The Impressive Powermatic 80 Movement
The Powermatic 80 is a highly efficient and reliable movement from the Swatch Group that is based on an ETA 2824, which has been modified to give an increased power reserve of 80 hours.
All that to say that you can leave the watch in a drawer for three days and it will still be ticking along accurately when you come back to it. Most automatic movements have power reserves of around 36 hours, so to get 80 hours, the mechanism’s beat rate was slowed, which unfortunately results in a less smooth and buttery second-hand sweep.
So, while you might not get that satisfying Rolex-like ticking sound, the upshot of this movement is the extra power reserve: a real advantage if you plan on using the Seastar 1000 as a “desk diver,”: i.e. wearing it to the office during the work week and swapping it out for a casual watch (like a Casio G-Shock) over the weekend.
According to online watch forums, the Powermatic 80 performs very well straight out of the box. Tissot fine tunes the movement in-house and some users have said it runs accurate to within three or four seconds per day, although the official Tissot time tolerance is stated as -10/+30 seconds per day. Other entry-level luxury Swatch Group brands have also chosen the Powermatic 80 for its reliability, including Certina and Hamilton.
Another nice touch is the exhibition caseback with a sapphire crystal that allows you to contemplate the heartbeat of this Swiss timepiece. You probably wouldn’t be able to notice it, but the pallet is made of plastic rather than metal to reduce the movement’s weight.
While some might complain about the use of plastic, I don’t subscribe to such hierarchies, especially since it is now commonplace to see materials like silicon in high-end watchmaking. Overall, the Powermatic 80 is an impressive-looking bit of engineering, embellished with a handsome “Tissot” engraving on the rotor. What’s not to like?
Price/Quality Ratio
At under $600, the Seastar 1000 Powermatic 80 is phenomenal value for money. Out of all the luxury automatic Swiss dive watches we’ve seen, this is the most affordable of all. You’re getting a storied brand history dating back to 1853, those magic words “Swiss Made” on the dial, a ceramic bezel, sapphire crystal, and 985 feet (300 m) water resistance. This is, without a doubt, a great bang for your buck.
The few highly regarded manufacturers that can compete with Tissot in terms of value at this price point will be found outside of Switzerland. I’m thinking of the Japanese brands Seiko and Orient, which make excellent automatic divers with equivalent technical specifications for considerably less money. Nevertheless, the Powermatic 80 movement, and the fact you can flip the watch to observe it, is a real selling point for this Tissot.
Do we recommend the Tissot Seastar 1000 Powermatic 80?
The answer depends on if you like the way the watch looks, because technically speaking, it’s a fabulous value proposition from a household name in Swiss luxury watchmaking.
We do recommend it either way, as it’s a premium piece of Swiss engineering that gives you a lot to shout about. I must admit that I love how the rotor of the Powermatic 80 movement has been decorated. It’s a wonderful detail that the movement is on display without compromising watertightness. You won’t be disappointed if you choose to enter the world of luxury divers with the Tissot Seastar.
Specs & Features
| Case diameter | 43 mm |
|---|---|
| Case thickness | 12.7 mm |
| Lug-to-lug distance | 49.2 mm |
| Lug/strap width | 21 mm |
| Movement | Swiss automatic with 80 hour power reserve |
| Case material | Stainless steel |
| Strap material | Rubber |
| Crystal | Scratch-resistant sapphire |
| Bezel | Ceramic, unidirectional |
| Water resistance | 300 m (1,000 feet) |
Take a moment to look at this.
