Of all the different and distinct Seiko ‘Tuna’ dive watches, our subject for the day, the Seiko ‘Golden Tuna’ 7549-7009, is one of the most interesting. This was the first Seiko ‘Tuna’ to feature a quartz caliber, the Cal. 7549. And it came after the first Seiko Tuna, often referred to as the ‘Grandfather Tuna’, that used an automatic Seiko Cal. 6159 – that is related to the Grand Seiko 61GS movements.
The Seiko Golden Tuna 7549-7009 was first released in 1978, three years after the Seiko Grandfather Tuna, and produced until the mid-1980s. Along with the Golden Tuna, there was another model released that year that had 300 meters of water resistance to the Golden Tuna’s 600 meters – the Seiko Tuna 7549-7010. While the Seiko Tuna originally comes from a letter written to Seiko in 1968 complaining about the robustness of their time watches at the time, the Seiko Golden Tuna is most well-known for being worn by James Bond in the 1981 film For Your Eyes Only. The Seiko Golden Tuna was also known for its titanium nitrate case, as Seiko was the first watch brand to use titanium as the case material for a dive watch, looking to improve its durability.
James Bond wearing the Seiko ‘Golden Tuna’ in the film For Your Eyes Only / Credit: James Bond Lifestyle
In the film, For Your Eyes Only, a British underwater intelligence ship, the St Georges, carrying an important system known as the Automatic Targeting Attack Communicator (ATAC), is sunk and James Bond is tasked with retrieving this ATAC. He visibly wears the Seiko Golden Tuna on the outside of his dive suit while diving to the wreck of the St Georges to retrieve the ATAC. While the Seiko Golden Tuna is barely visible in the shot, collectors had their eye on it and the Bond fame grew over the years.
Today, the Seiko Golden Tuna, despite its quirky – very late ‘70s – case design, is a full-blown collectible. Ironically, Roger Moore, who played James Bond in For Your Eyes Only, had also worn the Seiko Golden Tuna in another film released the year before called North Sea Hijack.
By: Andres Ibarguen
Read more:
“The Seiko Tuna Collector’s Guide.” The Spring Bar, September 1st, 2019, https://thespringbar.com/blogs/guides/the-seiko-tuna-collectors-guide/.
“Seiko 7549-7009 'Golden Tuna' 600m Professional Quartz Diver.” James Bond Lifestyle, https://www.jamesbondlifestyle.com/product/seiko-7549-7009-golden-tuna-600m-professional-quartz-diver.
A 1979 vintage Seiko Quartz SilverWave Z Diver 7123-8070 for sale on Toronto Vintage Watches.