TISSOT Seastar 1000 Professional LIMITED EDITION [Automatic Chronograph]

Here’s a cool new diver from Tissot. It should have hit the shelves by now but what with some minor interference caused by a flippin’ global pandemic (I do hope everyone is doing okay), its release was put back some, but it’s here now – well almost.

This is the new Seastar 1000 Professional Limited Edition from Tissot, a more substantial, more capable automatic version of the current Seastar 1000 Quartz Chrono, that comes with some new Tissot patented diving tech to boot. Just 1’000 pieces of the special edition watch will be released.



The Seastar 1000 Pro comfortably complies with ISO 6425 standards for a professional dive watch. With an all 316L Stainless steel case, the automatic chronograph ticks all the boxes: it can withstand magnetic fields of up to 4,800 A/m and its case, including the crown and push button are all shock-resistant.

The watch is equipped with a small, luminous second hand and a unidirectional rotational diver’s bezel that can be locked via the crown at 10 o’clock. It is water-resistant up to 300 meters (or 1000 feet, as its name implies). Watches meeting ISO 6425 standards, must however, be depth resistant up to 375 meters underwater, so this is what it was officially tested to.



I think this might be a first for a Tissot diver (at least for the Seastar 1000); the new Seastar 1000 Pro has a Helium Escape Valve at 10 o'clock. They are only 6 decades late to this party btw but their HEV (despite its looks) is in fact an automatic valve which has been integrated into the big-f#ck-off crown at 10 o’clock.

It’s been a while since one of the big brands debuted an HEV feature on one of their new divers, these are pretty common place these days. But if you are unsure what it’s for – it’s an emergency escape valve that you must quickly press least you and your watch implode in the depths!



Okay, not really. It protects the movement and supposedly stops the crystal from popping out if any excess Helium has seeped into the watch case after spending a prolonged period of time in a Helium rich environment such as a decompression chamber.

The Helium expands after exiting the chamber or upon resurfacing. Rolex were pioneers of the HEV way back in the 60s when they were working with COMEX. Unless you’re a SAT diver you will never need this function.

Anyway the Seastar 1000 Pro’s valve is concealed in the second crown at 10o’clock, which also locks the bezel in place. Once the crown is secured, the rotating bezel remains locked for 60 minutes thus ensuring that the remaining dive-time cannot be accidentally changed underwater.

This unique combination of functions is a Tissot patented technology.



In addition to this comprehensive set of precautions ensuring diver safety, Tissot has subjected the ergonomics of the Seastar 1000 Pro to the same rigors. Its mammoth 49mm in diameter case has been designed for use in sorts challenging and demanding conditions.

These dimensions are mainly focused on the resistance of water-pressure, and shock-resistance - in short, the risks to which professional divers and their watches might be exposed. The case-back, the push buttons and the crown are all screwed-down. The crown also has extra crown protection.

The dial has a gradient, from blue in the middle to black on the outside edge. Reminiscent of the deep ocean, this dark background is interrupted by large and contrasting hands and markers.



The hands are generously coated with brightly glowing Swiss SuperLumiNova while the time display on the dial and the luminous triangular bezel marker are also coated with Super-LumiNova.

The bezel insert is made of black ceramic with a metallic dive-time scale. Thanks to all these elements, the readability is said to be optimal, even at night or when diving in murky water AKA your dirty bathwater ;)

The new Seastar 1000 Pro is powered by a Valjoux A05.H21 movement with an automatic winding mechanism. This chronograph has a small second hand at 9 o'clock and total counters for 30 minutes and 12 hours at 12 and 6 o'clock, respectively.



This caliber also indicates the day and date and is equipped with a power-reserve of up to 60 hours – a pretty generous amount of autonomy for a diver’s watch.

The Seastar 1000 Pro is fitted with a three-link Stainless steel bracelet with polished center links and satin-finishing on its sides. This comes with a folding diver’s clasp. This closure is said to be quick and easy to adjust even over a diver’s wetsuit, thanks to the push buttons, the lock and an extra link that can be quickly added if necessary.

The watch comes with a second diver’s strap. This is made of black rubber, ribbed on the inside and with a Stainless steel buckle closure.



You can change the straps easily and without tools. Tissot has equipped the strap attachment with an effortless release system. The set comes in a special travel-case made of the same neoprene used for wetsuits.

On the inside is an overprint of a stylized seahorse, an historic logo used for Seastar watches. The seahorse, a symbol of life in the sea can also be found on the Sapphire crystal of the Seastar 1000 Pro’s case-back.

The new Seastar 1000 Professional ref. T120.614.11.041.00 is a Limited Edition of just 1’000 pieces. It’s a good few months late with its release which should now be imminent. Its MSRP will be approx. 2090euro / 2345USD.



Thoughts? Bloody ‘ell! My Dad had a Tissot Diver when I was a nipper – it didn’t look anything like this. If it had I probably would have messed myself. In a good way, though (tbh honest there’s no such thing as a good mess).

I transgress; I don’t think any Tissot to date has ever had such a purposeful look to it. I guess this would happily go head to head with an Oris Prodiver – it’s a beast of a watch! As a diving instrument I could happily live with its heft (big f#ck-off canteen-esque HEV / bezel-locking device included), but its size and weight might be a hindrance as a daily beater for some.

It’s an audacious release from Tissot; the new diving tech is pretty cool, too. I like it but it would have made even more sense in Titanium, and imvho, the Seastar logo is still kinda’ sh!t. But what do you think? Still, a pretty cool professional diver, eh!