The minute hand is needle tipped to reach the outermost index. Its hands are long pencil shapes with black bases and white lume. The numbers are small, and everything is positioned so far the edge, leaving the dial open and uncrowded, in stark contrast to the original, which filled its dial to the center. Thick white lumed baton markers mark the hours labeled on the angled rehaut with one end and minutes on the dial with the other, separated by checkered seconds index. Where the old model added flash to a military layout, the new one adopts a more traditional look, although not so much as to be boring. In the past three years, neither the Spectre nor I have grown, so the 44mm wide, 48mm long, and 15mm thick watch still fills my 6.5″ wrist. Like the ur-Spectre, Sparky the Lew & Huey dog graces the crown and case back, but not the dial.

I liked the Spectre’s radially brushed surface, polished chamfer, and recessed screw-down crown back then, and I dig them just as much today. The case, domed anti-reflective sapphire crystal, and Seiko NH35 automatic movement are identical, and this is a good thing.

The Spectre II is a limited edition of 200 units assembled in the USA. The Time Bum borrowed two pre-production models for this review. Yesterday, Janis Trading Company opened orders for the Spectre II, a new spin on the old Spectre, featuring a different dial and both a link bracelet and rubber strap. I liked this big, barrel-cased pilot’s watch and particularly praised its bold take on a military dial. Back in January 2014, I reviewed the original Lew & Huey Spectre.

Spectre watch in end