The Low-Down

If you stare out of the window from the Glashütte Original manufactory, you can see Tutima Glashütte just across the road. In the Saxony village of Glashütte there’s a huddle of top notch German watch brands all within a stone’s throw of each other producing watches at least the equal, or surpass that of Switzerland, and Tutima is proudly among their number.

The new M2 Seven Seas S from Tutima is steely, sporty and spectacular. It’s a serious diver, now clad in two new bold colors.

Whereas the Tutima M2 diver is normally made from Titanium, the S version is forged from brushed and partially polished stainless steel, giving the “S” line unique visual appeal coupled with heftier tactile qualities.

The 44-mm case is water resistant to 500 meters. With a date window at 6 o’ clock, the two new dial colors both feature a striking dégradé effect. One version features a bright sunburst yellow surrendering to green and then black along the edge. The other is an on trend deep green dial, which also darkens to a moody black along the edge, giving the dial a sense of dramatic depth.

Dive watch detailing is just what you would expect. A screw-down crown, a 120-click unidirectional rotating bezel, large, polished steel hour markers and sword-shaped hands generously applied with Super-Luminova for ease of legibility. There’s also an eye-catching red lollipop second hand. On the reverse the screw down caseback features an embossed image of a sailing ship at full mast.

The anti-reflective sapphire crystal avoids glare underwater and, at three millimeters thick, is tough enough to take the knocks on the rocks. The crystal has a hardness of nine Mohs: only diamond is harder.

The M2 Seven Seas S Diver comes with your choice of two straps. One is made of rubber and impregnated leather with complementary colored stitching. The other is a stainless steel bracelet. The watch runs on Tutima 330 automatic caliber, which has as its base the ever-trusty ETA 2824 movement with a relatively modest 38-hour power reserve.

IMHO

Founded in 1927 by Dr. Ernst Kurtz, one of the early pioneers of the wristwatch, from first class Fliegers to dependable divers, Tutima continues to make excellent no nonsense tool watches with all the assured quality of German engineering. A family run business, you can certainly pay much more for a dive watch, but for quality of build you’d be hard put to find better value for money.

The degrade dial is something I would expect on Moser or Glashutte Original dive watches, but this is a nice surprise from Tutima, especially at the sub-$2k price point. It is also a smart move for Tutima to distinguish between the colourful dial of M2 Seven Seas in titanium and special dials in stainless steel case. Perhaps the only downside I could see is the heavier 44mm case, but with integrated lugs, it is only a minor issue.

Tech Specs

Movement: Caliber Tutima 330 (ETA base), 38 hours power reserve
Case: 44mm, stainless steel, 500m water resistance
Functions: Hours, Minutes, Seconds and Date
Straps: Stainless Steel bracelet, Rubber and Leather
Price: USD1,900 on Strap; USD2,300 on bracelet