Staying Oriented

At 2000 feet below the surface of the ocean, the most important thing a watch can do for a diver is offer steadfast legibility. Tissot aces it with the Seastar 2000 Professional in all the ways that matter. The indices are arranged with a triangle at 12 o’clock, rectangles for 3, 6 and 9 and circles for the rest to provide an instant orientation. The sword hands are impressively over-sized, filled with a generous coating of Super-LumiNova, and the extra-long minute hand really stands apart from the shorter hour hand.

Technical Features

The Seastar 2000 Pro is brimming with dive watch features to withstand even the most extreme of saturation dives. The timepiece is water resistant to 600 meters, which is impressive feet at the sub $1,000 price point.

There are special challenges faced by the saturation diver using helium based breathing gas to mitigate the effects of the deep pressure of great depths. Helium atoms are so small, they are able to get inside the watch case and build up a pressure difference that can damage the timepiece or even dislodge the crystal. The Seastar 2000 is equipped with a helium valve to release the build up of gas and protect the integrity of the watch.

Tissot has long been an innovator in the field of protecting their movements from harmful magnetic fields, and the titanium-based alloy, Nivachron by Nivarox, utilized for the balance-spring, is a material that is engineered to resist magnetic fields.

The Powermatic 80 caliber boasts a power reserve of approximately 80 hours, which is important for a longer dive trip and a rare find even in the most technical of timepieces.

Style

The Seastar 2000 is not just another tool watch, however. It is a substantial timepiece at 46 mm with a lot of attention to the sport aesthetic. The dial is a rich cerulean blue that fades at the edges to a deep navy. A unique wave motif is engraved into the surface of the dial, honoring the sea and adding texture and movement. The steel bezel has an insert made with black ceramic for a scratch resistance, with the 60-minute markers and the triangle and 2 dots for orientation. It turns only in the anti-clockwise direction to keep the diver from accidentally lengthening the dive.

The date window, black in a rim of silver, is positioned symmetrically and unobtrusively at the 6 o’clock position.
The 316L stainless steel case will keep the watch looking pristine after hours submerged in corrosive sea water. The caseback has a transparent sapphire crystal, another rare feature in a watch with such a high-pressure resistance. The bulging front domed sapphire crystal adds to the overall masculinity and robust look of the watch.

Serious Credentials

It takes a lot to achieve the ISO 6425 certification for diver’s watches. The standard exists to ensure a reliable and stable timepiece as it’s a critical tool for deep diving. Introduced in 1996, it outlines the requirements and tests required for any watch claiming to be viable at depths below 100 meters. Some of the other strict specifications are reliability under water, condensation test, crown test, pressure test, and thermal shock test.

One of the most critical components of the certification is the indication that the watch is running, even in complete darkness. Tissot solved this problem with an attractive lollipop style second hand, balanced with a simple, stylized T. Filled with Super-Luminova, this circling dot of light will reassure a diver that their watch is functioning, even in the darkest of depths.

The Bottom Line

Tissot Seastar 2000 Pro is a serious dive watch with a lot of technical innovation and impeccable sport styling at a very attractive price point. The watch is paired with either a rubber strap or a three-row carved steel bracelet.

Tech Specs

Movement: Powermatic 80 automatic caliber (Base ETA C07.111), 80 hours power reserve
Case: 46 mm X 16.25 mm 316L stainless steel, unidirectional steel bezel with ceramic insert
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date
Strap: Rubber strap/three-row carved steel bracelet
Price: USD 995 on rubber strap/ USD1,025 on steel bracelet
More information: tissotwatches.com