Tissot Seastar 660 41mm

My experience is not with the Tissot T-Sport PRS 200, but with the Tissot Seastar 660 chronograph, which is basically the same watch with a slightly different dial and bezel.

The Seastar 660 is powered by the same Swiss quartz chrono movement housed in a very similarly designed and sized case, with an identical bracelet and a common purpose behind the creation, which is to offer a very blingy and very capable sports watch for those with an acquired taste.

What I love most about my Seastar 660 chronograph (besides the fact that it is now discontinued, making ownership of the watch feel that much more special) is that it gives me the impression of both an Omega Seamaster 300 and a Breitling Chronomat at the same time, while remaining a completely original and “Tissot-like” wristwatch.

My Seastar 660 looks miles better than any model from the current Seastar catalog, and that is due mostly to the very obvious late ’90s and early 2000s design language, which is very unique and was very short-lived.

The 41x49mm case is big and it wears big too, but due to the thinness of 12mm, the flat caseback, the light weight of the case and of course the beads-of-rice-like, very nicely articulating bracelet, it wears very comfortably.
The long, elegant, polished lugs are something to die for; it is one of my weaknesses when it comes to watches and it is completely worth the wrist overhang of the lugs.

The most fun is happening on the dial, where we find nicely polished and shaped applied indices, sharp and not intruding printing, three sunburst subdials and a handset which I really like, and of course the beautifully colored blue dial, which is a deep, darker shade of blue but under the playful photons of light it is very sparkly and vivid and just generally gorgeous. Very nice stuff indeed.

The watch is a proper diver made possible by the screw-in caseback and crown, and it is all secured by the screw-down pushers. The pushers are very nice and even though this watch does not house a mechaquartz movement, the buttons push in with a very tactile feeling and an audible clicking sound, which are very important aspects of perceived quality and this really works like a charm.
The whole watch feels like a very well-built luxury watch, and this elevated impression of quality is not at all compromised by the hollow end links, nor the pressed clasp and diver’s extension. These small drops in quality (and I hate to rationalize and relativize blatant cost-saving measures of brands) are honestly welcomed features for me, as they aid with lowering the weight of the watch, making the wearing experience that much better.
And the bracelet itself is a great piece of hardware, the small links are beautifully polished, catching the light from all kinds of angles and playing with it like a bored cat playing with the poor canary whose cage was left open unintentionally. They articulate very well, grabbing onto, or to put it a bit more mildly, gently clinging onto your wrist, like a newborn infant not wanting to let go of its mother’s gigantic index finger. It is a very pleasant wearing experience indeed.

The Seastar 660 is one of my favourite watches. I love its versatility and obnoxiously shouty blinginess, which is taken back a little by the red coloring on the first 15-minute markings of the bezel, turning down the seriousness and the try-hard flexing of the design. The bracelet is lovely, the watch is not complete without it, and the Swiss quartz movement offers great accuracy and elevated functionality seasoned by the set-and-forget nature of the technology.