Reply With QuoteFabulous watches, I have had four, from the 6159-7010 to the 7549-7010.
Loved them all, and though I only have one at the moment, I know I will get another :)
Great on a NATO or a mesh.
The Tuna is possibly the strangest watch I've come across in the last few years, or indeed ever. First off, it's fugly... in fact, it was the watch I least understood when I first came to know it and it takes a degree of persistence to see underneath the weird shape and ungainly dimensions. When you do, though, it becomes a thing of beauty, transformed by it's own utilitarian nature into the perfect marriage of form and function.
Secondly, it's size is deceptive to those who haven't worn one, because at 48mm many would think you need a massive wrist to carry it off. In fact, with lugs that remind me of the undersized hands of a Tyrannosaurus Rex, it sits really comfortably on a sub-7" wrist and is therefore wearable by all but the slimmest/smallest of people.
Finally, it's quartz. However, there's always room for a grab & go in any collection, and the fact that it's powered by a battery shouldn't t you off. In fact, I see it as an advantage in many ways (albeit not a substitute for the mechanical wonders that make up the rest of my collection).
I sold an SBBN007 about a year ago, and amazingly - with all the high-end pieces that have slipped through my fingers since - it's the watch that I've most missed and most wanted back. I've been scouring the sales listings on SCWF literally for months and must have exchanged about a hundred emails with members over there; however, I was after a mint SBBN015 with it's black bezel, it's brushed (as opposed to blasted) shroud, and it's dial that now proudly states "Marinemaster" once again, and I simply couldn't find one at the right price. However, just as I was giving up and thinking I'd have to bite the bullet and buy new - with the associated import charges and potential for packages to go astray - the perfect watch appeared yesterday on SC and like a big cat hunting it's prey I pounced!!! In fact, I only just made it, but here it is, complete with an upgraded sapphire crystal, a fresh MOT and battery and some new shroud screws.
Anyone thinking about trying one of these beasts - stop thinking and buy one. You couldn't possibly be disappointed.
Fabulous watches, I have had four, from the 6159-7010 to the 7549-7010.
Loved them all, and though I only have one at the moment, I know I will get another :)
Great on a NATO or a mesh.
Great write up Tony. I've passed on these beasts many a time as I've felt I'd want rid in a fortnight. Very interested in your long term commitment to the brute
I may well give one a try, but at £500+, I'd like to see a few in the raw before hiting the Pay Now button. On that Zulu it does look the nuts!
Must admit, never quite got the Tuna. Had one for a while but just something that never quite clicked with me, but would be very boring if we all liked the same.
Sure you'll enjoy it.
Malc
Thanks, and go for it - they're very flippable of you find you don't bond. They really are great on a Zulu, and in fact I've just switched to a new black one I picked up a while back and it looks even better.Originally Posted by wildheart
Great write up Tony. I've passed on these beasts many a time as I've felt I'd want rid in a fortnight. Very interested in your long term commitment to the brute
I may well give one a try, but at £500+, I'd like to see a few in the raw before hiting the Pay Now button. On that Zulu it does look the nuts!
Quite right, Malc, and I know they're not for everyone.
Never owned one but it did inspire the Mrs to get this for me as a beater. Massive beast too but, as you say, very wearable.
Gray
Great write up thanks, also a great photo!
the tin of tuna doesn't do the watch justice..... you should've bought a tin of tuna in vegetable oil! the watch looks almost bulletproof.
Nice Tony, very nice!
I loved my SBBN017 when I had it, they work great on one of Carl's GGBs:
Great lume too!
I've recently been lusting after the vitage Tuna that Paul, (P9CLY) bought from Ebon and pesting him by PM to sell it to me!
Rob
Tunas look quite ugly to my eyes, but I still like them for some reason. They have that something that only a WIS can grasp maybe. Likely not, but you get my drift.
The only reason I've never considered one is their size. I'm concerned it will look like a dish on my 6.5ish wrists.
Fantastic watchs divers ,Seikos, I am a Fan and have a lot from 6217 to Sumo.
