Reply With QuoteGreat watches :) Good comparison shots too, cheers. Id love a Darth. Can you still buy them NOS?
Folks recently added a SBBN007 Tuna to my collection (thanks TZ!) so here are some first impressions of it compared with its big brother, the SBBN013 Darth Tuna.
Black SBBN013 and silver SBBN007 on one of my ancient Jacques Cousteau books
Materials - the SBBN007 is made from stainless steel, has a stainless steel shroud, screw-in caseback and domed Hardlex crystal. Used to cost well under £500 new before it was discontinued and replaced by the more expensive but basically identical SBBN015 and SBBN017 in late 2008/early 2009.The SBBN013 has a monocoque titanium case with ceramic shroud and a thick, flat sapphire crystal. Currently costs about £1150 plus VAT/duty imported from Japan. It replaced the almost identical SBBN011 in late 2008 and adds a signed crown and 'Marinemaster' text on the dial, plus several hundred to the price!
Size - both are similar in overall size, the titanium Darth is slightly taller and wider. I'd say 48mm diameter excluding crown for the Darth and 46mm for the SBBN007, which is 14mm thick versus about 16mm for the Darth. Both have dials about 31mm across - it's the shroud that adds to the width. The shroud on the Darth overhangs the lugs so it sits well on the wrist, the lugs on the SBBN007 do protrude a little. See photos - my wrist is 7.25/7.5".
They're big, but not too large by today's standards. The SBBN007 in particular looks quite normal
Weight - Head-only the SBBN007 comes in at 100g on my scales, and the SBBN013 at 115g. The titanium SBBN013 has a heavier 4mm thick flat sapphire crystal and a soft iron disc at the base of the movement to maintain anti-magnetic properties hence the higher weight. If you add a Watchadoo Lumpy bracelet (it suits the watch perfectly) to the SBBN007 it adds another 100g so a 200g combined weight sized for 7.5" wrist.
Most owners wear the Darth on a strap so weight is lower than a braceleted 007.
Living with the Tunas - the Darth regularly attracts interest from non-WIS and is my watch of choice when giving marine-related talks and lectures to the public and schools as it conjures up the right image :wink: along with marine scientist's standard-issue beard, deep-exploration gadgets, spectacular photos etc. It's a prop - I will never dive to anything like the full capability of this watch but it's just so cool! On the negative side it can sit quite high on the wrist with some strap options and has small, undrilled lugs that make strap changing a pain. Add a 4-ring Rhino or thick-material NATO and it sits very high. Buy a 2-ring Rhino from Eddie with black PVD fittings and it works a treat.
On a single-thickness strap (this is Eddie's 2-ring grey rhino), or the supplied rubber strap, the Darth doesn't sit too high
As other owners will testify the quest for a suitable black matching bracelet is long and for the most part forlorn - especially if you want titanium rather than a black PVD Seiko stainless steel oyster. The thickness of the sapphire crystal and grey-edge titanium hands detract very slightly from legibility compared with the thinner crystal (lets more light through) and brightly polished hand-edges of the SBBN007.
Lume on both is outstanding, about the best you will get on any watch. The photos below were taken after about 5 seconds exposure to a UV light source. You certainly get a full 8 hours of glow at night. The larger lumed triangle on the Darth bezel is a nice touch - as with the bezel numbers it's covered by a translucent layer for protection. In both watches the bezels have a nice 120-click action, quite firm but smooth. The bezel edge is cut sharper on the Darth and the Darth's bezel protrudes a little higher from the shroud than with the SBBN007.
SBBN007 left, SBBN013 right
SBBN013
SBBN007
Battery changes are every five years with both watches as they share the excellent (and even adjustable - at the factory anyway) 1980's 7C46 movement - which is quite capable of better than 5 seconds per month accuracy - with estimated date of next battery change helpfully marked on the caseback. Some of my previous SBBN011's have managed +1 sec/month. The Darth is a front-loading design so a bit harder to do the job - see the entry below for images of the interior..
http://www.network54.com/Forum/78440/me ... gt%3B%3C/a
If you've got a recent model there's usually a coupon for first battery change from Seiko Japan. Higuchi-san can arrange this for you. But I do know owners who've done the job themselves, and Luka on this forum can supply spare gaskets etc.
The SBBN007 has a conventional screw caseback so can have a new battery through your usual channels. It also has longer lugs which are drilled at one end so strap changing is simple and fast. The domed Hardlex crystal is vulnerable to scratches compared with the recessed flat sapphire on the Darth but after-market sapphires are available. Whether or not you prefer flat versus domed is largely personal preference, but the domed crystal on the 007 does look quite good. Many 007 owners change the bezel insert to a black one, changing the appearance to pretty much identical to the current SBBN015/SBBN017 model. I like the stainless steel standard insert as it makes a change from my usual black-bezel watches.
Contrasting stainless versus ceramic shrouds, signed crown on the SBBN013 plain on the SBBN007.
Tunas aren't to everyone's taste but I like the originality of the design, the fact that they really are proper professional watches rather than fashion items - no celebrity 'brand ambassadors' (cringe) - and that they are totally solid, dependable watches. As Seiko's you can wear them in some of the more crime-ridden overseas ports without screaming 'mug me'... The one-piece case of the Darth means you can liberally apply chemicals like Deet or suncream to your skin without worrying you're going to rot the caseback seal. Very happy with my Tuna pair :-)
Cheers,
Steve
Great watches :) Good comparison shots too, cheers. Id love a Darth. Can you still buy them NOS?
