Lanco Barracuda Diver, 1960s

Dealer description — S.Song Watches

This Lanco Barracuda is one of the nicest skin divers ever made in my opinion and it has everything to do with design. Lanco is not a very well known brand, but what it lacks in recognition, it makes up for in this stunning Barracuda. Immediately, what you are drawn to is its dial. The deep glossy black dial is flawless and I find myself constantly staring at it. The hour markers and stylised 12 and 6 Arabic numerals are huge and filled with lume, complementing the extra thick stick hands. In this example, the luminous material has aged and developed a stunning orange/yellow patina that works with the dial very well. Furthermore, the choice of font for the text is excellent. The standard sans-serif ‘Lanco’ logo is nice, but it is the ‘Barracuda’ script font at the bottom of the dial that compliments this and works so well. Overall, it is the simplicity of the dial that makes it so beautiful, as you may have noticed that there are no minute markers at all. While this might not be the most legible, from a purely aesthetic point of view it is a very unique and attractive look. The 38mm stainless steel case is quite a common one used in skin divers in that era, but this example is made much better by the fact that is it unpolished. This Lanco Barracuda retains its original finish and the bevels on the case are so sharp it can cut. Flip the watch around and you are greeted with a beautiful self-winding Cal. 1145/56 movement that is copper coloured and signed with Lanco’s beautiful logo. As you can see, this watch is all about aesthetics and I have to say that Lanco really knocked it out of the park with this beautiful Barracuda. Oh, and one more thing, did I mention that they are incredibly rare? You won’t find many, especially not in this condition.