Spinnaker Hull Commander Automatic Help for Heroes Limited Edition Watch Review

Listen to anyone in the watch industry at the moment and chances are high that they’ll be telling you all about how smaller sized watches are making a resurgence. While that’s ostensibly true, there are certain types of watch that always have and always will suit large dimensions. I have just such a watch in front of me, the Spinnaker Hull Commander Automatic Help for Heroes Limited Edition.

Taking it out of the box, it immediately feels and looks like a big watch. Which is odd because on paper the 42mm diameter is pretty common for dive watches and isn’t the largest size out there by far. I think what makes it look bigger is the high bezel that, whipping out my ruler, puts the height of the piece at around 15mm. Of course, more important than the raw numbers is how it actually performs on the wrist and I actually find that it wears a lot smaller than I expected.

42mm is generally the largest size I’d consider wearing and this watch shows that I can just about pull it off. The angle of the lugs and end links helps it to sit well without flaring beyond the edges of my wrist while at the same time the cushion case means that the main body of the watch feels condensed towards the centre. Admittedly it’s not going to fit under many cuffs but hey ho.

Again, I think it’s worth reiterating that the reason it looks noticeably big is the bezel with the black rim making it unavoidable to the eye. I wonder if it was a steel tone instead whether it might help disguise the size a bit and give it some subtlety. Not that this piece is about subtlety considering that it’s a limited edition in support of Help for Heroes and as such the main colours of the piece are the vibrant red, sky blue and dark blue that are the HFH signature palette.

You can see those colours on the rectangle markers of the unidirectional rotating bezel, the counterweight of the seconds hand and the text at 6 o’clock which pairs with the blue of the dial. While we’re talking about the dial, it features a grained texture with an engraved ring around the centre, a horizontal line through the middle and a combination of circle and bar indexes.

The hour and minute hands are also large with plenty of lume for low light legibility. Additionally, there’s a date window at 3 o’clock. If you get the piece in some sun light it really comes alive and I’m constantly finding excuses to stand by the window rather than my dark corner of the office.

Turning the Spinnaker Hull Commander Automatic Help for Heroes Limited Edition over reveals a solid caseback bearing the inscription “In Support of Help for Heroes” along with its limited-edition number and specs, such as its 300m water resistance. The model I have here is a prototype so you can see that it’s listed as edition 000 of 000 but the official ones will be listed out of 400.

Moving on to the bracelet and strap options, the limited edition comes with two (the box also contains a strap changing tool). The first is a seven-link steel bracelet with alternating brushed and polished links that’s super comfortable to wear and which features a safety clasp. Second is an exclusive rubber strap in the Help for Heroes colours. Both are nice although I tend to favour the bracelet.

Housed inside the watch is the NH35 TMI automatic calibre from Seiko with 41-hour power reserve. A solid off the shelf movement that helps to keep the watch accessible, which it certainly is at £375. Five percent of the net sales from each watch will also be donated to Help for Heroes, supporting the Armed Forces community and veterans in the UK.

Ultimately, after my time with the Spinnaker Hull Commander Automatic Help for Heroes Limited Edition my impressions of the watch are pretty much positive. I’m not fully sold on the height of the bezel with the black edge, but I think I’d get used to it. Beyond that, it wears much nicer than I anticipated, the colours work really well for a diver, it’s solid value and it supports a great cause. For another Spinnaker dive watch supporting great causes, check out our review of the SP-5104 HASS X MCS Limited Edition.