That's a great little review.
Had a couple of 007's, but mainly regret letting my 017 go. Just loved the hex screws for some reason.
Never knew the size difference and think the Darth is exaggerated due to it being, well, dark :?
Great comparison review, thanks for posting
Mark
Very good write-up, thanks for posting! I really like the strap on the sbbn013. Unfortunately my 7c46-7009 does not take rhino straps with genuine fat springbars...
the sbbn013 is the successor to the sbbn011 and was released one year ago, so it is still available but no bargain :wink:Originally Posted by MrBanks
Yes the Darth is still a current model, the SBBN013 should be available from the usual Japanese sources (Higuchi, Seiya, Chino etc.) or you can order one through the Seiko boutique in Paris - see http://www.seikocenter.fr/
For some reason Higuchi doesn't show the SBBN013 on his website but he does sell them, perhaps customers are tempted by the more expensive, even larger and mechanical 8L35 powered SBDX011 Tuna instead?
The old model SBBN011 sometimes crops up NOS - they certainly had one in display at Seiko Paris when I called by their shop earlier in the year. The staff speak good English and are very helpful, but prices are higher than buying from Japan, though to be fair by buying within the EU you avoid the complications of paying duty on importing from Japan.
Darth's sometimes crop up on Sales Corner for anything between £600 and £900 depending upon age, condition and if it's the SBBN011 or SBBN013. Two years ago you could pick up a SBBN011 for less than £400 but prices are not what they were :cry:
Steve
EDIT - Sorry just noticed you're in Australia - there are Seiko Boutiques in Asia but not as far as I know in Australia yet, worth Googling around to see if you have a near-ish supplier
Fantastc review of s fantastic watch. Why I sold mine I'll never know. :(
And now after reading this, the Darth is staying. :)
Seikos are always such good value for money. Very tempted!
Yep, lovely pair, and thanks for taking the trouble :)
I must have a Tuna of sorts back in my small collection one day.
Daddel.
Got a new watch, divers watch it is, had to drown the bastard to get it!
This will never leave I don't think - slightly modded which just adds something special (sapphire, bezel and red-tipped hand). Basically it's indestructible and I need one watch that I don't have to mince about with!
Silly question, probably, but are they called Tuna because the shape of the shroud recalls, rather fancifully, the shape of a tin of tuna chunks? Or is there some other connection (do tuna live at great depths?)?
I love these WIS nicknames, obvious (Panda dials, for instance) or not, but sometimes they can be bewildering to newcomers to the world of watches!
Last edited by WatchIng; 18th May 2015 at 11:13. Reason: Typo
My understanding is that they just look and are sized like a can of tuna, yes :)
Thanks for that. You've managed to fan an already brightly burning flame of lust for a Darth.
Gray
Thanks for that. Having asked the question, I decided to do some online research (I know, I know, I should have done that first, D'oh!). If anyone else is interested in these nicknames, I found an interesting thread about them on watchuseek's forum (I assume I can offer the link to 'another place'!?) at http://forums.watchuseek.com/f2/best...me-947710.html
Also got me thinking about the term 'Nickname', which, according to http://dictionary.reference.com/help...guage/e32.html is derived as follows :-
What is the etymology of nickname?
The history of this word - for a familiar or humorous descriptive name given to a person, place, or thing - also tells us a bit more about the history of names in general. Nicknames were used in ancient Greece and Rome, especially in an affectionate way for children. In Anglo-Saxon times, surnames did not exist and nicknames were used to help identify a person. Originally, these were called ekenames, as eke meant 'also or added; additional'. In writing, the term an ekename at some point became incorrectly divided and the n from an was split off and added to ekename, becoming first nekename (and neke name) and eventually, nickname (c. 1674). In Europe, surnames began to be used in the 12th century, but it took several centuries before the majority of Europeans had surnames. The primary purpose of the surname was to further distinguish people from one another. By the 13th century, about a third of the male population was named William, Richard, or John. To uniquely identify them, people began referring to different Williams as "William the son of Andrew" (leading to Anderson), "William the cook" (leading to Cook), "William from the river" (leading to Rivers), or "William the brown-haired" (leading to Brown). Eventually these surnames became inherited. Surnames derived from nicknames include ones like White, Young, and Long.
Words can be fun too!
Me too
This looks like my SBBN007 that I've sold earlier this year:
If really is the watch I used to own, it was originally bought in Israel, then it had three different owners here in Italy and now it's in Wales. Quite a journey indeed.
Fantastic watch, congratulations.
Fab
The Darth makes the 007 small-
Miss my 017 but needs must
another Darth fan here, I keep going to order a new one and the pulling out at the last minute.. will probably pull the trigger soon!
Another tuna fan here.
This one has sapphire and an anvil bracelet.
Pulled the trigger and picked up a new Darth from Seiya before they're all gone, and absolutely loving it.
Just joined the Tuna club with an '015 and loving it. Whilst the Darth Tuna is very desirable, it is simply too big for my wrist. The so called 'Baby' Tuna's seem to miss the mark somewhat unfortunately.
I too recently took delivery of an SBBN 015 and it is a brilliant watch. I thought it might be too big, but wears really well, is very comfortable and so far the timekeeping is spot on.
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