My vacations are always filled with adventures, from hiking to diving, everything is on the table. While I am a serial-planner, when it comes to travelling, especially for a vacation to a country I haven’t been to before, there are still spontaneous plans that I make — because I am not going to say no to a unique experience coming my way. Along with planning outfits, as a person working in the watch industry, I now also plan which watches I will wear with respective outfits. In that planning, there’s always one question that arises – do I take my precious vintage watches or my daily beaters that I can (sometimes) wear recklessly. This time around, as I got ready to head to Sri Lanka, making things more interesting was the fact that I was given a chance to carry with me and wear the latest Tissot Seastar 2000. Here’s how it served me through my 10-day journey across the Teardrop of India. 

First, some context: The watch is part of Tissot’s professional diving range – Seastar — with not just enhanced water-resistance but an ISO 6425:2018 certification that makes it a diving tool according to the diving watch standard. It's got a 600-metre water resistance, a helium escape valve at 9 o’clock, and a screw-down crown at 3 o’clock, all of which check the important boxes. The watch accompanied me into the pool and the ocean alike. Had I gone diving, I would have taken the watch into the depths too and used it's unidirectional bezel – however, the monsoon and the high-tides didn’t allow for that to happen on the days I was there. It rained a few days and I didn’t have to worry about taking my watch off everytime it did. 

This is the first reference in the line that features a bold orange dial – the previous models have had blue, black and gradient grey dials — which makes it quite a statement on the wrist. The dial also features a subtle wave texture that interacts with the light beautifully. It’s stainless steel case measures 44 mm, which is a bold choice for me because I prefer smaller dials (34 - 36 mm is my sweet spot), but despite it sat quite comfortably on the wrist. It has a considerable weight (exact unknown) given the thickness of 15.29 mm, which can be expected from a professional diving watch, but you get used to it over time. The nitrite rubber strap holds the watch on the wrist well and is comfortable. The rubber straps are soft and the texture on the top gives it a dressy feel, while the waffle pattern on the underside provides some breathing room on the wrist. The watch serves both the sporty feel and the dressy aesthetic, if you don’t mind a bold pop of orange at night, though the added benefit is that the straps are equipped with a quick-release mechanism and can be switched easily. I would change the rubber to a leather strap for a night out and maybe even a stainless steel bracelet to enhance the overall look of the watch. 

Talking about night, the hour markers and central hands, which are now a signature of the line, are coated with Super-LumiNova® with a green emission that gets charged even with little exposure to light. The hour and minute hands are fully covered with lume while the seconds hand features a circular tip covered in lume. Whether you are taking a midnight dive in the ocean or a drive along the beach, you can always check the time on your wrist. There is also a date window at 6 o’clock, which isn’t covered in lume and hence not visible in the dark, but is legible with a black background and white numerals in the daylight. 

I wore the watch day and night for 10 days, with a few breaks in between, but thanks to the weekend-proof Powermatic 80 automatic movement, it never stopped or lagged time just because I didn’t wear it. The movement is visible from the clear caseback with the oscillating weight decorated with waves, and it also features the patented Nivachron™ balance spring. The watch retails for ₹1,08,500, and is a total value for money. 

The Ref. T120.907.17.281.00, that I wore on my vacation is a part of the recent releases of five new references from the brand: T120.907.11.051.00 (steel with grey dial), T120.907.17.041.00 (steel with blue dial), T120.907.37.041.00 (black-coated steel with blue dial), T120.907.37.051.00 (black-coated steel with grey dial).