We watch nerds love to argue about the legitimacy of homage watches. Should they exist? Do they indicate creative lazyness? In which cases do they actually deserve a spot in the watch world?  What is an homage is also up for grabs most of the time. What some seem to believe is an homage is a 1:1 copy of another watch which is no longer in production and which differs from a replica as in the latter case, the model the homage copied is still in production. Some others believe an homage is a watch whose design was inspired by another model, in varying degrees of resemblance, whether said model is still in production or not. The dictionary by the way defines an homage as “special honor or respect shown publicly” to someone or something. So an homage watch is, in reality, not a copycap designed to steal business from the original designer but a way to show admiration and devotion for it. Putting semantics aside, brands have been homaging each other since the dawn of time and I don’t understand why we get so riled up about it. 

What fascinates me about homages however is the fact that not only they make it possible for us to discover new models, but also that we can afford to buy watches whose characters and aesthetics positively draw from the original models. I own and have reviewed many homages of watches which are no longer being produced or which cost more than I believe they should retail for based on what I look for in a good watch—good specifications, a nice design, and superlative legibility. I’m of the lonely school of thought that 904L stainless steel, a COSC caliber, and nuclear lume won’t do much for the daily wearing experience, and as such I’m after a look, a style of watch more than specific specifications which command astronomical (and frankly, stupid) price tags. In other words: homage watches are fine and today of course we’re going to talk about one of those: the Santurce Collection Picúa which was inspired by the 1960s Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Barakuda, a civilian version of the brand’s military divers sold to the German Bundesmarine via Barakuda, a company specialized in technical diving equipment. 

Specifications 

I must warn you right away that the Santurce Collection Picúa isn’t your run-of-the-mill microbrand tool watch which strikes the perfect but low balance between good specs and a small price tag. Instead, the Picúa is a particularly well-made diver which retails accordingly for a higher price than the latest AliExpress special: $949 USD. As we will see, you get a lot of watch for this amount of money and more, and the first immediate impression I had of the Picúa was that of a robust, precise, and finely tuned (mechanically-speaking) tool watch. After all, the model name means “Barracuda” in English, an apex predator found in subtropical oceans worldwide—so a fish that is on top of the aquatic food chain and therefore, a badass motherfucker. And the first piece of specification I want to tell you about is the bezel. It is made of 120 precise clicks, a unidirectional action, a matted steel insert on which we find a fully graduated scale made of well-machined and lume-filled markers which glow way too brightly. 

The lume glows green so I assume we’re dealing with C1/C3 SuperLuminova which is also applied in too many layers on all three hands and printed hour markers. Whenever members of the watch media review a Seiko and gloat over the brand’s proprietary Lumibrite compound, or review the latest Zelos diver and double-gloat over its ultra-bright lume, well they should now take a look at the Picúa for that thing does glow brightly and for a very long time, and it charges instantly which might be a weird thing to mention but which isn’t always the case. In addition to the superb bezel action the crown is equally well engineered and machined, measuring a generous 7.7mm in diameter, made of tractor-like-tire knurling, and for also being quite long in addition to being large and sticking out from the case so that it’s easier to grab and operate. Brands nowadays strive to make crowns which don’t dig into the flesh and flank them hard against—or recessed them deeply into—the case which does not make sense to me for a tool watch. 

So the bezel and crown are outstanding and what else is there to see and get for the asking $949 USD? First a 316L stainless-steel case measuring 39mm in diameter, 45.7mm lug-to-lug, 12.4mm thick, and coming with a 20mm lug width. This makes of the Santurce Collection Picúa a comfortable diver and tool watch to wear on my 6.50”/16.5cm wrist as the case strikes the perfect Vincent balance between diameter—so that we have meat on the wrist—and lug-to-lug distance—so that it doesn’t overhang past the wristbone—and thickness—so that again we have a nice chunk of metal on the wrist. More often than not, I believe that a good tool watch should come with a certain heft, however subjective this thinking might be. Moreover: a Sellita SW200 caliber (4Hz/38 hours of power reserve), 300 meters of water resistance (screw-down crown and case-back,) a flat sapphire crystal with double-sided anti-reflective coating for extreme clarity day in and day out, and a thick NATO-style nylon strap with brushed hardware to match the case. 

The Picúa is bad-ass indeed and it makes me want to go dive immediately. Alas, I live in the French countryside. 

