Their initial model, the First 42 Collection, is a delightfully classy mecha-quartz dress watch. However, it’s not Swiss. So, their goal strongly hinges on this fine piece of metal – the Shellback.

As soon as I saw the designs of this (it’s been shared a lot on Facebook groups and the like by Alexander, the co-founder) when they were first shared, I knew it was going to be a hit. The angular case, simple yet modern sandwich dial, and unusual handset certainly make it stand out from a design perspective. But whilst it might look nice, is it well-built, and does it offer good value for money with an RRP of €795 / $795? Let’s check it out.

The specs

• Dimensions: 40mm diameter x 12mm height x 47mm lug to lug
• Weight: 172g
• Water resistance rating: 20ATM / 200m
• Movement: Ronda R150
• Lug width: 20mm
• Warranty: 2 years
• Price: €795 / $795 / ~£680
• Buy here: https://tuseno.com/collections/shellback

Watch the Tusenö Shellback Video Review

The 40mm diameter case is a delight to wear, the perfect size for a diver that wants to make a statement, but not look like it’s trying too hard. Plus, it’s comfortable and can be worn on all occasions. It wears thinner than the 12mm height too, thanks to the slender side profile and chamfered edges.

The Shellback’s double layer sandwich dial offers depth, and this blue dial is brushed with a colour that varies from light to dark blue depending on the lighting and angle. I particularly like the rounded batons at 12, 3, 6 and 9, and the matching date window is well designed.

I love a date window at 6, as it keeps things symmetrical. A wonderful display of attention to detail is how the date window has a lumed border to it, keeping the design uniform at night. 

The thick pitched hands are another excellent unique design feature; particularly the doughnut in the hour hand which swipes over the model name revealing it in the gap. The minute hand is a strong, bold baton with a pointed tip; the seconds hand a thin stick with an elegant arrow.

The dial and bezel insert is filled with BGW9 lume, which is strong and lasts a long time.

The ceramic bezel insert is a midnight blue to complement the dial, with the marking neatly engraved and filled. It has a good grip on the outside, and the action is firm and accurate. It also provides a real hefty clicking noise.

The caseback and crown feature Tusenö’s new symbol, “The Guiding Light”. Inspired by sea charts, it’s a modification to the symbol used for a sector lighthouse, which guides ships through channels at night. It’s a pitched 5 pointed star, with a cropped circle behind it and a location pin in between 2 of the points. It’s a very classy and simple design, which I think suits the brand and watch very well.

The Ronda R150 movement is relatively new (being a few years old), and is yet another direct competitor to the ETA 2824-2 although it’s not a direct clone. For me, competition is good, and the more alternatives we have to that timeless movement, the better. It has all the normal specs you’d expect: a high beat rate of 28.8k bph, hand and automatic winding, 25 jewels, hacking seconds, and a 2 hour better power reserve coming in at 40 hours. 

The bracelet is incredible, it’s as simple as that. A “flat link bracelet”, it is a sharp, crisp design with flat tops and polished bevelled edges which work seamlessly with the case. Additionally, the links are fully articulated. If you’ve never tried a fully articulated bracelet before, then you are missing out. Supreme comfort due to the way they hug the wrist. 

The chunky Diver extension clasp, in my opinion, is a bit too large. The logo is neatly engraved on top, with a split near the base, which is where the clever 13mm “on the fly” extension extracts from by pulling the two angled side buttons upwards. Still, it’s chunky, sturdy and substantial providing a sense of great quality, like every other aspect of this immense watch.

Tusenö Shellback Final Comments

Ever since it was released, I’ve always said the latest iteration of the Christopher Ward C60 Trident is the best Swiss diver under £1000. But, I’ve got to say, the Tusenö Shellback is the only watch that has come close to knocking it off that top spot.

Circling back to Tusenö’s goal “to be the number one manufacturer of high quality watches with a combined production in Sweden and Switzerland”. The Shellback is the type of watch that will help them achieve it. Tremendous build quality, unique design, a level of fit and finish that doesn’t exist at this price point – it’s genuinely a wonderful watch. 

