This release from Tissot occupies an interesting position where on the one hand it’s not a particularly exciting or sexy launch but on the other hand, I could easily see it becoming one of the most popular dive watches they’ve ever made.
That’s because it fills a conspicuous hole in the Seastar 1000 range as previously they’ve done a 43mm automatic model and a 40mm quartz model but they’ve never done a 40mm automatic. So, putting it all together we have the Tissot Seastar 1000 Powermatic 80 40mm. Hence, not a super exciting release but a sought-after one nonetheless.
There are five references of the Seastar 1000 Powermatic 80 40mm being introduced, four of which are available now and one which will become available in June. They each measure 40mm in diameter with unidirectional rotating bezels featuring diving timers.
It’s a no nonsense tool watch design with brushed lugs and slightly raised crown guards. At 40mm it’s also much more appealing to a broad range of people who prefer smaller watches compared to the 43mm predecessor. The number 1000 in the model’s name comes from its 1000ft water resistance rating, which in more modern parlance is 300m.
Two of them are in plain steel, one has a yellow gold PVD coating on its bezel and bracelet and the last two have full black PVD coatings. It’s the black PVD edition on bracelet with a black dial that’s being released in June. The other options are steel with an aquamarine dial, steel with a black dial, the bi-colour with black dial and then black PVD on rubber strap with blue dial. All of their dials share the same texture with vertical striations and a slight gradient to black around the edges, giving them a fumé effect.
Of the five watches, I think the steel aquamarine edition is my favourite closely followed by the black case and blue dial one. The blue colours drive home the aquatic theme of a dive watch and also emphasise the gentle gradients and texture to a larger extent than the black. Although black is perhaps the more traditional for a professional dive watch given the high contrast to the lumed hour markers and hands.
Beneath the surface of the Seastar 1000 Powermatic 80 40mm is the Powermatic 80 automatic movement. It’s the real gem of the Swatch group, offering amazing specs such as an 80-hour power reserve for incredibly reasonable prices. The Seastar 1000 Powermatic 80 40mm is £685 for the plain steel editions, £700 for PVD on rubber strap and £750 for the two PVD models on bracelet.
If you compare that to one of Tissot’s competitors you see how great the value is. Seiko’s 1965 Revival Diver, which is a 300m diver with 72-hour power reserve is nearly double the price. That combined with the appealing size is sure to make it a winner.
Price and Specs:
More details at Tissot.
