Great review, as always! Fun to see a watch review of a piece I actually own! Very much looking forward to see your mod vid on this one! Keep it up, mate. 👍👊
After seeing your vid I bought one at a knockdown price and added a brushed steel shroud and it looks fantastic , much better to get the real thing than these cheapo so called homage watches from steeldive etc
I just got the sne498 with the golden accents and ordered the brushed black metal shroud for it! Can't wait to put the shroud on that beautiful watch! Yours looks sweet too!
Great video, nice watch. Strongly Considering grabbing one. Do hate the seiko bracelet with the sleeve system. Had one on a Padi, what a pain. The bracelets are a little heavy and the divers extension is a joke too. The end mill braceletand stainless shroud is the way to go here for sure. Turns a nice watch into a great watch.
@@indahousing6133 I haven’t seen one with a SS shroud 🤔 You can order it with one, as a no-cost option? Or pay more? Can you please send me a link of a pic so I can see what it looks like?
@@user2144 ruclips.net/video/ee4KT5qGVhA/видео.html exactly the same as this one, you can find it on ebay or at yobokies (dont know the exact name, not from the us) bought it on 2nd hand market, was already mod*
Great review. Love the SNE499. I’m hoping to pick me up before they disappear. Love the solar quartz movements. Accurate, durable and zero maintenance. This is the best sized Tuna which even works on small wrists.
The trick with these solar tunas is the lug-to-lug distance. Side by side with my BN0151 the seiko is 5mm less. This makes a huge difference on thinner wrists and is mega comfy especially on a zulu or US army nylon. Accuracy can be a bit hit/ miss, mine is +9s/mth. Quality wise is not up to Citizen standards.
The bracelet works nice on my srp639 baby tuna.. I have both.. this one is very light and a bit smaller compared to the automatic.. why would you want to spend more. This is a fantastic watch
Was reluctant on these solar Tunas at first, namely because I believed in getting an actual 300m Tuna with their famous high end quartz movement. But... I have warmed up to these solar Tunas and for the price, and if you are mainly after the Tuna design and not concerned of the movement and lower wr and it not being a genuine mm300, this gives you all the rest of it.. And a slightly smaller dimensions, too, for a much lower price point. As such, I've been debating getting one. I miss my sbbn033. Is a great watch. I'd definitely consider switching out the plastic shroud for a metal one. I think Yobokies makes one. Metal just looks better and completes the looks of you didn't have to do anything else with the watch. Additionally, I believe the metal shroud may actually be thinner and might actually reduce the overall diameter of the watch as opposed to the plastic shroud. The only other detail I might change might be the crystal. If somebody has this option.. I would opt for a crystal replacement, preferably with sapphire, that has the same dome and distortion as the mm300 Tuna. I think that gave extra depth and cool looks to the dial how it can distort the depth of the dial of the mm300 tunas. Going back to the watch, like many Seiko Divers. They can make seemingly large case sizes wear surosingly smaller and more comfortable than one might think given the dimensions on paper. No exception here. I really enjoyed the sbbn033 when I had it. Amazing how much smaller a 47mm case size can look in real life compared to smaller case watches. Compare to an SRP Turtle I also had at the time, side to side, it's weird how the tuna looks smaller than the turtle right next to each other. It's like the mystery spot on Santa Cruz? Thank Seiko's case design and the unique lugless design of the Tunas as well as what little lugs it has actually underhanging the case to really pull back the scale and facilitate versatile wrist size compatibility. Thanks for inspiring another look at a cool watch.
Wing Yip well said. I have a SNE499 with Yobokies shroud and Strapcode endmill. This thing hasn’t left my wrist much in the past six months. You’re right. The Yobokies shroud reduces the diameter down to 45mm. This is just so comfortable on my 7inch wrist. I have thought about a nice domed sapphire (or Hardlex) but haven’t seen many pics of the mod done. I’m not sure who stocks a good choice either. I do like the fact that I’ve never opened the case. Which keeps me happy when I’m in the ocean. I can highly recommended to anyone reading this.