For such a rugged watch it's a shame the glass scratches like it does
^Tony is not new to this game though. Got one with a sapphire crystal fitted.
i really like that photo tony.. particularly the crown side of the case and strap detail.
the tuna doesnt work for me though.. im still in the dont get it camp.
Should we sense a post in SC coming?
The tuna in vegetable oil would be for the accompaniment of a Sinn U1 surely?
Nice write-up and awesome TunaI guess I'm kind of addicted to the Tuna's, as I already have seven but still looking for more... If only I could find one of the very first 600m 6159-7010 Tuna... (any owner reading this??
)
Cracking photo of a cracking watch Tony. Despite owning dozens of Seiko's, modern and vintage, I've never owned a tuna of any description. This is going to have to change
I think I'll wait till you flip that one Tony, PM me when you're ready - after christmas would be good
Couldn't agree more!
I've got mine from Higuchi two months ago, and I love it, the ultimate grab and go waterproof beater.
Looks best on rubber though.
Daddel.
Got a new watch, divers watch it is, had to drown the bastard to get it!
Agreed.
Had been without a Tuna for a few years but I recently got a SBBN023 and for a 47mm watch it sure wears small,
I actually had to measure it with my calipers to make sure it was the stated size...
^ blimey.. that really DOES look small.. if i didnt know it was supposed to be 47 i wouldve put it at around 40.
He has a 12" wrist
For reference my wrist is 7.5"-ish.
Wrist shots can be very deceiving depending on distance and angle, but the Tunas absolutely wears small for their size IMO.
My dad OTOH has big wrists...
Damn I shouldn't have dithered :)
Lovely photo.
I also think they're fugly... but I also love mine :) An ideal pick-up-and-go.
Seeing your photo, I think it'll be back on the Zulu before too long. And I suddenly find myself liking the black bezel. Are they straightforward to change?
I like my vintage Tuna.
After trying the cheaper Yobokies' version, I knew I had to have the real thing. I ordered it new from Japan, and for the past month it has been my favourite watch. I love it on the OEM bracelet and can't bring myself to swap to anything else. Awesome watch.
Great photo of a great watchThe Tuna is possibly the strangest watch I've come across in the last few years, or indeed ever. First off, it's fugly... in fact, it was the watch I least understood when I first came to know it and it takes a degree of persistence to see underneath the weird shape and ungainly dimensions. When you do, though, it becomes a thing of beauty, transformed by it's own utilitarian nature into the perfect marriage of form and function.
Secondly, it's size is deceptive to those who haven't worn one, because at 48mm many would think you need a massive wrist to carry it off. In fact, with lugs that remind me of the undersized hands of a Tyrannosaurus Rex, it sits really comfortably on a sub-7" wrist and is therefore wearable by all but the slimmest/smallest of people.
Finally, it's quartz. However, there's always room for a grab & go in any collection, and the fact that it's powered by a battery shouldn't t you off. In fact, I see it as an advantage in many ways (albeit not a substitute for the mechanical wonders that make up the rest of my collection).
I sold an SBBN007 about a year ago, and amazingly - with all the high-end pieces that have slipped through my fingers since - it's the watch that I've most missed and most wanted back. I've been scouring the sales listings on SCWF literally for months and must have exchanged about a hundred emails with members over there; however, I was after a mint SBBN015 with it's black bezel, it's brushed (as opposed to blasted) shroud, and it's dial that now proudly states "Marinemaster" once again, and I simply couldn't find one at the right price. However, just as I was giving up and thinking I'd have to bite the bullet and buy new - with the associated import charges and potential for packages to go astray - the perfect watch appeared yesterday on SC and like a big cat hunting it's prey I pounced!!! In fact, I only just made it, but here it is, complete with an upgraded sapphire crystal, a fresh MOT and battery and some new shroud screws.
Anyone thinking about trying one of these beasts - stop thinking and buy one. You couldn't possibly be disappointed.
Missing it already, but i know i'll have another 015 and 013 in the box again soon
BTW Tony Rob on SCWF was selling some new 017 complete OEM bezels for 50 euros, if you fancy flipping the bezel to the all metal look of the 017, 50 euros is a steal!