I haven’t been this impressed by a watch for a long time – and if you buy one too, I’m confident you’ll feel the same.

The post Tusenö Shellback Watch Review appeared first on 12&60.

The specs

• Case dimensions: 42mm diameter x 11.5mm height x 49.5mm lug to lug
• Movement: Seiko VK64
• Lug width: 20mm
• Water resistance: 50m
• Weight: 90g
• Price: 3495 kr / £295

The case

The case is available in stainless steel or rose gold plated. I decided on the rose gold version as I felt it looked a bit classier and worked well with the dial.

Size wise, it is on the larger side for a dress watch at 42mm in diameter, but it looks very impressive on the wrist and the subdials ensure the entire face is kept interesting and well laid out (I have a 7.25″ wrist).

The case has a mixture of contrasting finishing. Namely: a polished bezel, caseback and pushers / crown; and brushed sides to offset them.

The manufacturing and finishing of the case is very good, especially where the finishes meet. It’s a standard barrel shape, and feels weighty and very good quality in the hand. 90g is a pretty decent weight for a mecha-quartz on a leather strap so you get a sense of value.

The pushers are polished and are pleasant to use, providing decent feedback upon activation. The push-pull crown has the “T” from the Tusenö logo deeply engraved on the end, with suitable grip to allow easy adjustment.

The screw-in caseback is fully polished, with the main focus being the logo engraved in the centre. In addition to this it has pleasant detailing and information engraved around the outer edge.

The dial

As previously mentioned, this is one of the nicest designs I’ve ever seen coming out of KickStarter. Crowd Funding has a horrible tendency to churn out the same ol’ dross, but the Tusenö has something very different about it. It’s classy, perfectly thought out, and elegant. It’s also completely custom – no pre-made elements here, or “minimalist” design.

The dial has a black base, with a slight sunburst effect to it. I find the white print work on top is quite sophisticated.

I really like the inset subdials – the chronograph 60 minute indicator is located at 9, and the 24 hour indicator at 3. Within these subdials are a very gentle concentric circular pattern – so gentle it’s very hard to see unless you really look close. These have thin rose gold hands to match the main hands.

The main hour / minute hands are an elegant pitched alpha shape. The big seconds hand is the chronograph seconds indicator, and is a straight point. Visibility is excellent thanks to the high contrast between the matte black dial and polished rose gold hands.

The hour markers are also polished rose gold to match the hands, and are a slightly unusual semicircular shape rather than a flat baton. This demonstrates nice close attention to detail and provides a variety of reflections based on the angle.

The strap

The leather has a sophisticated dark rosewood colouring, with an alligator pattern stamp providing a variety of hues. The colour matches the rose gold case and black dial very well – it’s a very classy configuration.

The leather is good quality, thick and comfortable. Whilst it’s not top of it’s class, it’s perfectly suitable for a watch of this price.

The strap has a light cream underside, which is soft on the wrist that is well stamped with the logo and model number.

The strap comes fitted out with a smooth and responsive butterfly clasp, which is polished rose gold to match the case. It is very quick and easy to use and resize, whilst being secure on the wrist. It has the Tusenö logo deeply engraved on top bar which has a curved top.

The movement

The movement used within the Tusenö First 42 is one that can be found in a number of affordable chronographs: the Seiko VK64. Two watches I’ve recently reviewed with this movement are the Melbourne Watch Co Carlton and the G. Gerlach Enigma.

It’s best known for being a hybrid mecha-quartz movement – which means the main time operation is quartz, but the chronograph is handled by a mechanical module. This is why the chronograph seconds runs a 5 ticks per second, rather than the usual quartz 1 tick per second.

It’s well-regarded as being a tough and dependable movement.

Final comments

Now available for under £300, the Tusenö First 42 proves to be a very tempting timepiece indeed.

The specs are great; sapphire crystal, Seiko mecha-quartz movement, and splendid design coupled with excellent build quality. Well done to the guys behind Tusenö, Johan and Alexander, for creating something different in a world choked by the same “minimalist” watch startup that’s taken “years in the making”. Every so often it’s refreshing to see a diamond in the rough – and the story and timepiece of Tusenö is one that hopefully will live on.

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