@@rossanthony7573 see, I thought maybe the metal shroud should be a little thinner and thus reduced diameter on the watch. The plastic ones need to be thicker to maintain a certain level of rigidity to hold form and do their job. With metal, it can do so being thinner cause, well, it's metal. Harold at Yobokies said he had a domed sapphire crystal for them. A little over ¢50. I asked if our has any distortion, which I kind of wanted to try to replicate the mm300 tuna's distortion look. He says it has some when viewed at extreme angles. Haven't seen any pics of it or know anybody who has to verify the visual effect. As such, I will hold off on the sapphire. I also do not wish to tamper with the WR at this time. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. So, maybe if and when the stock crystal may get too banged up I will replace it then. After much debate on which solar Tuna to get and mod, isended up with the sne497 padi. Reason mainly is I already have a nice modded skx with black dial. Didn't want to double up on a black dial diver iny collection. So, went for something with a little more color and dial texture for fun. I do like the semi-translucent Pepsi bezel look and something about a Pepsi Tuna when full stainless steel shroud looks very appealing to me. I discovered this when I got a TST Tuna SKX009 from Uncle Seiko to start an SKX Tuna Mod several months ago. Should have everything modded maybe by end of next week or the following. The longest wait is for the shroud to ship out from Hong Kong. Yes, something about the Tuna design is very appealing to me. I keep coming back to it in one form or another.
Well I have a sbbn 015 and this and a monster tuna srp637 and I wear this daily because of the light weight, I wear the other's on nice occasions but this is just more comfortable for a long day on the wrist.
Love this watch and plan on getting one, Just wish Seiko would actually provide a decent bracelet just wish Seiko would actually provide a decent bracelet. I agree with you I’ve had many citizens however prefer the aesthetic of Seiko, but I have noticed the precision and engineering quality of citizen is far better than Seiko by a big margin which is unfortunate. Thanks for an awesome video bro!
Could please update with a link of where to get a metal shroud for these solar tunas from when available? I have the same model as in the video and can't find an aftermarket shroud for it anywhere yet. Are they even made?
How to Order from Yobokies(simplified): Step 1) Go to his Photobucket album an identify a piece you like; s161.photobucket.com/user/yobokies/library Step 2) Email Harold for pricing at yobokies@yahoo.com.hk Step 3) If you accept his terms, send payment and wait for your item to be delivered
Well i bought one. Pros are, it looks nice with its classic original design . it's well and solidly built, solar is a real winner, great lume, flexible to changing straps and shroud. Cons are, shit heavy bracelet with a really bad divers extension design. Dial and bezel are quite small as the watch is in reality a 40mm case "submariner size" with a plastic armour. Not a true 46 mm. I have an Oris titanium in 46mm which looks twice the size of this Seiko. Quite heavy at 160 grams, but I think the bracelet takes blame for some of the weight. Over all a nice piece and my favourite Seiko model along with the marine master which is the best seiko, period.
It's funny, but I found the Solar Tuna Lite models to feel a bit too light. This is probably because I have the titanium Darth Tuna 1000m and the SBBN017 with stainless shroud and bezel, which feel very substantial. I'll have another look at the Solar Tunas, though.
Did you end up modding this yet? I just found a brand new one for $350 and instantly scooped it up--bought specifically to wear on my trip to Costa Rica next March (although I'll be wearing it on rubber/nato to make it less of a standout item while in the "sketchier" parts of Costa Rica. I'm still deciding on where to get an aftermarket shroud but Yobokies is calling my name since there is a black DLC option for this model 😲
Im buying SNE555P1 and this looks almost the same. Tried researching on the web but not a lot of info. I initially was checking out sbdn021 but it was more expensive. Is the above watch the same as sne555p1? Or are they different and if they are different? How are they different. Thank you.
The SNE555 and SNE497 are the exact same watch as far as I can tell. Not sure why there was a model number change, but the 497 seems to be discontinued and replaced with the 555. I have had the 499 (PADI) for almost a year and I’m thinking about getting the 555 because I like these so much. Also have the auto elephant grey mini-tuna SRPE31 which is great, but small at only 43mm.
