Reply With QuoteGreat write up and collection! I have an Sbbn015 and kept it instead of an Sbdx001 as it looks/feels more special to wear.
Last year I sold off my Seiko Tunas, missed them, and over the last couple of months have restored my sense of contentment in watches by being able to buy back my SBDB013 Spring Drive from a very decent forum member, buying a mint SBBN047 from SC at a very fair price, and I have now added a SNE577 Solar Tuna complete the trio.
I know that Seiko’s shrouded divers aren’t to everyone’s taste, but I’m a fan and have owned quite a few over the years, starting with a SBBN011 Darth Tuna back in about 2007. Photo wearing it below, taken in Aegean about 15 years ago. I’ve owned a few of the the 300m steel ones (posted a ‘how to fit a sapphire crystal to SBBN007’ piece on here years ago), the kinetic GMT version, once had the mighty mechanical ‘Emperor Tuna’ but keep coming back to the Darth.
So what is the appeal? I work in marine science, technology and policy for a living, and the Tunas reflect the engineering that goes into the autonomous marine systems, submersibles and diving kit that we work with. The shrouded divers are never fashionable, they’re ‘form follows function’ to a greater degree than most watches.
Many of you will know the history of the model so I won’t repeat it here, but suffice to say that the protective shroud does do it’s job of warding off glancing blows when working amongst pipes, rocks & metal bulkheads. The practical quartz movement in most Tunas is excellent for resilience to shock & vibration when using power tools, & they’re well protected against electrical fields from power cables and machinery.
I’ll never dive deep enough to challenge even the 200m rated Tunas, let along a 1000m rated Darth, but that’s not the point - it’s an expression of respect for the single-minded bonkers design of the thing.
A few thoughts on the models I currently own.
SBBN047 Darth Tuna - with a monocoque (one piece) titanium case, this is a true Tunacan - arguably all the Tunas with removable case backs are tuna-style rather than the Real Thing, but most Tuna fans will be happy you like Seiko’s shrouded divers and be pleased whatever you’ve got. The mighty Darth is a masterpiece of matt black perfection - black DLC coated titanium, a flat sapphire; and a ceramic shroud. These can get chipped but rare to see a destroyed one.
Come the Zombie apocalypse, or Putin pressing the button, the Darth will sit in the geological strata for aeons waiting to amaze a future alien explorer.
Strap changes are a pain in the neck, it’s too tall, and unless you’re brave it’s not a trivial task to DIY the battery change. Still my favourite.
SBDB013 Spring Drive - when these first came out, tuna fans worried it was too posh for a Tuna, but it’s a beautiful machine with a gorgeous titanium shroud and the mesmerising sweep of a Spring Drive movement. Two piece titanium case. Strap changes still a pain, especially with the supplied shoulderless spring bars, the case is too tall, and the bezel is far too shiny for a tool watch, but it’s just Seiko showing off.
SNE577 - this is one of the budget solar tunas, again not a one piece case, it’s steel not titanium, hardlex not sapphire, and the shroud is plastic but if you want a shrouded Seiko beater it’s a great choice. Has drilled lugs, solid solar quartz movement, decent build quality and is light in weight. Good sports watch, or something to wear mountain biking.
Before I finish, some thoughts on ones I no longer own - emperor tuna is very large & heavy, same 8L35 mechanical movement as the MM300 but in an indestructible titanium case and shroud.
The Emperor is tall enough to bash into everything and will never fit under a shirt cuff, whereas the Darth can just about do that, and the Spring Drive, 300m, & solar ones can fit reasonably well.
The Emperor does have lugs drilled at one end, so strap changes aren’t difficult. It’s a one piece case, and will last forever.
The 300m quartz tunas (one seen below with a SBBN013 Darth) are great watches, tough, same 7C46 as the Darth, drilled lugs. I don’t like the domed hardlex crystals on them - I’ve scratched them and find the reflections & distortion annoying. The most recent incarnations of the 300m have sapphire, I’ve not seen one up close yet to see if it’s still domed. It’s a good compromise if you want a tuna, prefer to be able to change the battery yourself, and don’t want to have to fight to change the strap. Eddie even used to sell the SBBN007 on the TZUK website.
There didn’t used to be much price difference between the 300m SBBN007 and the 1000m Darth, both were priced below £1k when I first discovered them, usually from Higuchi or Seiya in Japan as they were Japan-only models & had to be mail-ordered.
You’d order from Japan and wait & see if Royal Mail would clobber you for duty & VAT, 15 years ago they quite often didn’t.
Eventually Seiko twigged they were missing a trick not selling them globally & the whole ‘Prospex’ thing started, so now we can buy them in most countries.
Doubtless I’ll write again one day about being a tuna fan, I look forward to seeing what variations in the design pop up in future. For now I’m very happy with my current tuna trio.
Cheers,
Steve
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Great write up and collection! I have an Sbbn015 and kept it instead of an Sbdx001 as it looks/feels more special to wear.
