Repair + Service: Tissot SeaStar calibre 2481

It’s like buses …

Another day, another SeaStar. I do actually like them, and this one has a funky TV style dial. The crystal is in very bad shape.

Let’s get stuck in!

The back gasket has partially dissolved.

The dial is damaged, but only where you don’t see it, outside the TV shaped opening.

Not so good – one of the dial feet has broken off. I have a strict no-dial-pads policy, so I will stick the foot back on with superglue.

There is one screw missing from the auto-winder gear plate, and the other one is loose. This caused the winding gear to block, and the movement starts beating as soon as the auto-winder gears come off.

Beating or not, it’s a bit dirty and dry, and will need a full service.

The bottom plate. The little lever for the quick-set date changer isn’t quite right…

and there is a reason for that. The arbor that holds it to the plate is broken off.

Under the microscope, you can see where it broke off, and there are some scratch marks next to the break. Looks like someone tried to force the lever, and broke off the little arbor that holds it. Not a big deal, as the quick-set date on Tissots is pretty pants anyway and doesn’t work reliably.

Apart from that, everything seems to be fine, and the parts go into the cleaning machine.

Now it’s time to give the crystal some attention, and I resurface and polish it.

Reassembly starts with a new mainspring as usual.

I put the basic movement together first. Now that the watch is beating, I can make sure everything is as it should be before moving on.

With a timegrapher image like this, there is nothing to worry about.

Now I can put the bottom plate together. I first have some problems with the date ring not moving freely, which is due to the set lever spring which is bent. I reshape it, and get a freely moving date ring as a reward.

The dial foot gets some super glue.

Dial and hands go on, and the back gets a new gasket.

That makes my heart rate go up slightly, especially when I think about what the watch looked like when I started on it.

11 thoughts on “Repair + Service: Tissot SeaStar calibre 2481

  1. Hi Could not help to notice you have put barrel gear on upside down, Not sure how the click is working with it upside down ? John

  2. I just found one of these, exactly the same model but with a very strange colored dial- it has a red stripe through the middle and fades out to silver on the top and bottom of the dial. Found it in Albania of all places, with an awful, non-genuine band on it. I’m restoring it now. I was wondering if these Seastars are actually mens watches or womens watches? As my wife is giving me ALL KINDS of grief about it and says it looks too girly even for her to wear. I really like it but she thinks its too small and feminine to be a mens watch?

  3. I’ve just come across your site by chance and must say that I am very impressed. I shall certainly be saving it in my favourites.

    Keep up the good work!

  4. I have the exact same watch but with a blue face, was given to me as a 21th Birthday present from my mother who died not long after.
    The watch looks in good condition, but doesn’t work and has not worked for sometime. I could take photos, It has a metal band but one of the two molded pieces that fits next the watch is missing

  5. Huzzah for SeaStars! I guess you are getting more because if you type “Seastar repair” in to Google your blog is first on the list – it’s how I came to be here 😉

    Or is this one of your own watches?

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