Tissot Sea-Touch Watches

It is now *official* that Tissot (a Swatch Group brand) is bringing back its Seastar line in 2010, starting with the Seastar 1000 you see below.? As best I can tell it was sometime in mid-2007 that the Seastar line was discontinued by Tissot, thus its return after just 3 years is certainly interesting!? This is what I would consider to be an “entry level” dive watch in the higher-end/luxury segment (but calling Tissot a luxury brand is perhaps too generous), and it is worth a look if you are a Tissot fan.? As noted on the dial, the new Seastar 1000 is water resistant to a respectable 1000 feet (300 meters) and is powered by an automatic movement.? Curiously, this watch seems to be lacking a couple key features common on functional dive watches including a luminous second hand and bezel (as was astutely pointed out by dive-watch blogger Roger Ruegger) – whether or not this will detract from its perceived value is to be seen.? I’m not sure what the price might be, but I will venture a guess that a price of $750 might be in the ballpark.

TweetEmailMore Tissot news! While I was scouring Tissot's site for additional informationon the Navigator3000, I came across a new look for the High-T. There's no evidence that anythingother than the color of the band has changed, but it certainly makes a dramaticdifference. I thought this was an interesting decision since the High-T is intendedfor a higher-end (read richer), more conservative market while the SwatchPaparazzi has the younger,hipper urban crowd covered (Tissot and Swatch are owned by the same parent company– Swatch Group), but then I remembered that even the T-Touch isavailable in several different colors, so why not the High-T, as well?In case you're unfamiliar with the High-T, it's my personal favorite MSN Directwatch at this particular moment. Although I don't actually own one (yet!), I haveplayed with them several times in the past, and they are very impressive. Featurewise, they are pretty comparable to the SwatchPaparazzi, with two important distinctions:The High-T has a touch crystal, which means rather than jabbing at the modebutton to navigate, you need only gently tap the fine sapphire crystal. I havea T-Touch (which also has a touch crystal), and I love the technology.The High-T has a vibrating alert. Personally, I think this is a fantastic feature.MSN Direct watches are big enough and draw enough attention to themselves asit is that they really don't need to be beeping all the time in response to alarms,appointments, news alerts, and instant messages. A subtle vibration is far morepreferable, if you ask me.The only problem with the High-T is that it's not easy to get your hands on. It'snot that they are in short supply, but Tissots are not sold in your typical malljewelry store. You may have to call around a bit and do some additional drivingto claim one for your own, but believe it, it's worth it.