First "Women's" Tissot Seastar − Dipping into my piggy bank for it?

Tags: Review | Tissot | Women's | Classic | Diving | Traditional

25.4.2022 | 5 MIN | 5x comment

Do you remember the universal excitement and goosebumps on the wrists of every watch enthusiast when relatively recently Tissot released its first professional watch Seastar 2000? This big watch with even bigger sex-appeal were a gift to the lovers of sturdier watches, while men with slim wrists or us, women, could only keep our gazes down and wait... Well, the waiting is finished! And it was worth it because the new Tissot Seastar with a 36-millimetre case tests uncharted waters.

Did you notice as well? More and more often, watchmaking brands go back not only to historic models, but also to smaller sizes of men's watches, which have been slowly fading away from the market since the '90s. And it was last year when Certina gave us a hint about the return of original sizes with its DS Action with a 38-millimetre case (1.5"), which look as if it was straight out of a Bond movie.

It was not much longer after that when Seiko, too, released its SNE571P1, being half a millimetre (0.002") short of 39 millimetres (1.5").

However, both of the previously mentioned diving watches were still for men, although they could infiltrate the women's category. And of course, Tissot has responded to this beginning trend as well. Besides announcing the 35-millimetre (1.38") version of its phenomenal PRX, which was introduced around the same time as the new PRX Chronograph Automatic, Tissot also released the unisex (although we think it is women's) Tissot Seastar 1000 with 36-millimetre case. And it looks absolutely stunning.

Alone in its category?

Tissot officially categorised the watch as unisex. And the design certainly looks like that. It is basically the perfect miniature of the classic men's Seastar 1000 with 43-millimetre diameter of the case and a robust sporty design. The new version of this watch comes with some unnoticeable (but effective) details that add to its beauty.

And how many similar watches are even out there? A diving watch of such small size, 36 mm (1.4"), are basically non-existent in the men's category so far (well, you could find some Pro Divers, but we are aware that Invicta churns them out in every size possible for a human wrist to handle, so I dared to not count them in). And if we looked at the new Seastar 1000 from the perspective of women's diving watch alternatives, there would be even less fish in this category of a sea.

There might be a few less known exceptions (for example this Wenger watch), but overall, women's diving watches are usually... well, something I would hesitate to even take to the beach or do something even slightly demanding. The main player in this category is undoubtedly Certina and the Aqua Collection. Although I am definitely not worried when it comes to the stated resistance, I do tend to subconsciously be careful with these watches because of their shine, nacre, and diamonds.

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To compare

How is this new watch different from the men's Seastar? Well, there are some differences.

The men's Tissot Seastar 1000 Automatic T120.407.

Besides the size, the most significant change is in the movement. When it comes to all the men's Seastars with three hands, the movements are mechanic, although the new smaller version employs a mere quartz movement... Am I disappointed? Honestly, a bit, but I believe (or hope) that the mechanical movements in smaller Seastars will be introduced in no time. After all, we witnessed this recently with the PRX watches, which were released with a quartz calibre at first, but almost immediately also with the automatic Powermatic 80 movement.

On the other hand, the quartz movement F05.412 by the Swiss ETA manufacturer is nothing mediocre. It has an EOL indicator (end of life battery indicator), the HeavyDrive technology for resistance against shocks, and the PreciDrive technology allowing for the amazing accuracy of ±10 seconds per year... That is 8- to 10-times more precise than with standard quartz movements, and it can be compared to the widely respected Grand Seiko 9F calibres. Thanks to the Renata 371 battery, the watch will be ticking around 4 years.

The caseback (and the crown) is screw-down, with the characteristic Seastar sea horse.

From the name Seastar 1000, we can read that the water resistance is up to 1000 ft (300M), which was quite necessary in this case. Just the like perfect readability and exceptional luminescence that Tissot is known for.

The glass is of course sapphire. This is where Tissot improved and put antireflective layers on both sides of the glass, making the glass almost a hundred percent resistant against reflections and the view through the glass a hundred percent perfect clear. And this is when we get to the small details adding to the beauty, as was mentioned above.

That's because the original men's models are, when compared to the latest edition, somewhat... bland and shallow. Smaller watches do not have the subtle sunburst on the dials, but deep, dark blue, one-colour background with mirror-like shine, making the background look like tranquil sea surface. This is the reason why it looks so effective when the plastic indices with shiny steel framing reflect on the dial, with the indices reflecting the dial right back.

We can see a similar effect with the shiny bezel, which looks as if it was coated in glass. All of these changes as inconspicuous, but they are the reason why the new Seastars are even more well-made and, I'm not afraid to say, clearly more beautiful. I even caught myself staring at this (sea)star of a watch.

The bracelet is of more simple oyster design with subtle brushing of the outer links and the buckle, which also carries the mark of the brand.

The finish, design, and the precision of each detail, everything is very tasteful. The watch looks classic and traditional, yet there is something about them that tempts you to look at it; to look at it for longer than you should. However, it is still very sporty, resistant, and somewhat formal.

You can probably guess that the new Seastar watch caused me to feel waves of excitement. But will I dip into my imaginary piggy bank for this watch? (That is an overstatement, the price is very nice when looking at the parameters.) Well, I'll probably wait until Tissot releases the mechanical version. For the time being, I'll just admire it from the other side of its display case. ;)

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