Hands-on: Tissot Seastar 2000 44mm – uncompromising diver in blue
In recent years Tissot has shown impressive breadth. The PRX has become an almost improbable sales success, while models such as the Gentleman and Le Locle continue to represent the more classic side of the brand.
Over the past few years Tissot has shown an impressive breadth. The PRX has become an almost improbable sales success, while models such as the Gentleman and Le Locle continue to represent the more classic side of the brand. But Tissot also has a considerably more robust side, and with the Seastar 2000 44mm Powermatic 80 there is hardly any question of a cautious sports watch that happens to survive a dip. This is a real diver's watch.
Text: Andreas Johansson Weber
Photo: Stefan ”Molle” Molin
With 600 metres of water resistance, a helium valve, a ceramic dive bezel and certification according to ISO 6425:2018, the Seastar 2000 places itself far beyond what most owners will ever need. At the same time Tissot has reworked the case to make it somewhat more sophisticated and compact in its expression. The result is a large and technically capable watch that, above all in the blue version we have had on the wrist, also manages to be really good looking.
And with a Swedish list price of 11.750 kronor it is moreover hard to overlook how much watch you actually get for the money.
Still large – but considerably more thought through
We might as well start with the elephant in the room. The Seastar 2000 measures 44 mm in diameter and 15,29 mm in height. So this is not a discreet diver for those who think 39 millimetres is the perfect size.
But the numbers do not quite tell the whole story.
On the new version Tissot has worked with the edges of the case and introduced a more distinct cut, or notch, that breaks up the otherwise rather massive profile. It does more for the watch's visual proportions than you might first think. The case comes across as less clumsy and above all more designed than before.
It is still a large watch and it does not try to pretend to be anything else. At the same time it is exactly that type of proportions that works on a model with this specification. A professionally rated diver's watch with 600 metres of water resistance may well have a bit of presence.
The fact that the blue version is delivered on a rubber strap also helps a lot. The total weight stops at a relatively manageable 130 grams, which means the watch does not feel quite as heavy as the dimensions suggest. The lug width is 22 millimetres and Tissot's quick-release system also makes it easy to change straps without tools.
Blue done the right way
It is above all the dial that makes this particular version special.
Tissot uses a blue gradient where the colour changes across the surface of the dial and becomes darker towards the outer edges. That creates considerably greater depth than a traditional single-colour blue dial and works particularly well together with the glossy ceramic dive bezel.
There is a clear maritime feeling without Tissot having to overdo the theme. The combination of blue dial, blue ceramic bezel and matching blue rubber strap makes the model sporty, but at the same time it feels relatively thought through and lavish.
The ceramic bezel ring is moreover something you are happy to see in this price class. Ceramic has very high scratch resistance and at the same time makes a big difference to the overall visual impression. It simply gives a different lustre than a traditional aluminium ring.
Indices and hands are large, clear and generously supplied with Super-LumiNova, which is of course entirely right on a watch that actually wants to be able to call itself a professional diving instrument. The sapphire crystal has anti-reflective treatment on the inside.
The result is a dial that is easy to read without becoming boring. That is a balance which is not always a given among more extreme diver's watches.
600 metres – because you can
Then we come to what is perhaps the most exaggerated, but at the same time most charming part of the Seastar 2000.
The watch is water resistant to 600 metres, or 60 bar, with a screw-down crown and a screwed case back. In addition there is a helium valve for use during saturation diving. During longer stays in pressurised environments helium can force its way into the watch and the valve makes it possible for the gas to leave the case during decompression without causing damage.
Will a normal owner ever use that function? Probably not.
But that is somewhat the point.
Just as a sports car can be constructed for speeds the owner will never come close to, a diver's watch like this is partly about knowing what it can handle. Tissot has moreover certified the model according to ISO 6425:2018, the standard that defines the requirements for real diver's watches.
The Seastar 2000 is therefore not a watch that has merely been given a diver-inspired look. The construction behind the design is for real.
The Powermatic 80 is still one of Tissot's strongest cards
Inside works a Swiss automatic Powermatic 80 movement.
The name reveals the most important specification: approximately 80 hours of power reserve. In practice that means you can put the watch down on Friday evening and still have it running when the working week starts again.
It is a detail that sounds trivial until you have got used to it.
The movement moreover uses Tissot's Nivachron hairspring, developed to give better resistance against magnetic fields – something that has become increasingly relevant now that we are daily surrounded by mobile phones, computers, tablets and other electronics. A date display is also included.
The Powermatic 80 is hardly exotic haute horlogerie, but it does not need to be. It is a robust, modern and user-friendly automatic movement that suits the Seastar perfectly.
And above all it contributes to one of the model's greatest strengths: the whole.
A lot of watch for 11.750 kronor
This is really where the Seastar 2000 truly impresses.
For 11.750 kronor you get a Swiss automatic diver's watch with 80 hours of power reserve, a ceramic bezel, sapphire crystal, 600 metres of water resistance, a helium valve, ISO certification and a well-made rubber strap with a quick-release fitting.
That is a specification list that would not have looked strange on a considerably more expensive watch.
But specifications are at the same time only half the story. What makes the blue Seastar 2000 a success is that Tissot has also got the design to hang together. The gradient dial is striking without becoming vulgar, the bezel feels of quality and the reworked case means the model no longer feels like a pure instrument.
Sure, 44 millimetres will be too big for some wrists. And at a good 15 millimetres in height this is definitely not the watch you buy to discreetly slip under a shirt cuff.
But that is not the intention either.
The Seastar 2000 is big, blue and built to withstand considerably more than it is ever likely to be exposed to. Precisely for that reason it also has a certain charm. It is an uncompromising diver from a brand that is sometimes associated more with the PRX and traditional Swiss everyday watches.
Facts – Tissot Seastar 2000 44mm
Reference: T120.907.17.041.00
Case: 316L stainless steel
Diameter: 44 mm
Thickness: 15,29 mm
Strap width: 22 mm
Crystal: Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on the inside
Bezel: Unidirectional, ceramic bezel ring
Water resistance: 600 metres / 60 bar
Other: Screw-down crown, screwed case back and helium valve
Certification: ISO 6425:2018
Movement: Swiss automatic Powermatic 80
Power reserve: 80 hours
Hairspring: Nivachron
Functions: Time and date
Dial: Blue gradient
Lume: Super-LumiNova
Strap: Blue nitrile rubber with quick-release
Weight: 130 grams
Price: 11.750 kronor
