On my desk today is a staple German diver, the Tutima M2 Seven Seas S in bright Yellow dial. The Seven Seas slots in as the professional diver in the Tutima M2 series, home to over 40 different models of sports watches donning this case style. This 44mm automatic chunky dive with 500m of water resistance. Within this line, there are sixteen variants with five different dials. The version I have on loan came on a hybrid leather and rubber strap with a stainless steel buckle. A stainless steel bracelet option is also available. The price of the Seven Seas ranges online, the peak being $2,000 and the cheapest about $1,300 from different gray market retailers. The official retail price is $2,350 with a bracelet and $1,980 with this strap.
On the Wrist
On my wrist, the watch wears as large as its dimensions imply. The only saving grace is the short lug-to-lug dimension of only 44mm (equal to the diameter)—the strap I found to be stiff and thicker than similar straps.
The thickness of the strap adds to the inflexibility and overall large feel. Despite having reviewed larger watches, due to the thickness of the strap, you feel more at risk of bumping the Seven Seas throughout the day. From my measurement, the strap was 5.66mm. I am sure the stainless steel diver could handle the extra beating. I may seem unreasonable concerning the strap. But during my time with the timepiece removing it wasn’t possible. In the above image, you may notice drilled lugs. Even with the drilled lugs, I fell short of successfully removing the strap. The bars appeared to be solid without springs within them. This could be because they are solid metal, or the watch is just a loaner that has been around for a while with bars that have frozen up.
The buckle of the Tutima is well-designed and representative of the quality you should expect in this price range.
The mechanism of the clasp was easy to use and never faltered during my short time with it. Adjusting from one strap hole to the next was also easy.
Tutima Seven Seas Specs | |
Case Width 44mm | Lug-to-Lug 44mm |
Case Thickness 13mm | Lug Width 20mm |
Water Resistance 500m | Strap Leather Strap |
Crystal Sapphire | Lume Super-LumiNova |
Movement Tutima Cal. 330 | Price $1,980 |
Dial Details
The finishing on the Tutima should leave you pleased. The indices are highly polished along with the edges of the date window. I would have preferred the date wheel to match the dial, Yellow date wheel on a Yellow dial is a killer combination. The dial itself is love or hate, but other options are offered. The effect of the gradient dial is fantastic to look at.
The lume, however, is where this watch falls a bit flat. Applied to both the Indices and Hands is SuperLumiNova, and what specific lume is not noted by Tutima. What is clear is that the lume is not strong or overly applied. At a retail price of $2,000, you would expect a significantly brighter glowing watch for a professional diver.
When freshly charged and visible, the lume does accent this colorway nicely. The sickly green compliments the gradient dial beautifully, and I only wish there was more of it.
Case, Movement, Misc
The case of the M2 line has become somewhat iconic in its own right. The inset bezel and polished case with these short lugs land the diver somewhere between a Seiko Tuna and a Tag Aquaracer.
The stainless steel bezel is excellent for grip and will look fantastic with wear. I am a fan of the polished edges of the bezel as well. The shining edges integrate nicely into the case edge. One area that concerns me is the inset accumulating debris. Cleaning this area would require removing the bezel and could be a hassle. This brings us to my most pressing complaint about this watch, the bezel action.
The Stainless Steel bezel is a unidirectional 60-click bezel. There was slop in the forward direction by about ¾ of a click. Typically I would say bezel action is up to the wearer’s preference, and this level of variance exceeds the normal range for what I consider permissible.
Within the Seven Seas S is the Cal. Tutima 330. The 330 is based on the ETA 2836, having 38 hours of power reserve and a date function. You should have no problem maintaining this movement for a long time. Covering the movement is a case back featuring an embossed ship.
Final Thoughts
The Seven Seas fills the spot of a no-nonsense professional diver quite well for Tutima. The was is interesting to look at, easy to read, and able to go to the bottom of the Ocean. The watch excels in finishing and holds up beautifully under macro. I am also a sucker for a steel bezel, so this is an easy sell, looks-wise. The areas I would like to improve upon are the bezel action, lume, and strap. The greatest opportunity for improvement is the bezel action.
If you are interested in knowing more about the Tutima Seven Seas S, check out their site or find a local retailer. You should be able to check out one of these in person at many jewelers.
Check out more dive watch reviews at The Watch Clicker here
Check out the Tutima website here
