Ama Pearl Divers Inspire Spinnaker’s Latest Fleuss Diver Limited Edition

It’s easy to get lost in the wide ranging collection that is the sea of dive watches in the Spinnaker collection. They currently have 13 different diver models varying between designs that pull from iconic dive watches such as the Dumas and Bradner, and others that step away from your traditional diver aesthetic like the skeleton dial of their Croft model. Their Fleuss dive watch collection hones in on blending the vintage diver design with contemporary cues that include a Fifty Fathoms-esque dive bezel and a dial sporting a 6-9-12 numeral configuration. Aside from an oxblood variant, the Fleuss range remains fairly conservative and straightforward, making it a diver that could have been seen on the wrist of Henry Fleuss himself. That said, Spinnaker looks to add a little more preciousness to their Fleuss dive watch with three new limited editions adorned with a mother of pearl dial.

The Fleuss Pearl Diver Limited Edition draws inspiration from the AMA pearl divers of Japan. Ama in Japanese translates to ‘woman of the sea’ and is one of the lesser-known, but interesting parts of Japanese culture. These women specialized in freediving to depths up to thirty feet and holding their breath for up to two minutes in freezing waters in order to gather abalone (a type of mollusk), seaweed and other shellfish. The more profitable find however would be the pearls found inside of oysters. Finding a pearl at the time was an equivalent to a very large bonus for these women and as a result, these underwater gems were highly sought after.

The mother of pearl dials included in the Fleuss Pearl Diver LE’s represent the preciousness of the pearl to the AMA divers, as well as adding a level of sophistication to what is otherwise found as a utility dive watch. There are three separate executions of the mother of pearl dial; White Pearl, Marine Pearl, and Midnight Pearl. Each dial promises a unique pattern and luster that’s found within each slice of the precious gemstone and complemented by warm toned markers and hands. The White Pearl is subtle with the textures of the dial revealing themselves in brightly lit photos. The Marine Pearl is a combination of deep blues and greens, while the Midnight Pearl uses more of an iridescent color palette combining in flashes of purple tones.

Maintaining the Japanese spirit of the watch, the Fleuss Pearl Diver LE uses a Seiko NH35 movement. The aforementioned Seiko movement is used primarily in entry level Seiko 5 movements and are as reliable as they come. The Seiko NH35 is equipped with 41 hours of power reserve and includes a date function found at three o’clock. The movement also uses a decorated rotor with the ‘Spinnaker’ wordmark that’s displayed through an exhibition caseback.

The Fleuss diver uses a silhouette that’s on the larger side of what’s considered the sweet spot for dive watches nowadays. The Fleuss Pearl Diver LE is furnished out of 316L stainless steel and spans 43mm in width. Rounding out the case is a 13mm case thickness and a 50mm lug to lug. As mentioned above, the bezel takes after the iconic Fifty Fathoms, displaying lumed numerals at 15 minute intervals, bar markers and a diamond zero marker, all of which are protected by a glass bezel covering.

The Spinnaker Fleuss Pearl Diver Limited Edition is limited to 450 pieces in each mother of pearl dial variant and retails for $390. It’s worth noting that Spinnaker is holding a 25% Christmas sale that can be applied to the limited edition model. Spinnaker