Try it on an Isofrane too,mmmmmm
Love the look of that oneAgreed.
Had been without a Tuna for a few years but I recently got a SBBN023 and for a 47mm watch it sure wears small,
I actually had to measure it with my calipers to make sure it was the stated size...
Gray
Great watch/strap combo, really liking the GGB on that. There's something about a quartz Tuna that appeals to my inner geek, would much rather have a 015/017 over an auto version.Nice Tony, very nice!
I loved my SBBN017 when I had it, they work great on one of Carl's GGBs:
Great lume too!
I've recently been lusting after the vitage Tuna that Paul, (P9CLY) bought from Ebon and pesting him by PM to sell it to me!
Rob
>looksupSeiya<
A sound choice Tony and nice shots as always. I think the SBBN015 with its black bezel works better than the silvery SBBN017. The 7C46 movement seems to have an impressive reputation coming in at around +/ 10 seconds a month or better, so not quite high accuracy but certainly high end, very nice indeed.
When you get the time, could we have a lume shot please, it'll be a genuine excuse to switch the lights off.... ;)
Cheers
David
David
Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations
I will, David - the lume is ridiculously bright, and was even shining in the car earlier as dusk was falling. (I've got no idea what the timekeeping is like, as I don't tend to worry about it unless there's clearly something amiss.)
me flipped several because of the SS bezel and its thin height, till I got myself an Emperor. While I thought that I was done, the chocolate turned in..
Nice one mate. You suit something a little off the wall within your sensible, well thought out collection.
So, is the 15 a 7 with a black bezel? I say 7 and not 17 as I assume no hex type screws?
Thanks Steve. There are a few differences, including a brushed finish to the shroud, Marinemaster on the dial, a signed crown, different font/finish on the insert and different screws. I think that's it but there may be others.
I remember when I got my first Tuna - you said "That's a proper WIS watch"
I never owned a tuna until a year ago, when I bought a 7549-7010 and later added the Golden tuna.
I have to say that over the last year these two watches must have got 90% of my wrist time. I just can't fault them and they are such fun to wear.
Im glad i have room for one of these AND what you just sold me.
Must get one next year!
Emperor is good, easily wearable even without "Popeye" forearms!
I've recently been lusting after another MM300. If I was to get one, it'd be my 4th/5th.
But then I saw a thread yesterday on an incoming MM300, photographed side by side with a 42mm PO. The MM looked god damn ugly, or perhaps it was just the PO which looked good?
Anyway, I have finally clicked what it is with me and the MM300. It's not 'normal' enough to wear as an every day jobbie and it's not 'wacky' enough to be a statement piece.
The conclusion is that the Tuna does the job better.
OK, I'm just going to have to get one.........not because I am attracted to them, just the opposite; I just don't see what's the attraction of such a fugly quartz watch. Looks like I am just going to have to own one first to see if I can 'get it'. At least it seems that I should be able to get rid of it again easily enough if we don't 'bond'.
Thanks very much Tony, for taking the trouble to provide that great lume shot. I've returned to the thread because your tuna has been preying on my mind. I've been thinking about one of these for a couple of years and the 15 looks stunning. As you said though, buying new from Seyia etc. can end up being expensive, with the inevitable handling and customs. Regardless, it's definitely rising up the wish list.Is this what you were after, David?
Cheers
David
David
Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations
Gonna resurrect this thread as like Tony, I love this watch. I'd looked at them for ages and took the plunge earlier this year buying an sbnn007 off SC. I try to rotate it by wearing my other watches but keep returning to it like an old lover, sneaking upstairs after work to put it on. My wife gives me a look and says "why have you changed your watch"......
Last edited by andymonkey; 30th June 2013 at 21:39.
Couldn't agree more, those Tuna's are amazing!
STIMG_2046 by Malus65, on Flickr
Damn! I'd all but decided in favour of an Alpinist instead of the Tuna (SBBN015), but these pictures are changing my mind....
Tuna's AWESOME!
Yep, love my Tuna, and some other Seiko's................
Daddel.
Got a new watch, divers watch it is, had to drown the bastard to get it!
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