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The Seiko Tuna is a professional diver’s watch that can withstand depths up to 1000m. From the globally popular range of Seiko diver’s watches this is the one certified for the deepest dives. Join us as we take a deep dive into this deep diving Seiko Diver’s Watch. A review of the Tuna’s key functions & features and where to buy a pre-owned Seiko Tuna dive watch.
Table of Contents
Introduction to the Seiko Tuna
The Seiko Tuna, also known as the Seiko Professional Diver’s 600m, is a dive watch that has become a legend in the watchmaking industry. The watch is named after its unique shape, which resembles a can of tuna due to its protective shroud that covers the case and crown. The Tuna watch was developed to protect the watch from potential damage during deep-sea diving, and its design has since become a defining feature of the watch.
Professional Dive Watch since 1975
The Seiko Tuna was first introduced in 1975 as a response to the growing demand for professional dive watches. At the time, Seiko was already well-known for its dive watches, but the Tuna represented a significant advancement in dive watch technology. The watch was designed to meet the needs of professional divers who required a timepiece that could withstand the extreme conditions of deep-sea diving.
Helium Resistant Shroud
One of the most significant features of the Seiko Tuna is its shroud, which is made of durable, corrosion-resistant titanium. The external gasket / shroud covers the case and crown of the watch, providing an extra layer of protection against scratches, impacts, and other damage that can occur during underwater activities. It also acts, most importantly, to keep Helium gas out. The shroud also gives the watch its distinctive shape, which has become synonymous with the Seiko Tuna.
How Deep? 600 to 1,000 meters
The “standard” Seiko Tuna is water-resistant up to 600 meters (2000 feet), making it suitable for deep-sea diving. The watch features a unidirectional rotating bezel, which is used to time dives. The bezel is easy to grip and turn, even when wearing gloves, and it provides an accurate measurement of elapsed time during a dive. If you’ve got in excess of £2,000 then you can find some 1,000 meters versions of the Tuna. Scroll down for the 1000 meters Marinemaster
In conclusion, the Seiko Tuna is a dive watch that has become a legend in the watchmaking industry. The watch is known for its unique design, durability, and reliability, making it a popular choice for professional divers and watch enthusiasts alike. The Seiko Tuna is a testament to Seiko’s commitment to precision, innovation, and excellence in watchmaking.
Seiko Tuna Dive Watches on the market today
Discover a selection of Seiko Tuna dive watches on eBay today. Click the banner below to browse the latest offerings of the best Seiko Tuna diver’s watches on the market today. This is a direct link to eBay with filtered results to show only Seiko Tuna diver’s watches on the eBay market today.
*ChronoDivers are affiliated to the EPN (eBay Partners Network). The website owner may earn commission on resulting sales
More Seiko Divers on Amazon
We’ve selected a few other Seiko dive watches currently available on Amazon. Amazon is a great place to start researching a product, especially if you are also looking at second hand models. Knowing the price of a new one from Amazon may help protect you from overpaying for a pre-owned model on eBay. Happy Shopping.
Seiko Men’s Analogue Automatic Watch with Leather Strap SRPG39K1
6% Off
Seiko 5 Sports Style Automatic ‘Batman Blueberry’ SKX Re-Interpretatio…
£378.00 (as of 3 December 2023 19:52 GMT +00:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Seiko Men’s Analogue Automatic Watch with Rubber Strap SKX009K1
£559.99 (as of 4 December 2023 12:24 GMT +00:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)Seiko powered 200m Dive Watch for just £99
If you’re looking for an affordable diver’s watch that won’t break the bank – look no further than the ChronoDivers CD200SKX. The team behind ChronoDivers have commissioned a good quality, sensibly priced tribute to the classic Seiko SKX range. The CD200SKX is a true Seiko Pepsi homage – right down to the movement inside – a Seiko NH35A. Other quality features include a sapphire crystal, ceramic bezel and super bright C3 lume on hands & dial indexes – excellent value at just £99
Fine examples of Tuna Dive Watch discovered on eBay
All the watches below were found on eBay. eBay is a great place to go to check a) the current prices of a specific watch and b) to see what the watch looks like in the “real world”. Most product photos on eBay are taken with great care to best represent the watch. You get to see what it really looks like (not a computer enhanced brochure photo)
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Innovation – no helium escape valve
Of all the Seiko dive watches the Tuna has the most distinctive / original design, in fact, possibly of all the dive watches on the market (exception Omega PloProf). This unique design comes more from necessity than aesthetics. The key to this styling lies in the depth this watch can withstand. When diving at extreme depths a combination of mixed gases are used to protect the diver’s from “the bends” (external reference *).
A proportion of these mixed gases is HELIUM. And there lies the problem. Helium particles are TINY … really TINY. They are small enough to enter the casing of a watch water resistant to even 1000m. The problem arises during decompression. The helium gas cannot get out quickly enough. There is a build up pressure inside the watch which may cause the glass to blow off.
