The Well-Equipped Tusenö Shellback V2

Back in 2021, Swedish brand Tusenö released the original Shellback diver that was a classic and more modern take on its prior Blackwater diver, one that had proved itself in the hands of the Swedish Sea Rescue Society (a voluntary search and rescue organisation). The original Shellback introduced a contemporary sandwich dial and updated logo of a sector lighthouse indicator (“The Guiding Light”) that continues with the Shellback V2.  It’s a well-sized, well-priced dive watch that gets all the basics right with an Elaboré grade Swiss automatic to boot, and it doesn’t fall into the “generic” trap that’s all too common in this price range either!

The case comes in two finishes – brushed stainless steel with polished bevels or steel with a 1200HV black DLC coating. The model we have on hand is the former with a semi-matte white dial and black bezel. That 120-click unidirectional rotating bezel has a polished black ceramic insert, although it also comes with a blue ceramic insert or stainless steel bezel, depending on the dial colour. It has an etched, detailed 60-minute scale (more prominent for the first 15 minutes) filled with Super-LumiNova, matching the blue dial glow at night. The case itself is 40mm in diameter and 11.9mm in height (minus the crystal or around 13mm with crystal) with a lug-to-lug of 47mm. It’s very wearable and versatile for a modern diver. Not too big, not too small. There’s a retro double-domed sapphire crystal with an internal anti-reflective coating and a solid case back with the sector lighthouse logo embossed. The oversized and signed crown screws down and water resistance is rated at 200 metres. The watch has a solid, well-finished exterior and nice heft that feels great on the wrist.

The sandwich dial really stands out and is fairly uncommon in this price range (also seen on some Panerai dials, for example). The oversized indices are cutouts and framed in black (on our white dial) with a bottom layer coated with Super-LumiNova – Tusenö uses a combination of Grade A and X1 BGW9 Super-LumiNova for this model. The dials are very legible day or night, and just about every detail has lume (including the outermost minute/seconds railroad track). A date window sits at 6 o’clock and blends in well with the sandwich aesthetic. The signature Tusenö hour and minute hands are dark grey plated and coated with lume, while the seconds hand has an orange tip with lume aperture. The SHELLBACK print above 6 o’clock (orange on the white dial) is curved upwards, reminding me of the Tudor Black Bay (ref. 79220R) from 2012 with a similarly curved SELF-WINDING. Dial colour options include black, white, yellow, blue and black/gilt, with the DLC-coated models limited to black or white dials.

Powering the Tusenö Shallback V2 is a Sellita SW200 Elaboré grade automatic. This ETA 2824 alternative is adjusted in three positions for an accuracy of +/-7 seconds per day. It has 26 jewels, beats at 28,800vph (4Hz) and comes with a 38-hour power reserve. Functions include central hours, minutes, hacking seconds and quickset date. This classic workhorse is well proven and reliable (perhaps a bit long in the tooth), and the Elaboré grade accuracy is a welcome upgrade. The power reserve may be a bit lacking, but there are otherwise no negatives here.

The 20mm stainless steel bracelet tapers to 18mm and has nicely polished bevels to match the case, and there’s screws instead of pins for length adjustments. The milled clasp has a tool-free micro-adjusting function as well, while quick release levers allow for an easy swap to the included black rubber strap (blue with the blue dial).

The Shellback V2 is on preorder for EUR 825 or USD 749, which is well priced for what’s being offered. The stainless steel case is well finished with a ceramic bezel insert, the sandwich dial design is modern and very legible (lume everywhere), and the Elaboré grade Sellita is well proven and accurate. It’s a cool, versatile piece.

For more information and to place an order, please visit Tusenö’s website.