It took me ages to take the plunge on a tuna, picked this up from Sales Corner a few years ago. It's an SBBN031.. There was a very limited edition tuna referred to as the Tuna Dime MD, I would very much like to own one of those. Zelig has a modified tuna which I also covet (as well as some of the vintage tunas you see from time to time). Tasty tuna indeed.
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Last edited by sish101; 9th May 2022 at 21:41.
Huge fan of the Tuna, a cockroach of the watch world. You just can’t kill them!
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There are so many versions, it can be confusing.
I have a Tuna but it is a modern 300m quartz, something inbetween the cheap solar ones and the larger expensive Pro Tunas i guess.
Nice watch, it does wear smaller than you might think and has high comfort
I recently got a Darth tuna and love it ,just a fantastic watch and not as big as you think with its lugless design ,it is thick though
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Nice write up, and great watches. I've also been a big admirer of the Tuna's, but took a long time to take the plunge. While I appreciate the 300m variety, for me it was always about the "real" Tuna's - 1000m rating and one piece case. Being a true WIS my first Tuna was the Golden Emperor
While it was indeed an awesome watch, it proved to be a little to far on the "big" side, and was traded for my current Tuna - the 35th anniversary SBBN051. Absolutely love it, and greatly enjoy wearing it as and when the mood takes!
I have the 300m Tun, bought from a member here. I absolutely love it, it's big enough to be visible from space so I can read it without my glasses and the design is awesome. It's built to do a job, the look is secondary.
When it comes to battery change time I'm going to get Seiko to fit a Japanese day wheel & correct the bezel alignment - as is traditional it's a click off.
Fab write up!
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Great write up Searat!
I did go through a tuna phase but have to admit they are all gone now as they felt (and looked) rather clunky on me doing stuff like mowing the lawn!
Unique watches with an interesting history.
Cheers,
Neil.
cool watches, thanks for the writeup.
why do you say 'shrouded' out of interest?
The steel (300m) or ceramic (1000m) outer protective ring is called the shroud, as it protects the actual case from damage.Originally Posted by robinsongreen68
Thanks for a great write up. I too came late to the Tuna world and have become a fan. I am currently wearing a kinetic GMT as a I write and it’s my go to holiday watch - ok it’s not a real tuna but it is a shrouded diver and you can see the inspiration. I also have a black 300m it’s my favourite grab and go. I will try the 1000m versions soon, I quite fancy a spring drive version or the 8L35 powered version.
Great write up, interesting to read thanks.
I've long fancied trying one, but think it would probably be a bit big for me (much like I love the MM300, having had two SBDX001s, but ultimately they're a bit chunky for me).
I've long admired the one Skip posted above (the anniversary with the graduated dial), but again just too big.
Great write-up. The 300m SBBN007 was my very first Tuna and still is one of my favorite. Then there are the auto Tunas...
SBBN031 here, owned it for 3 or 4 years now and thinking of putting it on its unworn bracelet soon.
I've toyed with the idea of chopping it in for a monocoque Tuna though haven't, as yet anyway.
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Thanks for that - a good review of the various styles of Tuna. I've had several but have always sold them on, despite their considerable strengths. I had one of the newer sapphire models from Sept 2020 - IIRC it's a flat sapphire with a slightly curved inner surface, hinting at the appearance of the hardlex Tunas.
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My Yobokies Seiko
https://i.imgur.com/FHkOfYv.jpg
Great review
Big tuna fan also, had 7 or 8 in total. I prefer the 300m ones, big but not too big hockey pucks like 1000m ones and I do prefer lugs for easier strap change. Would like to try the spring drive for sure. Currently I have only sbbn007.
Btw, the sapphire glass on the never iterations of 300m ones is domed only on one side (under). My friend installed it on his old 300m tuna and he is thrilled.
Few ex photos, last 2 of shiny shrouded sbbn029 aka platinum tuna (700 ltd)
How do these compare on the wrist with an Orange Monster?
Dave
The 300m quartz SBBN007 wears much the same despite the size difference. I think my camera changes the perspective and makes the Tuna look bigger than it does on the wrist.
Dave
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Thanks. Never really considered Tuna as I perceived they were “enormous” but as I was wearing an OM as a daily (less now as it really needs a service) maybe they aren’t.
Dave
Thanks for the comments guys - good to hear that the latest incarnation of the 300m tuna has a sapphire that is flat on the outside and curved on the inside - should prevent the scratching that used to be an issue with the hardlex crystal on the earlier versions. At some point I'll add a 300m Tuna back to the collection.
My daily wearer of late is the Spring Drive as I've sold off almost all my mechanical watches, and it's the only one of my Tunas that needs movement to keep it going ;)
Almost exactly ten years ago I posted a 'how to change the crystal on a 300m tuna' piece - it's still there in the archives:
Crystal replacement on SBBN007 step-by-step
Cheers
Steve
Now that's a nice shoal of Tuna..
Steve
Great write-up. The 300m SBBN007 was my very first Tuna and still is one of my favorite. Then there are the auto Tunas...
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Love the Tuna truly bombproof and lungless means it fits my skinny wrists
I've been addicted to Tuna's for years now.
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