Yes because it's solar powered. There is no need to wind the watch. Therefore, there is play in the crown. This is normal I thought the same thing first time I unwind the lock.
@@jefferyneu3915 i agree but the.metal keepee keeps sliding around and the strap pops out of it all the time. I ordered a italian rubber bonetto cinturini for mine.😀
![Average Bros [Mark Alamares]](http://yt3.ggpht.com/AMTyfBoS_HGUS5NeMIdml3FQHYPLCvE10yYPfvjGSZRfNEkgmgSJlVqPFEQ4yky_fTnRrnqQ=s48-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj)
I love this watch so much I bought 1 today.. LOVE the quality 👌
Wow...i love the watch...could not have asked for a better review...so thorough...thumbs up!!!!
Now i just need to get the money in my pocket to take it out and pay for it...
Great review, as always! Fun to see a watch review of a piece I actually own! Very much looking forward to see your mod vid on this one! Keep it up, mate. 👍👊
I got this for Christmas a great addition to my tuna collection
Nice comfortable everyday piece that looks good and tells the time. What more do you want
After seeing your vid I bought one at a knockdown price and added a brushed steel shroud and it looks fantastic , much better to get the real thing than these cheapo so called homage watches from steeldive etc
I just got the sne498 with the golden accents and ordered the brushed black metal shroud for it! Can't wait to put the shroud on that beautiful watch! Yours looks sweet too!
Great video, nice watch. Strongly Considering grabbing one. Do hate the seiko bracelet with the sleeve system. Had one on a Padi, what a pain. The bracelets are a little heavy and the divers extension is a joke too. The end mill braceletand stainless shroud is the way to go here for sure. Turns a nice watch into a great watch.
I just bought one. Was over 40% off the RRP 💪
how much did you pay it?
@@indahousing6133 AUD399
@@user2144 that is a pretty good deal. Just bought one too waiting for it to arrive (with a stainless steel shroud)
@@indahousing6133 I haven’t seen one with a SS shroud 🤔 You can order it with one, as a no-cost option? Or pay more? Can you please send me a link of a pic so I can see what it looks like?
@@user2144 ruclips.net/video/ee4KT5qGVhA/видео.html exactly the same as this one, you can find it on ebay or at yobokies (dont know the exact name, not from the us) bought it on 2nd hand market, was already mod*
Famtastic watch. I like the SNE 499 just a little more with the bicolor lume. Great, thorough review.
Great review. Love the SNE499. I’m hoping to pick me up before they disappear. Love the solar quartz movements. Accurate, durable and zero maintenance. This is the best sized Tuna which even works on small wrists.
kickass review! I cant wait to see the upgrades!
Great review. Everything the layman needs to know. Thanks.
Bracelet looks very similar to the BFK bracelet. Which is a really good one.
Looks much better with a stainless steel brushed shroud and an aftermarket bracelet
The trick with these solar tunas is the lug-to-lug distance. Side by side with my BN0151 the seiko is 5mm less. This makes a huge difference on thinner wrists and is mega comfy especially on a zulu or US army nylon. Accuracy can be a bit hit/ miss, mine is +9s/mth. Quality wise is not up to Citizen standards.
StrapCode Super O bracelet, with an OEM Seiko MarineMaster ratcheting clasp is the way to go.
The bracelet works nice on my srp639 baby tuna.. I have both.. this one is very light and a bit smaller compared to the automatic.. why would you want to spend more. This is a fantastic watch
Was reluctant on these solar Tunas at first, namely because I believed in getting an actual 300m Tuna with their famous high end quartz movement. But...
I have warmed up to these solar Tunas and for the price, and if you are mainly after the Tuna design and not concerned of the movement and lower wr and it not being a genuine mm300, this gives you all the rest of it.. And a slightly smaller dimensions, too, for a much lower price point.
