Like fairly a couple of of you studying, my curiosity was piqued after I first learn concerning the Tusenö Shellback a couple of weeks in the past. So, when the model supplied to ship me a pattern to go hands-on with, I fortunately accepted. Although it’s a Swedish microbrand, Tusenö watches are certainly Swiss-made and have a eager sense of design and an understanding of what fanatics have a tendency to love. Whereas not doing something particularly new or groundbreaking, the Shellback succeeds at providing a classically engaging dive watch that units itself aside in a really crowded house with splendidly executed design touches. The phrase “worth proposition” is tossed round fairly regularly, however anybody on the lookout for a flexible dive look ahead to considerably lower than $1,000 ought to hold studying.
We might as nicely begin with the case, measuring 40mm-wide with an approximate 47mm lug-to-lug peak and a case thickness of 11.9mm that’s extra like 13 when contemplating the domed sapphire crystal. Simply by way of sizing, I imagine the Shellback may be very near the outgoing 40mm Submariner, which is one other means of claiming that the case is about as universally acceptable because it will get.
I ought to point out that the Shellback I hung out with is an early mannequin, and the model is making some adjustments to it. This bracelet has stable finish hyperlinks that inflate the lug-to-lug measurement to 52mm, however the closing manufacturing model may have hole finish hyperlinks that can retain the 47mm lug-to-lug. Johan Holsner, one of many founders and CEO of Tusenö, additionally famous that they’re nonetheless testing out totally different bezel springs, as nicely. I discovered the bezel motion to be fairly stable, although if I needed to criticize it, I might say that it may be a bit of too stiff when working. The advantage of the stiffness, after all, is that it stays in place and doesn’t inadvertently flip.
With an AR-coated sapphire crystal, the Shellback is accessible in blue or black with the choice of a date window at 6 o’clock, seen right here within the black no-date variant. I’ll enterprise to say that the sandwich dial is the place a lot of the Shellback’s enchantment lies, and that’s undoubtedly warranted. It has a lumed disc on prime of which is positioned the shiny black (or brushed blue) dial with cutouts for round hour markers and indices. Clearly, Panerai is most intently related to these dials, although a number of different manufacturers do it, too. (The Omega Seamaster 300 additionally does it fairly nicely.)
The lume can also be utilized on the bezel’s etched markings, in addition to the arms, the previous of which I additionally applaud Tusenö for. The seconds hand is capped with a lumed arrow, the tip of which extends properly to the outer fringe of the chapter ring. The minutes hand is sweet and appropriately lengthy, as nicely, and I genuinely just like the novel form of the hour hand. Certainly, the opening of the hour hand aligns with the “SHELLBACK” textual content at 6 o’clock, permitting the letters to be learn because the hand passes by. It’s a pleasant and considerate contact that you simply don’t see a lot at this value level.
The screw-down crown is stable sufficient and simple to function with a pull to the second place, activating the hacking seconds and permitting you to set the time. (I imagine the primary place is for setting the date for fashions that function it.) Unscrewing the crown additionally permits hand-winding of the motion, which is one thing I wasn’t sure of with this Ronda motion. The minutes hand stays completely nonetheless when pushing the crown again in, one thing that, sadly, can’t be taken as a given. To attain 200M water resistance, Tusenö opted for a stable caseback with a stamped star emblem. I’ve at all times been a proponent of stable casebacks, as I don’t assume a overwhelming majority of actions actually have to be displayed.
I’ve to confess that I don’t actually have a lot private expertise with the automated bi-directional winding Ronda Mecano Calibre R150 motion that the Tusenö Shellback is outfitted with. Launched about six years in the past, the Swiss-made Ronda R150 was designed as a direct and extra reasonably priced competitor for the ETA 2824 along with computerized choices from Sellita, Miyota, and many others… The R150 operates at 28,800 vph and has a 40-hour energy reserve with a median variance of +/- 12 seconds/day and a most variance of +/- 30 seconds/day. Whereas Ronda is comparatively new to the mechanical motion world, it has been round for many years and produces over 20 million quartz actions per 12 months.
All that is to say that, whereas I can’t personally converse to the R150, I don’t see any motive to let it dissuade somebody who in any other case likes this watch sufficient to get it. Plus, Tusenö has a two-year guarantee on the Shellback.
The Shellback comes with a metal bracelet, in addition to a tropic rubber strap and a NATO strap, all with an easy-to-use quick-release system. The bracelet is properly completed, fairly snug to put on, and it has an “on the fly” micro-adjust clasp, as nicely. And as I famous earlier, Tusenö can be swapping out the stable end-link with hole for the manufacturing fashions so as to hold the lug-to-lug peak at 47mm. Personally, I favor the tropic rubber strap as a result of, nicely, it’s August in Los Angeles.
The Tusenö Shellback affords quite a lot of worth and delivers some very considerate design touches that transcend the floor traditional dive watch aesthetic. Positive, Ronda computerized actions aren’t as ubiquitous as others, however I don’t see any motive to low cost the Shellback for that motive. A Swiss-made watch with a Swedish sensibility, the Tusenö Shellback is accessible for an early value of $649 throughout the preorder section, after which it’s going to revert to a regular value of $795. You possibly can study extra and preorder right here at tuseno.com.
