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In 1975, A saturation diver from Kure City in the Hiroshima prefecture of Japan sent Seiko a complaint regarding the reliability of it’s existing line of professional dive watches. The complaint exposed some notable flaws in it’s existing design, most notably their susceptability to the absorption of helium gas, a component of the air mixture that saturation divers were enveloped in.
In response, Seiko’s engineers (led by Ikuo Tokunga), set out to make the perfect dive watch for professional saturation divers. Nicknamed the “Tuna” because of it’s cylindrical slab of lugless casing, the resulting product was a marvel of modern engineering. It’s monocoque titanium case, L-shaped gasket, and unique shrouded design were all firsts in the industry. The result was a watch that was impervious to helium gas penetration, and one that could withstand the pressure of massive depths up to 600m. It instantly became a modern classic for Seiko, and has been in continuous production for the last 42 years.
The Tuna has evolved over the years, although many of the modern incarnations share the iconic design of their predecessors. Available in a variety of sizes, materials, and colors, the Seiko Tuna is an extremely collectible model with a rich history and an affordable price-point.
Today, the Seiko Tuna is powered primarily by Seiko’s innovative 7C46A quartz movement. Although many purists will look down upon the fact that the...