As such, I've been debating getting one. I miss my sbbn033. Is a great watch. I'd definitely consider switching out the plastic shroud for a metal one. I think Yobokies makes one. Metal just looks better and completes the looks of you didn't have to do anything else with the watch. Additionally, I believe the metal shroud may actually be thinner and might actually reduce the overall diameter of the watch as opposed to the plastic shroud.
The only other detail I might change might be the crystal. If somebody has this option.. I would opt for a crystal replacement, preferably with sapphire, that has the same dome and distortion as the mm300 Tuna. I think that gave extra depth and cool looks to the dial how it can distort the depth of the dial of the mm300 tunas.
Going back to the watch, like many Seiko Divers. They can make seemingly large case sizes wear surosingly smaller and more comfortable than one might think given the dimensions on paper. No exception here. I really enjoyed the sbbn033 when I had it. Amazing how much smaller a 47mm case size can look in real life compared to smaller case watches. Compare to an SRP Turtle I also had at the time, side to side, it's weird how the tuna looks smaller than the turtle right next to each other. It's like the mystery spot on Santa Cruz? Thank Seiko's case design and the unique lugless design of the Tunas as well as what little lugs it has actually underhanging the case to really pull back the scale and facilitate versatile wrist size compatibility.
Thanks for inspiring another look at a cool watch.
Wing Yip well said. I have a SNE499 with Yobokies shroud and Strapcode endmill. This thing hasn’t left my wrist much in the past six months.
You’re right. The Yobokies shroud reduces the diameter down to 45mm. This is just so comfortable on my 7inch wrist.
I have thought about a nice domed sapphire (or Hardlex) but haven’t seen many pics of the mod done. I’m not sure who stocks a good choice either. I do like the fact that I’ve never opened the case. Which keeps me happy when I’m in the ocean.
I can highly recommended to anyone reading this.
@@rossanthony7573 see, I thought maybe the metal shroud should be a little thinner and thus reduced diameter on the watch. The plastic ones need to be thicker to maintain a certain level of rigidity to hold form and do their job. With metal, it can do so being thinner cause, well, it's metal.
Harold at Yobokies said he had a domed sapphire crystal for them. A little over ¢50. I asked if our has any distortion, which I kind of wanted to try to replicate the mm300 tuna's distortion look. He says it has some when viewed at extreme angles. Haven't seen any pics of it or know anybody who has to verify the visual effect.
As such, I will hold off on the sapphire. I also do not wish to tamper with the WR at this time. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. So, maybe if and when the stock crystal may get too banged up I will replace it then.
After much debate on which solar Tuna to get and mod, isended up with the sne497 padi. Reason mainly is I already have a nice modded skx with black dial. Didn't want to double up on a black dial diver iny collection. So, went for something with a little more color and dial texture for fun. I do like the semi-translucent Pepsi bezel look and something about a Pepsi Tuna when full stainless steel shroud looks very appealing to me. I discovered this when I got a TST Tuna SKX009 from Uncle Seiko to start an SKX Tuna Mod several months ago.
Should have everything modded maybe by end of next week or the following. The longest wait is for the shroud to ship out from Hong Kong.
Yes, something about the Tuna design is very appealing to me. I keep coming back to it in one form or another.
Well I have a sbbn 015 and this and a monster tuna srp637 and I wear this daily because of the light weight, I wear the other's on nice occasions but this is just more comfortable for a long day on the wrist.
The mod will be so cool to see!
I posted a short video on my Instagram and a picture in the community tab for the channel
Got one for a nice price, is it ISO certified though? I need to know since im a professional diver sitting at a desk all day :)
I know - every time I wish my hands at work, the anxiety creeps in. Thankfully it's part of the Prospex line.
Love this watch and plan on getting one, Just wish Seiko would actually provide a decent bracelet just wish Seiko would actually provide a decent bracelet.
I agree with you I’ve had many citizens however prefer the aesthetic of Seiko, but I have noticed the precision and engineering quality of citizen is far better than Seiko by a big margin which is unfortunate.
