Tissot Revives a Funky Archive Favorite with Modern Re-Interpretation of the Sideral

Before the bang-for-your-buck PRX Powermatic 80, the refined range of Chemins des Tourelles, as well as the brand’s stint as the official timekeeper of the National Basketball Association, there was a moment in time when Tissot decided to get experimental with their approach to watchmaking. It was 1969 when Tissot thrusted their brainchild into reality with the release of their funky Sideral diver (pronounced see-dee-rahl), sporting a multi-colored regatta timer display within the dial, an intuitive rubber strap fastening system, and for the first time ever, a monoblock case completely fabricated out of fiberglass. The Tissot Sideral has now officially made its return with all of its groovy glory with the addition of a couple of contemporary touches.

The Tissot Sideral 2023 retains its distinctive barrel shaped case and lug-less design that made the original yellow fiberglass-cased Sideral so eye-catching. But instead of using the same material as its predecessor, which has shown to brittle over time, the Sideral 2023 utilizes a case combination of forged carbon and stainless steel. The midcase represents the portion of the case made out of forged carbon, displaying its signature “swirl” pattern and simultaneously cutting several grams off of the total case weight without sacrificing a durable exterior. The bezel, which displays a dual-function with an elapsed and regatta timing scale, is made out of stainless steel, which gets a PVD treatment to match the darker tone of the case.

The newly added Tissot Sideral 2023 comes with three various dial variations distinguished by a colored minute track; gray, yellow paying homage to the original, and blue. Looking closely at the blue variation, Tissot has included blue flakes into the forged carbon mixture, giving the midcase a camouflage-like effect. All three dials have a base black dial, a baton handset accompanied by a red T-top seconds hand, and a red-green accented regatta timer between 12 o’clock and 2 o’clock. The multi-color fun doesn’t stop there. Shutting off the lights or going into a dark room will reveal the different colored luminous markers from the fully graduated bezel, right down to the minute track which glows purple with orange accents at every five minute interval.

The Sideral namesake is not presented on the dial, and instead, features the “Powermatic 80” wordmark, highlighting the brand’s Swiss made automatic movement found in various Tissot models including the PRX. The movement is equipped with a weekend-proof 80 hour power reserve, date function located at 3 o’clock and a new skeletonized rotor. With the updated movement modernizing the Sideral 2023, it’s the perforated quick release rubber strap that pays tribute to the 1969 Sideral S. With a wide array of colors to choose from, the fastening system uses a two-stud system that connects at two different points ensuring a just-right fit.

The Tissot Sideral 2023 is a funky blend of old and new. In the spirit of Tissot’s partnership with the NBA, imagine seeing some of the best players in 1969 like Willis Reed, Walt Clyde Frazier and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the same court as our modern day stars in Lebron James, Steph Curry and Giannis Antetokounmpo. That would be a sight to see, but unless there’s a time machine somewhere out there, this would only remain as a figment of our imagination. The Tissot Sideral however, embodies this mashup of eras in the flesh.

After the conversion. The Tissot Sideral 2023 retails for $1,152. For more information on the re-interpreted Sideral, head on over to Tissot.