Some are putting it down to burgeoning influence of mid-century vintage design, while the slipping of gender-specific luxury slipping into obsolescence (checked out the scent scene lately?) is surely another factor. Whatever the reasons, watch case sizes are shrinking: and the six new interpretations just introduced to Tissot’s Seastar 1000 Chronograph line, at 38mm (down from a whopping 45.5mm), are an example of a watch brand embracing the downsizing trend with gusto.
TISSOT SEASTAR: OVER 60 YEARS OF UNDERWATER PRECISION
Tissot’s foray into water-resistant (as well as shockproof, dust-tight and anti-magnetic) watches began in the 1930s, and experiments carried out in collaboration with the Swiss Laboratory for Watchmaking Research of Neuchâtel. When it debuted in 1952, the Seastar – the brand’s first hermetically sealed waterproof watch – was the kind of dressy looking piece that might be deemed de rigueur not just while exploring the coral reefs, but whilst taking cocktails afterwards too. Check out models such as the ‘Seastar T12’ (launched in 1956), the Seastar Automatic (1973) and the Seastar 1000 Automatic (2003), and you see the evolution that led us to the fit-for-purpose-looking tool watches the name ‘Seastar’ calls to mind today.
TISSOT SEASTAR 1000 38MM CHRONOGRAPH: BLENDING HISTORY WITH MODERN VERSATILITY
This latest evolutionary leap is yet another adaptation to the horological zeitgeist: and one which will delight those who feel that diving watches can look imperiously functional without being of a bulk which might tempt dating couples to meet beneath them. One model has a vertically brushed silver and white gradient dial in a stainless-steel case paired with a white silicone strap; another juxtaposes a teal brushed dial with a full PVD rose gold case and teal silicone strap.
From exploring the coral reefs to sipping cocktails in a swanky bar: the six new models of the Tissot Seastar 1000 38mm Chronograph are as hard working as are stylish.
There are two all-black PVD versions, one on silicone, the other on steel, whilst the final two models are stainless steel – one with a brushed black dial, the other with yellow gold PVD accents added to the bracelet to make a two-tone interpretation. The line’s existing ingredients – 60-minute unidirectional bezel, geometric applied indices, contrasting hands – all thrive from the shrinking process. A Quartz chronograph is the beating heart within.
The prices for the Tissot Seastar 1000 38mm Chronograph range between £495 and £565. A worthy addition to the modern dive-watch canon that shows once again how this manufacture, founded in 1853 in Le Locle, Switzerland, consistently proves that affordable watches can hold their own admirably in the “haute horology” milieu.
Author: Nick Scott
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