The Tsunami Classic

The basics:
Name/Manufacturer: Tsunami Classic by Jake Bourdeau of Dagaz Watches, Ltd.
Movement: Seiko Instruments Inc, NE15. (Equivalent to the 6R15) Hacking, Hand winding Automatic.
Materials: Stainless steel case and bracelet, brushed/polished finish
Street Price: US$550

The Tsunami is a stunner, visually. The case is 44mm across, not including the crown. The bezel is unidirectional, with 120 stops on the ratchet.

It comes on a unique solid link bracelet, featuring solid end links. The links are produced in a teardrop section, resulting in imagery of a wave, when viewed from the side. The clasp foldover is machined, and there is a diver's extension. 22mm "fat" springbars are used. The bracelet is brushed to match the finish of the tops of the lugs.







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Lots to report in this picture:
Several features serve to raise the water resistance of the Tsunami, to 333 meters. The caseback is increased in thickness over that of a Seiko diver. The screw-down crown has 3 seals: two in the tube, and one on the end. And the crystal is increased to over 5mm thick, and uses a special gasket to seal.

The lugs are drilled, to facilitate strap changes.

The case is brush- finished on top, and polished below.

The crystal is over 5mm thick, A/R coated on the inside, and domed. The bezel and insert are designed to align with the contour of the crystal.


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The movement is the Seiko Instruments NE15. This is equivalent to the 6R15 movement found in Seiko-branded watches. The movement features hand-winding capability, a seconds hacking mechanism, and runs at 21600 vph. I am told that the movement is nicely finished. But I saw no reason to take the back off, once I saw how it was performing.

I put the watch on the Timegrapher, and I was impressed with the results. While the movement is not positionally adjusted to chronometer grade, it has been regulated to a very close daily rate!

I look forward to monitoring it's "on-the-wrist" performance.


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History:
The design of the Tsunami is the brainchild of the late Noah Fuller, of 10watches. Noah's goal in this project was to meld the looks of the cushion-case dive watches of the 1980's with the accuracy and reliability of more modern parts and movements. Noah designed all original parts, with the exception of the movement, and when they are used, Seiko hands.

Each Tsunami is hand-assembled by Jake Bourdeau.

Noah obsessed over the details of the project for about two years, culminating in the release of production in the Spring of 2010.

One of the design features of the Tsunami is that many of it's parts are interchangeable with the popular Seiko 7s26-0020 case. The trove of watch material available makes the Tsunami one of the most customizable watches in existence.

The Tsunami is a Limited Edition watch. There are five versions of the watch, and each version is a limited edition of 100 pieces. Thus, there will only be 500 pieces, total.
The versions are:
CLASSIC
UDT
BLACK
COLOURED/OTHER
MILITARY

While I was writing this review, I asked Jake if the Tsunami is a "boutique" watch.

Jake was amused at the question, because the meaning of "boutique watch" has been evolving for a while now. He pointed out that the "boutique" brands often pop up when "...businessmen with a bit of capital and a ticket to the watch fair to order out of manufacturers catalogs."

It needs to be stressed that the Tsunami was conceived, designed, and built from the ground up. All of the Tsunami's parts are built to order, (except for movements, and (if ordered) Seiko hands)and each watch is assembled in-house.


Conclusion:
The Tsunami project grew out of Noah Fuller's creativity and love for horology.

The Tsunami is now produced by Jake Bourdeau, of Dagaz Watches, Ltd.
Jake's leadership, attention to detail, and outstanding customer service make possible the continuation of the Tsunami project.


Frankly, I'm a bit blown away. It wears very comfortably. The bracelet is great, and I found some alternate combos in nylon and leather.

I think that the value is outstanding. You get an awesome watch, flawlessly executed, in a limited edition, for about the cost of a Seiko 6R15 diver.

Really, I'm just getting to know the watch, but I think this will get a lot of wrist time.
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A few more pics:















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The author of this review has no affiliation with Jake Bourdeau, Dagaz Watches, Ltd.; DOT Watchworks; 10watches; or Noah Fuller.