Patented Gasket Solution
Seiko looked outside the box for solutions. Instead of looking to ways of allowing the helium to get out … they stopped it entering in the first place. With a specially designed gasket and the titanium monochoque casing the problem was solved in a unique fashion. That was back in 1975 that the world was first introduced to the Seiko Tuna. The initial watches were driven by Seiko’s 6159 Calibre – 26 jewel – automatic movement.
In 1978 that the Seiko Professional Diver’s 600 became the world’s first saturation diving watch featuring a quartz movement. Driven by the 7549 calibre the Seiko Tuna was establishing itself as THE professional divers watch. In fact, to reinforce it’s superiority and prove it’s reliability Seiko undertook an amazing test.
In 1983 a Seiko Tuna with the 7549 quartz movement was strapped to the research submarine “SHINKAI 2000” (external reference *). Accordingly, down it went to an official depth of 1,062 meters below sea level. To emphasize, that’s nearly twice the maximum depth this watch is rated to. Needless to say, the Tuna performed with perfect accuracy. Due to this outstanding performance the Tuna booked it’s place in the Dive Watch Hall of Fame – and for very good reason.
1000m Water Resistancy – with this Seiko Tuna Marinemaster
The example shown below is a Limited Edition Quartz Seiko Tuna Marinemaster – water resistant to 1000m. This one is quite rare, notice the white ceramic helium escape gasket. For the record it’s a Seiko SBBN019 also known by it’s nickname as the Seiko White Dolphin (sometimes the Beluga or even the Storm Trooper). It was produced to celebrate 45 years since the first Tuna diver’s watch. Being one of a very limited run of just 300 timepieces – this one would fetch a premium if it were sold today – somewhere in the region of £1,750 / $2,000.
Nicknames of the most popular Tuna Dive Watches
The Tuna range is littered with witty nicknames. Here’s a few: the Darth Tuna (all black version), Mini Tuna (correct, it’s a bit smaller) , Emperor Tuna, Yellow Tuna (yellow bezel and accent on hands) all the way back to aptly named original Grandfather Tuna. Another popular name for the regular version of this watch is the Seiko Baby Tuna. The “baby” refers to the fact that it’s a slightly under-engineered version of the professional MarineMaster version.
Seiko Baby Tuna SRP637K1 with 4R36 calibre automatic movement
What to pay for a pre-owned Tuna
A question we get asked everyday for practically all the watches listed on the website. It’s all down to popularity, rarity, provenance and condition. Let’s start at the TOP end of the market. Don’t forget these watches are some of the finest timepieces in the world – in my view equaling the quality of some Swiss brands.
The Seiko SBDB013 Spring Drive Tuna Marinemaster is not going to give you any change from £2,500. If it says MARINEMASTER on the dial and it’s genuine, the starting price has to be around £1,000 / $1,000+ for a “basic” automatic model. However, there are plenty of other versions available in particular, the solar and street Tuna models starting at £250.
Consider a Steeldive “Tuna” homage
Customers who admire the aesthetics of the Tuna dive watch may also like the Steeldive Tuna homage version. Not a fake, moreover a respectful and affordable tribute to this innovative dive watch. If good quality tribute watches is of interest – we also have our own CD200SKX. There is no doubting the DNA of our design – it’s a true SKX009 homage – right down to the movement inside.
More popular Seiko Diver’s watches
The Seiko Samurai featured above is just one of several popular Seiko Dive watches with their own quirky nicknames. Others classic dive watches from Seiko to consider include:
Seiko Monster
The Seiko Monster dive watch is so called because, allegedly, the shape of the bezel was inspired by a shark’s teeth. The Monster has the most aggressive design making it instantly recognizable. First introduced in 2000 in Japan with the Seiko SKX779 (black dial) and Seiko SKX781 (orange dial). More about the Seiko Monster dive watch.
Seiko SKX009 / SKX007
Of all the Seiko dive watches that have ever graced our wrists & oceans – the Seiko SKX007 and Seiko SKX009 are two of the most popular. This short history of the Seiko SKX009 and SKX007 tells us they were first introduced in 1996. At the time no one could have predicted their success and longevity. All models incorporated the Seiko 7S26 automatic (self winding) movement. Older models can be identified by their 150m water resistancy, newer ones were certified to a depth of 200m.
Seiko Turtle
The Seiko Turtle is an iconic diver’s watch made famous by the Apocalypse Now movie. From the ever popular range of Seiko dive watches this is the one with the smooth, cushion like case. Initially released in 1976, the original Turtle (Seiko 6306 & Seiko 6309) was in production from 1976 until 1988. More about the Seiko Turtle dive watch
Further Reading
- Monochrome Watches – the history of the Seiko Tuna
- Monochrome Watches – the Emperor Tuna Marinemaster