapphire caseback, which would probably look great on this watch.
The signed crown has simple knurling and classic crown guards, and is well placed at four o’clock. Good thread, easy to operate and secure. The handwinding and hacking movement winds as smoothly as any ETA 2824 I’ve seen, and keeps excellent time.
The bezel is 60-click and a bit stiff for my fingers. The smoothed edge could use some surface roughening, as it’s slippery when wet.
The stainless steel bracelet and NATO strap are optional extras ($72 and free!), both are well-matched to the watch itself. The NATO colors accent the dial perfectly, though it’s a lot more noticeable with that much color. The bracelet is Oyster-style, with polished center links, solid links and end links, fliplock with pushbutton release, signed clasp and one micro-adjustment. Links are split-pin design, and with all links add 125g of weight for 225g total. The blue-stitched rubber band is 20g, and is my preferred way to wear the watch:
Functional, comfortable, understated. At 14.2mm thick, it’s medium thick and quite shirt-friendly due to the tapered bezel.The lug and caseback shape helps it sit solidly on your wrist:
If you look closely, you can see my hands, camera and shirt reflected. This is an indicator of how well made and finished the case is, it’s nearly mirror-flat and smooth.
The Spinnaker is a series of 125 watches, and at an introductory price of $571 ($651 with bracelet and NATO, $723 with all of the above plus sapphire caseback) I expect them to sell out quickly. That’s a very good value in my opinion. Not a watch made for the hardcore diver, it will nevertheless serve that as well as most other situations, and the colorful design seems to catch eyes and garner compliments from strangers.
Thanks to Stolas for the sample unit. Opinions are 100% independent.