Tired of the Apple Watch? I don't blame ya. Bank account not in the stratosphere? I'm right there with ya! But you're interested in starting a collection of proper watches? I got a deal for ya.
The Tissot Seastar: Hear me out
Let me learn you something, when you hear the term luxury watch your brain might be stuck on brands like Rolex, Patek Phillipe, IWC, Omega but Tissot has been doing the damn thing since 1853. The company is far more prevalent than you think being the official watch of MotoGP, the NBA and the UCI. Which are the pinnacle of motorcycle racing and basketball respectively and the governing body of professional cycling. Luxury doesn't always mean you have to break the bank either which Tissot does an excellent job considering.
Lesson two in watches for someone starting out:
Quartz- powered by a battery, which eventually will have to be replaced
Automatic- has all those sexy gears and springs, the watch is powered by the person wearing it, meaning as long as you wear it, it's keeping time. These watches have something called a power reserve. With the Seastar it has an 80 hour power reserve, meaning if you put it in the watch box for the weekend, Monday morning it will still be keeping time without you having to set it.
Traditionally a Quartz watch, The Tissot Seastar 1000 Powermatic has this excellent automatic movement with the open back. Which is very satisfying to look at. Coming in at $750 retail, a very surprising price for a quality made automatic watch.
At 40mm its not a small watch but not one of those gaudy clunkers. Small watches are back in baby. A piece of advice: a small watch will look good on a big wrist but a big watch will not look good on a small wrist. When the light hits the face it has a nice black metallic look that is quite striking and sharp. The bezel is easy to use and comes with minimal annoying timer sounds.
The comfort is there, as an everyday wear you don't feel it on the wrist as much as you would think. It is durable and has a good weight to it. Don't worry you can go swimming but just don't go more than 1000ft deep, don't know why you would but don't.
Pros:
- Automatic movement for under $800
- Stylish and comfortable
- As an everyday wear the value is worth every penny
- Waterproof and can be adapted easily to a rubber strap if wanted
Cons:
- Some shops don't work with Tissot if you ever need repairs
- fingerprints show very easily on band
- watch snobs will be watch snobs
In summary:
If you are looking to get your collection started and don't want to break the bank, I can't recommend this watch enough. It is a beautiful piece and will teach you about watches and how they work. It is durable to be worn at all times and pretty enough to be dressed up for a nice dinner. At the end of the day it really is up to how you feel about the watch, not how others. Take the price out of the picture, look at it for its quality and function.