Design 

In my very lengthy introduction, I mentioned the fact that I’m good with homages because they help us discover new models and acquire some which we dearly fancy to have but at attainable and more realistic price points. I don’t know how much the vintage aforementioned Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Barakuda sold for in the 1960s but I can tell you that Blancpain’s limited re-issue from 2009 retailed for $14,100 USD. Again, I don’t understand what one gets by departing from so much money which should, in theory, make for a transcendental wearing experience which should, in theory still, warrant this type of price tag. Maybe I’m naive but the $949 USD Santurce Collection suggests we remove from our bank account for the Picúa is enough money to spend on a good diver regardless of where it is made and which name is pad-printed on the dial. But I digress again and I cannot seem to be able to stop myself. In any case, in terms of homaging, the Picúa borrows two main elements from the Barakuda: the bi-color printed hour markers and pencil-style handset. That’s about it. 

True, this particular combination of printed hour markers and hands make for a compelling utilitarian look and superlative legibility in addition to looking super vintage. Santurce respected the proportions of both elements which constituted the main show of the old Barakuda which Blancpain unfortunately changed on the 2009 limited edition. So you see, if you were worried that the Picúa homaged the Barakuda then don’t fret, it mimics a dial design that is no longer being made so it’s all good. But the comparison should stop there because looking closely at the dial we notice that the brand invested loads of time and effort to offer us a fine execution of said layout. All printed elements are crisp and clearly delineated from one another, where the red part of the hour markers is slightly thicker than the creamy part and finished with a glossy coating, whilst the larger sections are entirely made up of luminescent compound and therefore have a grainy finish. The latter are then surrounded by fine white lines so that the hour markers occupy their own proper place on the dial. 

Then there are the hands. The hour and minute ones come with pretty generous real estate for lume and are finished in a matte white paint so that they don’t reflect light. And the needle-shaped seconds is mostly covered with luminescent material. Therefore all three hands are easy to see during the day and doing something wild at night, as you could tell looking at the lume shot shared above. All of these main design elements—the printed hour markers and hands—are set against a darker gray sunburst dial which shifts hues depending on the light source and the angle at which you’re holding the watch. Above the pinion we find the brand logo occupying a reasonable space on the dial and below it the model name printed in glossy red paint. Santurce went big otherwise it would have had to go home with the bold looks of the Picúa. Moreover, in-between the large printed hour markers we find simple minute hash-marks and therefore another visual reminder that we are dealing with indeed a straightforward utilitarian diver. 

Lastly, the case and bezel of the Picúa do not resemble either versions of the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Barakuda and actually better matches the bold look of the dial. The case is fully brushed and endowed with a gentle brutalist design as it isn’t decorated with any chamfer. Instead, it basically is made of two main facets on either side of it: the upper portion of the lugs whose profile is emphasized with a vertical brushing, and the slab-sided case flanks which contrast from the former by a horizontal brushing. The case is therefore very simple in its appearance which makes it possible to put the design emphasis on the superb dial and equally jaw-dropping crown. As we know, the latter is large, beefy, and complemented with an intense knurling which beautifully clashes with the plain case sides. The bezel for its part is as easy to grip as the crown—passing my fingers over their knurling I can feel each peak and groove—and appropriately proportioned in relation to the bold dial.

The Heart of the Matter

I came across Santurce Collection thanks to the post of a friend who published a picture of the El Tiburón (The Shark) which is a more colorful relative of the Picúa. I quickly went on the brand’s website to study the design, specifications, and price of the latter and quickly contacted the brand on Instagram. A few days later we were having a video chat, them in sunny Puerto Rico and me in gloomy France, and the conversation was so neat that I immediately asked to borrow a watch for a review. Speaking with the brand I knew I would like their watch, not because of the visual connection to the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, but by its overall bold look and decidedly utilitarian nature. The Fifty was a proper tool watch, no doubt, but the Picúa appeared to be my type of tool watch: well-made, well-spec’ed, well priced, and more importantly, super legible. I didn’t question the $949 USD price tag because I knew in my horological heart that the Picúa wouldn’t disappoint and I believe it is perfectly normal to pay this amount of money for this type of diver. 

However, some people won’t agree with this statement and I couldn’t care less. I do not bend an ear to hear the tantrums of spec and value nuts scavenging the internet for the biggest spec monsters which show complete irreverence for quality of design and quality of manufacturing. Say what you must about the homagy aspect of the Picúa, I dare you to find one wearable diver (= not a bizarre, oddly shaped, science-fiction-type timepiece) whose dial, hands, case, and bezel does not show one element of design we haven’t seen before. But if you do find one, please shoot me an email (vincent@mainspring.watch) and I will take a look at that sucker. In other words, Santurce Collection went the smart route by basing the core design of the Picúa from an iconic diver and then building around it to make a new dive watch which it paired with excellent specs and a sensical price tag. Bravo I say. 

Conclusion

There is nothing better in the world but to discover a new brand through a banger release and today was a treat for me. The Santurce Collection Picúa is every bit my type of dive watch and I wouldn’t change a thing about it. So here it is for a short conclusion as I’ve said enough about it. Just open your wallet and treat yourself for a proper dive. 

Thanks for reading.