Hands-On Tissot Seastar 1000 Powermatic 80 Review

If you read our stories about Tissot you could think that; A, the brand only releases heritage models or B, we simply do not care about the new timepieces. Well, this is not quite the case. While it is true that most of us here at Fratello have a soft spot for vintage we also love modern watches-occasionally. All jokes aside, we would like to keep a healthy balance between old and new, affordable and pricey, big brands and small (independent) watch companies. This is the reason why this time we will take a look at a Tissot that indeed came out this year, is rather affordable but is a new model, not a reedition. It is the Tissot Seastar 1000 Powermatic 80, an affordable everyday watch on the sportier side of the spectrum.

Tissot Seastar 1000 Powermatic 80

First of all, while Tissot advertises the Seastar 1000 as “an elegant watch for watersport lovers” that is a bit of an oxymoron. It is a rather simple looking watch for a sports model indeed but I’d not call it elegant. The Seastar 1000 is a sports model for watersports lovers. It has no depth gauge or helium valve but that does not make it less sporty. On the contrary, the combination of rubber and steel, the huge diving bezel all correspond to that. Besides, Seastar models are and always have been watches connected to, well, the sea. I wore a watch for well over a week and I have to say it was super comfortable on the wrist. Despite the relatively thick case, it worked well with jacket cuffs and looked good on the wrist. Are they worth their prices though? Let’s find out.

316L

The case of the Tissot Seastar 1000 is the nowadays usual 316L steel. With 42+ millimeters not including the crown or the guards, it is not a small watch. I’d rather call it contemporary. Being 13.3mm thick does not make it extra high on the wrist, as I already explained it above. It just sits comfortably. As far as the surface finishing is concerned, the top is polished the side is mainly brushed with some polished bits. The back side, as well as the case back, are all brushed. A few years ago only the top brands had ceramic bezels, this is not almost industry standard. Our Seastar 1000 also has an anti-clockwise rotating ceramic bezel with lume pearl. Large crown guards make sure that the huge crown, with the Tissot T in the middle, remains intact. The case proportions are right, the case/dial ratio is great too.

While the Seastar 1000 has water resistance up (or rather down) to 300 meters the case back has a display window. It is, just like the crown, screw-down with minor decoration. Around the window, one could find the usual information, such as; Reference number, water resistance, model name, case material etc. As you’d expect from a sports watch it does not have too much going on there. through the window, you can view the Powermatic 80 movement. No decoration here, but again, for a sport watch it is not even needed. More on the movement below. Getting back to the case dimension for a moment, the lug tip to lug tip length is 49.6mm. This is a great size, especially if you consider that the width is 42mm. Actually, as the ratchets of the bezel stand out a bit, that 42mm is slightly larger at 43mm including the bezel.

Deep blue

By the title, I’m not referring to the 2003 documentary by David Attenborough, although I love that film. What I’m talking about is the dial color of the Tissot Seastar 1000 Powermatic 80. It is a lovely tone that sometimes shines purplish in certain light. Or perhaps that’s the anti-reflective coating? Either way, it’s dark almost black towards the outside of the dial and lightens up to this deep blue towards the center. The round – also rectangular at 3-6-9 and triangular at 12 – lume filled indexes are raised while everything else I printed on the dial. Below the 12 we can find Tissot 1853 on the dial. Above the 6 is the model number, Seastar Powermatic 80. Just below this text is the aperture for the date window. Due to the large hands and indexes, the dial is easy to read even in harsh conditions.

Powermatic 80

As the model name suggests inside the Seastar 1000 Powermatic 80 is the nowadays popular movement of the Swatch Group, the ETA Powermatic 80. We can find this movement (or an alteration of it) in my different models from the Group’s brands. Just think of the Certina DS PH200M for example. We have talked about this movement in great length previously but let’s recap once more what you need to know about it. The Powermatic 80 is a 23-jewel automatic movement with date function. It beats at 21600 vph. The major thing about this caliber is its power reserve, that is 80 hours. Some variations, like the one in the Tissot Ballade Powermatic 80 COSC has a silicon balance spring and it is chronometer grade. The Tissot Seastar 1000 Powermatic 80’s movement does not have a silicon spring nor is it COSC. It has all the other features though.

Rubber or steel?

While I think it looks nicer on rubber the Tissot Seastar 1000 Powermatic 80 also comes on a steel bracelet with diver extension. I usually tell people who come to me for an advice on what watch should they get to buy one on a steel bracelet. It’s a bit more expensive but it’s a better investment (although I hate this term) and it’s easier to put whatever strap on it later than sourcing the original steel bracelet. In this case, however, I feel that this watch looks much better on a rubber strap. It might be the contrast between black and steel or the fact that the rubber is more comfortable – to me. Either way, the option is there to pick whichever you fancy. Also, worth mentioning that the Seastar 1000 comes with black or silver dial too. Plenty of variations to choose from.

Conclusion

The most important part obviously comes in the end; princes. The Tissot Seastar 1000 Powermatic 80 is €670 on the rubber strap and €690 on the bracelet. Although these are German retail prices and there might be slight differences around the EU due to tax, the ballpark is still sub-€700. In the USA the prices are $695/$725 so a tad bit cheaper than the EU. All in all, I think that Tissot did great with the Seastar 1000. The movement has already proven to be trusty, the looks are great and sporty and the watch wears well. I wish I could be heckler and say something negative about the watch, but I can’t. the Tissot Seastar 1000 Powermatic 80 is a great sports watch alternative for an affordable price. It looks good on the wrist and the blued dial is rad.

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