Thanks for an awesome video bro!
Have you seen the Seiko USA variants? They have some pretty nice colorways
Could please update with a link of where to get a metal shroud for these solar tunas from when available? I have the same model as in the video and can't find an aftermarket shroud for it anywhere yet. Are they even made?
How to Order from Yobokies(simplified):
Step 1) Go to his Photobucket album an identify a piece you like; s161.photobucket.com/user/yobokies/library
Step 2) Email Harold for pricing at yobokies@yahoo.com.hk
Step 3) If you accept his terms, send payment and wait for your item to be delivered
Hi there were did u get the shroud from im after a silver metal thank you for your time... 🤪👍
Well i bought one. Pros are, it looks nice with its classic original design . it's well and solidly built, solar is a real winner, great lume, flexible to changing straps and shroud.
Cons are, shit heavy bracelet with a really bad divers extension design. Dial and bezel are quite small as the watch is in reality a 40mm case "submariner size" with a plastic armour. Not a true 46 mm. I have an Oris titanium in 46mm which looks twice the size of this Seiko. Quite heavy at 160 grams, but I think the bracelet takes blame for some of the weight. Over all a nice piece and my favourite Seiko model along with the marine master which is the best seiko, period.
This one is screaming for a double domed sapphire crystal, might just do It on mine...arrives tomorrow. 🤑
Martyn Truman hey that’s what I want to do too. You got links?
It's funny, but I found the Solar Tuna Lite models to feel a bit too light. This is probably because I have the titanium Darth Tuna 1000m and the SBBN017 with stainless shroud and bezel, which feel very substantial. I'll have another look at the Solar Tunas, though.
Did you end up modding this yet? I just found a brand new one for $350 and instantly scooped it up--bought specifically to wear on my trip to Costa Rica next March (although I'll be wearing it on rubber/nato to make it less of a standout item while in the "sketchier" parts of Costa Rica. I'm still deciding on where to get an aftermarket shroud but Yobokies is calling my name since there is a black DLC option for this model 😲
ruclips.net/video/ee4KT5qGVhA/видео.html
Why would they discontinue this
Does it have solid end-links?
Where did you buy the deep blue black strap?
Im buying SNE555P1 and this looks almost the same. Tried researching on the web but not a lot of info. I initially was checking out sbdn021 but it was more expensive. Is the above watch the same as sne555p1? Or are they different and if they are different? How are they different. Thank you.
The SNE555 and SNE497 are the exact same watch as far as I can tell. Not sure why there was a model number change, but the 497 seems to be discontinued and replaced with the 555. I have had the 499 (PADI) for almost a year and I’m thinking about getting the 555 because I like these so much. Also have the auto elephant grey mini-tuna SRPE31 which is great, but small at only 43mm.
hello. thanks for a good review.tell me how hardlex glass? badly scratched? Thanks
Haha, you wear your watches looser? Really? I was waiting for your hand to turn blue.
Where do I get stainless shroud for this model?
FT4Freedom yobokies
Or buy a cermet one 1000m MarineMaster
hello, i just got mine and i realize when unscrewing the crown it has some play (like a Bostok) is it normal?
Yes
Yes because it's solar powered. There is no need to wind the watch. Therefore, there is play in the crown. This is normal I thought the same thing first time I unwind the lock.
The lume is blue or green?
Green which fades to white after an hour or so.
Where'd you get rge strap?
where to buy?
Can this fit to a 6 inch wrist? Thanks..
Chan Lim yep, but more to a bigger side, but still acceptable then other seiko tuna, i have 6.25inch wrist
Bet that would look sweet oo a nato.
It looks awesome when I put it on my army green one piece zulu! 👍
RowdyRon The silicon strap Seiko makes for this line is really comfortable.
@@jefferyneu3915 i agree but the.metal keepee keeps sliding around and the strap pops out of it all the time. I ordered a italian rubber bonetto cinturini for mine.😀
#teamtuna 🥫🐟💦⌚
I have one above average bro, goof watch.