Tissot Introduces Two New Sporty Seastars for Women’s Basketball Fans

The increasing prominence of women's sports represents a significant cultural shift, reflecting broader movements towards gender equality and inclusiveness in society. Events like the FIFA Women's World Cup and the Women's NBA have gained significant media attention and drawn large audiences, thereby increasing the visibility of women athletes. The world of watchmaking is doing its bit to support women’s sports as well. In recent times, several watchmakers have collaborated with women’s sports personalities to launch extraordinary timepieces.

Tissot is the latest brand to present such unique collab pieces. In partnership with the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), the watchmaker has released two new 40 mm Seastar models: Tissot Seastar Wilson WNBA Powermatic 80 and Tissot Seastar Wilson WNBA Quartz. In fact, these watches mark a three-way collaboration between the Swiss brand, Wilson Sporting Goods Co., and the WNBA. Let’s now examine the just-launched watches in greater detail.

To begin with, both have circular brushed dials. As all watch buffs would know, the brushed textured finish is characterised by a matte surface with a ‘brushed’ appearance that typically features linear brush strokes. The matte finish helps reduce glare, making the dial easier to read in various light conditions, particularly in bright sunlight. So, how are these dials created in the first place? The base metal, often brass or another suitable metal, is cleaned and smoothed.  Specialised tools and abrasive materials are used to create the brushed effect. This usually involves brushing in one consistent direction. Sometimes, the dial may be coated or treated after brushing to protect the surface and enhance the colour or texture.

The new collection of Seastars has a 40 mm stainless steel case, with a screw-down crown protected by crown guards at 3 o’clock. Both watches feature a notched unidirectional rotating bezel with the countdown area highlighted in a different colour depending on the movement. Underscoring the brand’s important role in American basketball, the countdown area is calibrated to 24 minutes to mark the 24-second shot clock time on the shot clock bezel with timing graduation.

The Tissot Seastar Wilson WNBA Powermatic 80 model has a black dial, which, as mentioned above, has a circular brushed finish; it plays with the colours of Wilson’s official WNBA basketball. In keeping with its dive watch credentials, the applied hour markers are both dotted and bar-shaped, and the hour and minute hands are treated with SuperLumiNova. The central second hand is orange in colour, with a luminous tip and a T-shaped counterweight. Completing the dial is a framed date window with a black background and white numeral at 6 o’clock. 

This model is powered by Powermatic 80 calibre. Operating at a frequency of 21,600 vph, the movement delivers a robust 80-hour power reserve. Turning the watch over showcases the engraved caseback featuring the three brands, namely WNBA, Tissot, and Wilson, while the see-through glass over the movement reveals the silhouette of a basketball. The Tissot Seastar Wilson WNBA Quartz has a white bezel and a white circular brushed dial with a black minute track on the outer periphery of the dial. The white colour gets extended to the bar-shaped and dotted hour markers as well as the date window at 6 o’clock. This model also gets a central second hand in orange, with a luminous tip and a T-shaped counterweight.

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This model is powered by a quartz movement. Turning the watch over showcases the closed caseback with the three brands, namely WNBA, Tissot, and Wilson; the silhouette of a basketball is in the centre. Both watches come with a couple of interchangeable quick release Wilson® WNBA Evo-NXT Premium Composite Game Ball Material straps. Also, common to both watches is the 300-metre water resistance.