Ok,

I can't seem to find an affordable dive watch that I really like so I'm thinking about picking up a black Tissot Seastar 1000 for, hopefully, under $300 and swapping out the "blingy" dial (which I hate) and hands for a MKII custom dial and hands and maybe bead blasting the case, except for the bezel. I really love the size and design of the SS 1000's case and the bezel is pretty hefty with a very positive "click" (always very important), but the stock out of the box SS is way to flashy for my taste.

I know most of you guys are thinking, "why doesn't he just pick up a Seiko diver?". Well, I had one about 10 years ago and after about 2 years the movement just went on me... It was loosing at least 5 minutes a day and anybody who looked at it to said they couldn't fix it because parts were not available. That is why I'm shying away from the Japanese movement and going for something with an ETA.

Does anybody have a Seastar that they modified or had modified, and if so can you post some pics so I can get some ideas? I think I'd also like to go with a dateless dial and rotate the crown 180. I believe that is possible with an ETA 2824. Thanks!

If you won't buy a Seiko because of reliability issues, then I strongly recommend you do a bit more research on the Seastar before picking one up. Lots of people have had problems with them, and they're not regarded very highly on the forums. It's interesting that you mention the great bezel action - I always felt that the bezel on my Tissot seemed hollow and tinny. One of the worst that I've felt on any diver, & it's one of the main reasons I traded it.

I like the beadblasting idea, though. The stock Seastar was always a little too flashy for my taste. Anyway, good luck with your hunt!

 

Even the argument to replace Seiko with ETA seems shallow... even if your movement had problems you should have done something that many do here... get a seiko 5 auto (the cheaper the better) get the movement out and replace movement inside your diver... DITTO... for less the 50 you just fixed your watch...

Also, with your Seiko I think it was bad luck more than anything... plenty of folks out there wearing 7s26 based seikos (eitehr Seiko 5 or divers) for 20+ years with no issues.. heck, folks even don't bother maintaining them because everyone knows that it's real easy to swap the movement if anything goes wrong (and it REALLY REARLY DOES)...

As for the Seastar... I had one from Costco after ignoring posts here about possible reliability issues... had mine for 2 weeks and after manually winding in one day crown ended up in my hands (not kidding)... thanfully Costco has VERY liberal return policy...

Mind you I don't want to bash Tissot... not every tissot is bad, plenty of folks out there having it for years with no isses...

Be sure to post pics if you get to mod it.

Cheers and good luck in your serarch and doing mods.:-!

 

I have a Tissot Seastar 1000 that runs 3 to 4 seconds fast a day. No problems at all.

My Seiko SNM035 auto runs 3 to 5 seconds slow right out of the box. Great watch.

 

I haven't seen a seastar modded before. I'm sure it can be done, anythings possible with a watch. the price may be more than just getting a watch you really like without mods other than a strap.

 

I'd do some research on the Seastar I've read quite a few threads regarding poor workmanship and reliability, not downing the watch just relating what I've read.

 

The Tissot Seastar 1000, Isn't a bad watch overall. BUT they do have problems, had one the crown and stem had to be replaced, this was a pain of a job, had to send her away, as I couldn't obtain the correct crown


With the Internet Seikos are brilliant, 99% of parts can be sourced with 2-4weeks max, usually within a week or two.


You might want to look at the 660 or 200m model, they are a little smaller and a far better price.

Regs

Bry

 

I have to agree with OntimeGabe and the others here. I believe a Seiko is more reliable than a Tissot Seastar. I have had 40 odd Seikos and most of them were automatics. Never had any problems movt wise with current Seikos. I had a Tissot Seastar which had problems with the paint flaking off the bezel. The bezel also has a tinny feel to it which pales in comparison to basic SKX seiko divers. These issues and other reported problems made me trade it for a Seiko diver.

Its surprising that the watchmaker was not able to service the seiko movt. Unless it was a high end eg. Grand Seiko movt or high beat movt eg 4S15, i would assume the movts are quite simple and hardy. Parts wise is not a big problem nowadays - either get a whole movt (not that expensive) or get the parts from Seiko agent. Obviously he does not have the expertise or experience outside of the ubiquitious basic ETAs.

Just my opinion.

 

I tend to totally ignore it when crown and stem problems are posted. thats the one area owners use often. my experience with numerous watches bought new is zero problems. a few I got used had problems. even on el cheapo watches I still like to buy have not had a crown or thread issue.

 

While the Tissot SeaStar 1000 is a nice watch, there are many Seikos that are just as good or better. Your experience with 1 Seiko that went bad is a little inconclusive on a brand that has one of the best reputations for quality control and durability. While I like the SeaStar, I wouldn't consider it a good dive watch. By the time you finish modding it, you will have enough invested that for a couple hundred more, you could pick up a good preowned Enzo or Stowa.

 

But waht if he does not want an Enzo or Stowa?

I do have to say, 120 click bezel on my Seiko is better and smoother than the 60 on the Seastar. Also, just because a very few people who own a Seastar had problems and posted about them here does not mean that they are a bad watch. How many people had good experiences and never heard of WUS and never posted up anywhere?

 

both good and bad posts are here on the dwf. just do a search. its about even on positive and negative posts on the tissot. I had one and posted it here. now problems with mine and the bezel felt well made. nobody knows what the op wants as he hasn't responded to this since starting the thread.

 

I was just going to sit back and watch you guys bash it out for a while :-d:-d:-d

I've heard good and bad things about both watches. I owned 2 Tissots and one Seiko and thus far I've had better experiences with the Tissot. I'm not bashing Seiko by any means. I know they are loved by many a WUS and I'm sure they are as good as the Tissot if not better. Although, one bad experience with a watch, like I had with my Seiko, and I'm instantly turned off. Now, granted the small town watchmaker that I took the watch to was maybe not totally up on his Seiko stuff or his ETA stuff for that matter. Maybe he was no better than the lady behind the counter at Walmart replacing batteries, but it still left a bad taste in my mouth so I'm going to stick with the ETA 2824 for now. I've owned at least 20 watches with that particular movement and never had any problems with it what so ever.

As far as crown and stem issues, I have to agree with yamahaki, IMO they are mostly caused by people who are not very careful about screwing and un-screwing and popping them in and out. Finesse and force is sometimes a hard thing for some to understand. My wife is gret for destroying watch crowns. ;-) Ah, the perils of buying used...

So, yes, for now I'm on the look out for a Tissot and I will do the mods myself (I've had a small amount of experience with removing hands and dials and other neat things) so I won't have more than maybe $100 invested for a new dial and hands on top of the price of the watch, maybe $400 total.

Someone mentioned the Enzo.... A very nice watch! That was another one that I was looking at but $650 - $700 used is a bit much for me to spend on a watch that I'm gonna wear as a beater.

Oh, and one last thing, check out the recent post on the WTT forum...

WTT: Modded Seastar....

Now that is a cool mod'd SS! I was gonna snatch it up but I wanna do a rotated crown with no date on mine.

Wow, bla bla bla, boy am I yapping :roll::roll::roll: