Tissot SEASTAR worthy of a restoration?

[Tuna1138]

This watch has sentimental value to my wife and my sister in law as it was their father's watch.
It will be kept regardless but I'm thinking of trying to get it restored for them.
Currently it is showing no signs of working, any thoughts/recommendations on giving it a new lease of life?

[walkerwek1958]

Dial looks reasonably OK, might improve a little by cleaning but uf not its still OK. Hands will benefit from careful cleaning and reluming carefully. Movement will needfully servicing, the rotor can be a problem on these and parts availability isn’t great so hopefully its not too badly worn. A new glass is straightforward to fit, hopefully a new seal in the crown will get it waterproof againor possibly a replacement.

The case is a tricky one, my guess is that it was originally a brushed or grained finish. which could be restored, or it could be left as it is if you prefer.

The watch can be made to look nice and sharp, very wearable, with decent timekeeping and a degree of water resistance.

[boywithabubblegun]

Paul has pretty much covered it. I've worked on quite a few of these to teach myself the basics of watch repair and in my (albeit limited) experience they tidy up very nicely. The movements are generally well made and I do have several in pieces to use as donors so if you find you need any parts, give me a shout. If it's a 2481 this was also used by Omega in a few of their watches at the time, as their cal.1481. The cases are solid stainless so polish up very nicely. I agree with Paul that it was probably originally a brushed finish but that would be more tricky to restore to original standard. The crystal is acrylic so will polish very easily with PolyWatch or can be replaced at very little cost. It's a shame the dial looks to have some small stains but a very gentle clean by someone who knows what they are doing may help. It's hard to tell from the photo but some of those marks may also be shadows from marks on the crystal. The mesh bracelet isn't original but seems to suit the watch quite nicely. An ultrasonic clean or a scrub with warm soapy water will do this wonders but these watches also look great on a nice brown leather strap, in my opinion.

So yes, given the sentimental value, I'd say it would be worth some restoration. A service from an independent may cost close to the value of the watch (or more if you go to town on the case) but would keep it working well for many years yet and get it looking great.

[Foxy100]

That's a lovely watch. My father never wore one - if he had it would be worth so much more than money to me.

If it were me, I'd have it serviced and cleaned by someone who knows what they're doing but I'd leave all the wear on the case. Dial and hands? Maybe clean them, maybe not, but the lume looks fine. I'd want to be looking at a watch that my father had worn every day, battle scars and all, not the sparkly new watch he would have seen in the show window. I can see why someone else might want it looking good - why not ask your wife and sister-in-law what they'd like?

If you want it to look perfect, STS. They have the lapping machine that will make the case look immaculate. They also took over Tissot's service parts when IIRC Tissot stopped servicing watches themselves in the UK. I know they had NOS parts for Tissot Naviagators but I went down the route of keeping mine completely original. If they have NOS dial and hands you could always have the case lapped, NOS dial and hands fitted and keep the original dial and hands for if anyone wants to change their mind in the future. Worth a call to STS to find out your options?

[ellsy_79]

absolutely worth restoring whether the value is more or less than the restoration price, i restored my late mother in laws watch for my wife, an old tag heuer. it cost around £360 and the watch is probably worth no more than than. however it was worth every penny and my wife wears it on special occasions

[Tuna1138]

Many thanks fellas for taking the time to reply with your thoughts, much appreciated
I think the girls would be chuffed if I could get it up and running again, not too fussed about getting case fully refurbed
I'll have a think on which path to take but I'll definitely be getting it up and running again
cheers

[walkerwek1958]

In most watches like this the movement parts are OK and very few parts are needed. There’s always a risk that something’s broken and needs replacing but if that’s the case it shouldn't be too hard to source second- hand parts or NOS. The movement will be a 2461 or the older 784, both are v. similar.

Refinishing cases splits opinion, it has become somewhat discredited due to poor standards of work that caused many old watches to be spoiled. On a worn example it can be difficult to work out what the original finish looked like, that does pose a challenge.

I favour reluming hands because the original lume often goes black and discoloured at the edges, this isn’t a good look and replacing the lume is a better alternative, there are ways and means of making the lume look aged and original so the end result works well with a dial that’s showing signs of age.

[Tuna1138]

In most watches like this the movement parts are OK and very few parts are needed. There’s always a risk that something’s broken and needs replacing but if that’s the case it shouldn't be too hard to source second- hand parts or NOS. The movement will be a 2461 or the older 784, both are v. similar.

Refinishing cases splits opinion, it has become somewhat discredited due to poor standards of work that caused many old watches to be spoiled. On a worn example it can be difficult to work out what the original finish looked like, that does pose a challenge.

I favour reluming hands because the original lume often goes black and discoloured at the edges, this isn’t a good look and replacing the lume is a better alternative, there are ways and means of making the lume look aged and original so the end result works well with a dial that’s showing signs of age.

Thanks for the info/advice Paul, I tried to PM you but your inbox appears to be full
regards
Ian

[seikomatic]

get it an overhaul and in case anyone in the family would be interested to use it sometimes later.

[mycroft]

Absolutely worth considering, given the sentimental value.

Unbeknownst to my wife, I had Paul Walker (Post #2) restore her late fathers 1950s Favre- Leuba. He did a fantastic job on it, she was over the moon and now wears it for best.

Simon

[Tuna1138]

Absolutely worth considering, given the sentimental value.

Unbeknownst to my wife, I had Paul Walker (Post #2) restore her late fathers 1950s Favre- Leuba. He did a fantastic job on it, she was over the moon and now wears it for best.

Simon

Thanks for that Simon,
I'll definitely be going ahead with some form of restoration, Paul's inbox appears to be full at the moment, I'll try and get in touch
cheers

[Wyvern971]

Looks fantastic, great work there.

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[JonRA]

What a great result. It's ready to be enjoyed for years to come. Paul did a fantastic job on mine and has done the same for you.

ATB

Jon

[Mainspring]

That’s a fabulous return to former glory, and I’m sure the ladies were delighted!

Hopefully you’ll be able to also get some pleasure from wearing it from time to time.

It looks like another superb job by Paul.

[Bobbyf]

I don’t often comment but that’’s a fantastic restoration and a great looking watch. I always enjoy the restoration threads and ‘before and after’ pictures.


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[verv]

Paul has done an excellent job on that!
Tissot Seastar was the watch that got me "into" watches. My dad had a dead one with a fallen off seconds hand languishing in a drawer and I used to play with it as a kid.
If he still had it I would've done the same thing, but I think it was binned in a house move. :(
A great result for you and a credit to Paul.

[snowman]

It does look excellent.

Well done to the OP and Paul for getting this back into such a lovely condition for the family.

M

[Kamakazie!]

I think these threads are the best one here. It's great to see the results that a good restoration can yield for an old watch.
Fantastic job there.

[Tuna1138]

Thanks everyone for the positive comments.
The restoration was certainly worthwhile.

I wouldn't usually go for a watch of this style/size but there is something about it that appeals (other than the family tie/sentiment)
Looks like it will be staying with me rather than going to one of my nephews so I'll definitely be wearing/enjoying it in rotation with my others

[ktmog6uk]

I do think Tissot made some fantastic watches in this period.

[Si]

Well worth doing, Tuna! It’s a nice watch, of its time, and very decent quality.

Nice work by Paul. I think the lume on the hands is just right for the watch too.

[NCC66]

I do think Tissot made some fantastic watches in this period.

I’ve got to agree with this. I picked up a vintage PR516 Chrono a while ago and am surprised by just how wearable and dare I say it, stylish, it is. Threads like this make me think about getting it restored but in my case, I kind of like the history and story each ding and scratch tells. Lovely job on this Seastar though.


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[Robertf]

Great restoration well done for going ahead with it. For me the watch looks nicest on the mesh rather than the strap but a lovely thing either way

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[Tuna1138]

Great restoration well done for going ahead with it. For me the watch looks nicest on the mesh rather than the strap but a lovely thing either way

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I have to agree Robert, the mesh is back on for now

[Shrek]

That looks great and a lovely story to go with it.