The Namica Shirahama 2 is a serious not-so-serious dive watch
Time+TideIt is no secret that dive watches are popular. They were, are and always will be one of every watch enthusiast’s favourite types of timekeeping device on account of their proven visual and mechanical versatility. Over the last few decades, brands have tried and sometimes succeeded in finding new ways of designing divers, either through engineering new cases and changing how one keeps track of elapsed time, or by replacing printed markers with lumicast numerals and swapping the go-to monochromatic colour schemes for bright and fun ones. However they look, however much they cost, we will always adore dive watches – yet brands strive to keep things interesting for us. And sometimes all you need to do is simply gift the most serious of tool watches a light-hearted nature. Enter Japanese microbrand Namica and its Shirahama 2, the second generation of its dive watch.
The case
Beyond everything else we’re about to take a look at, the Shirahama 2 is a proper tool watch through and through. Therefore, it comes with a depth rating of 200 meters and a format we are all too familiar with for modern divers: a case measuring 40mm in diameter, 47mm lug-to-lug, 11.7mm thick, and coming with a 20mm lug width. The 20mm lug width becomes a 16mm taper at the bracelet for everyday and adventurous comfort.
Pictured and reviewed here on a 6.50”/16.5cm wrist, they look and feel great on the wrist as a 47mm lug-to-lug is rather compact, and because the lugs are short and angle down towards the skin. (Notice how the bottom side of the lugs angles down and backward, which minimises the case’s wrist presence.) Namica opted to position the screw-down and deeply knurled crown at the four o’clock so that it stays clear from the skin while remaining highly functional.
The 120-click unidirectional bezel is equally functional, for it is endowed with the same knurling organised on two rows, and is adorned with a ceramic insert underneath of which lume is either printed in singular elements or takes up an entire half of it. In other words, from 15’ to 45’, most of what you see is Super-LumiNova. Furthermore, the bezel sits flush with the case, and because the lugs are short and angled, from above we mostly see the dial + bezel combo, an effect which endows the Namica Shirahama 2 with a distinct sporty character.
My favourite design feature here is the plateau formed by the top of the mid-case from which begin the brushed chamfers which dominate the lugs. The modern aspect of the case is complemented by the intensely chamfered flat piece of sapphire crystal, the construction of which bisects the minute track printed beneath it.
The dial
This makes for the perfect segue to talk about the dial. Or dials, I should say. There are indeed five different colourways, each with its own distinct character, though all share the exact same case dimensions, design, and specs. You’ve got a versatile Ultra Blue with a blue dial and touches of orange; the poppy Cherry Blossom Candy with its matte light pink dial boasting green and blue accents (plus an additional distinctive Cherry Blossom Kanji variant where the applied hour markers make way for printed Japanese characters); the ultra modern Neo Tokyo Evo with a purple/blue fumé dial and hollow printed markers; and finally the Neo Blizzard with a white dial and purple accents.
None of the Namica Shirahama 2 colourways are just a bog-standard monochromatic dial, which wouldn’t have jived well anyway with the translucent bezel constriction and decidedly modern case profile. The not-so-serious character of the Shirahama 2 first comes from its case design. Regardless of which of the five versions we look at, they all come with the same dial layout, which is fairly classic: baton markers form the 3, 6, and 9; there’s an inverted triangle at the 12, and circular markers everywhere else.
On three of the five versions (Cherry Blossom Candy, Neo Blizzard, Ultra Blue) the markers are applied, lume-filled, and framed. On one of them (Neo Tokyo Evo), the markers are hollow in the centre and otherwise entirely made of luminescent compound. The Cherry Blossom Kanji swaps out filled lume plots for printed characters at the even hours and batons at the odd ones, all still lumed.
Additionally, all five versions share the same pencil-style hour and minute handset, albeit painted in different colours, where the minute hands are printed in a contrasting colour, plus a thin seconds hand with a lumed lollipop element as a counterbalance. Lastly, the minute track is located on the angled rehaut.
Therefore, the “serious” aspect of the Shirahama 2 comes from the relatively classic dial layout, as well as the watch’s specs – yet you can see with these bold colour choices that there’s a distinct not-so-serious element to these Japanese dive watches.
The straps
The Namica Shirahama 2 will be shipped on either a white FKM rubber strap with a deeply-grooved central pattern or a ‘Hexad’ steel bracelet where all links are made of six sides, held together by single-headed screws, and equipped with quick-release spring-bars and a tool-less micro-adjustment mechanism. The bracelet’s aggressively faceted links make it visually distinct and speaks to a level of quality.
The movement
For this serious not-so-serious diver, Namica has opted for the ubiquitous Miyota 9039 (perhaps an unsurprising choice for a Japanese brand): a no-date movement which ticks at 28,800 BPH (4 Hz), comes with 42 hours of power reserve, and has a stated daily accuracy of -10/+30 seconds per day. The Miyota 9039 represents an upgrade from the Seiko NH38A that powered the first-gen Shirahama, which has a similar power reserve but only beats at 3 Hz.
Namica Shirahama 2 pricing and availability
All five versions of the Namica Shirahama 2 will be available for pre-order starting August 5th, 2025, at the price of US$529/A$817 on rubber and US$599/A$926 on bracelet. Then, from August 6th through August 19th, 2025, prices will be US$549/A$848 and US$629/A$972 respectively. After that, they revert to the full retail price of US$600/A$927 and US$675/A$1,043, respectively. When ordering between August 5-19th, customers who buy the bracelet version will also receive a complementary nylon strap. Deliveries are estimated for December 2025.
| Brand | Namica |
| Model | Shirahama 2 |
| Case Dimensions | 40mm (D) x 11.7mm (T) x 47mm (LTL) |
| Case Material | Stainless steel, sapphire glass bezel insert |
| Water Resistance | 200 metres, screw-down crown |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire |
| Dial | Cherry Blossom Candy, Cherry Blossom Kanji, Neo Blizzard, Neo Tokyo Evo, Ultra Blue |
| Lug Width | 20mm |
| Strap | White grooved FKM rubber strap ‘Hexad’ steel bracelet, folding clasp, micro-adjustment Additional nylon strap |
| Movement | Miyota 9039, automatic |
| Power Reserve | 42 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds, unidirectional diving bezel |
| Availability | Open to preorders, see above |
| Price | US$529/A$817 (rubber), US$599/A$926 (bracelet) – early bird price US$549/A$848 (rubber), US$629/A$972 (bracelet) – pre-order price US$600/A$927 (rubber), US$675/A$1,043 (bracelet) – retail price |
Made in partnership with Namica. However, the opinions expressed in this article are our own in accordance with our Editorial Policy.