Along with the slow-moving trend back towards thin watches, dress watches have also been enjoying some increased amount of the spotlight. For whatever reason, brands are returning to the simple and classic stying of 50′s and 60′s to inspire new and modern timepieces. Here are just a few models that stand out for being beautiful, simple and aestetically versatile enough to suit a wide range of dress.
Tissot Visodate
- 40x 11.6 mm
- Stainless steel case (gold available)
- ETA 2836-2 with Day and Date
- Silver or black dial
- Sapphire crystal
- 30m WR
This modern Visodate has been styled after Tissot’s original Visodate model from the early 50′s. The Visodate is a classic dress watch in a modern size (40mm) with a price tag of around $550 USD. It is hard to think of a reason to exclude one of these from your rotation. We recommend the silver-dialed stainless steel model as Tissot does not fit the black dialed model with a black day and date wheel resulting in unbalanced dial proportions. The silver dial is perfect and the 40mm case is very practical and should wear larger thanks to a very thin bezel design. The silver dial should suit a black strap as easily as a brown option so the Visodate can be as dressy as you want it to be. If you’re looking for something a bit thinner, take a closer look at the Hamilton Jazzmaster below.
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In anticipation for Basel 2011, Tissot recently released photos and details of their new addition to the Seastar line. Dubbed the Seastar 1000 Chronograph this new model’s case stretches an almost insane 48mm wide and houses the entry level ETA C01.211. The C01.211 is generally seen in Swatch chronographs and is a cheaper option than the venerable ETA 7750. The Seastar 1000 chronograph will be available with an optional PVD finish to match either blue/black or orange/black color schemes. Not to be confused with a fashion accessory, this new Tissot will boast 300m water resistance, a helium escape valve and a sapphire crystal. While the combination of some smart and minimalist styling with respectable stats makes this Tissot seem appealing, we cant help but wonder how the 48mm case and bargain movement will effect long term popularity.
The Tissot T-Touch is a well known and respected line of tech watches from one of Switzerland's best known watch manufacturers. Tissot has built its name on crafting well built and affordable time pieces — something of a rarity from everyone's favorite neutral federal republic. It has been nearly a year since I reviewed the Seastar 1000 and walked away impressed. The T-Touch Expert is the most feature packed model in the brands history and it offers a comprehensive mix of sport styling and easy to use tech.
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The Tissot Seastar 1000 is an entry-level Swiss automatic in the diver segment. The most current version dates back to 2004, but the Seastar name has been around for more than 30 years. Currently, the Seastar is offered in the following versions:
- Silver dial with a stainless steel bracelet.
- Blue dial with a stainless steel bracelet.
- Black dial on a rubber strap.
The review model is a custom combination of the black dial with an upgrade to the stainless bracelet.
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The Tissot Navigator 3000 is the newest in Tissot’s line of “Touch Screen” watches. The Touch Screen collection is comprised of four watches (the T-Touch, the High-T, the Silen-T, and the Navigator 3000) which are primarily operated by touching the sapphire crystal in various locations as opposed to pushing buttons.
All four of the Touch Screen watches are dramatically different. The High-T is an MSN Direct SPOT watch, the Silen-T is a more formal timepiece, and the T-Touch is made for hiking and other outdoor activities. The Navigator 3000, in contrast, is primarily a travel watch. The origins of the Navigator 3000 go all the way back to 1853 when Tissot created a pocket watch capable of displaying multiple time zones. 100 years later came the original Tissot Navigator multiple time zone watch, and most recently, the Tissot Navigator 3000 with several new and very advanced features:
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I've always liked the look of the Tissot Seastar diver, and I like this new model even more with the addition of a chronograph. There's not a lot of information available on the new Tissot Seastar Chronograph, but here's what I've been able to dig up so far:
- Stainless steel case and bracelet.
- Water-resistant to 200 meters, or about 650 feet (with pushers screwed down).
- Sapphire crystal.
- 3-subdial chronograph.
- Screwdown caseback and pushers.
- Quartz movement with 38-month battery.
- Date.
- Available in silver (pictured), blue, or black dials.
The Seastar's sapphire crystal is domed which apparently magnifies the tiny numbers on the subdials. No word on pricing, but it shouldn't go for more than a few hundred. You can find more information on the Tissot Seastar Chronograph product page, or by checking out the user manual.
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Up until now, I had reviewed SPOT watches from all the MSN Direct watch manufacturers (Swatch, Fossil, Abacus, and Suunto) except Tissot. And now that I have finally had a chance to put the Tissot High-T through its paces, I can honestly say that I have saved the best for last. There are things about all the SPOT watches out there that I like, but the Tissot High-T is by far the highest quality, most feature-rich, and best looking. At $725 retail (and very few discounts to be found), it’s also the most expensive, but this is definitely a case where you get what you pay for.
Before I break down the features of the Tissot High-T, I’m going to lead with a little watch-related anecdote. Part of my interest (some call it an obsession) with watches is in some ways a search for perfection. I am much less interested in the volume of watches in my collection than I am with the quality of those watches, and how close each watch comes to my vision of perfection. So one day, I decided to try to define my vision of perfection for several different types of watches. In the bulky, digital, geeky category, this is what I came up with:
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I know from reading my server logs that a lot of people come to Watch Report to read the post on the new Tissot Navigator 3000. For all you Tissot fans out there, here's the rest of the story:
According to a supplier for Jared, the Tissot Navigator 3000 will be available in late April of this year. It will retail for $695, though it should be available at a 10-30% discount, putting the actual price of the watch anywhere from $486.50 to $625.50 (I'm guessing it will actually go for around $500). I was also told that Jared would be the first in the US to sell the Tissot Navigator 3000. On the one hand, I'm skeptical since I was told this by a Jared supplier, however on the other hand, they have the best selection of Tissot that I know of, so it sounds plausible.
For more information on the Tissot Navigator 3000, see Tissot Announces New Tactile Watch: The Navigator 3000.
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The Tissot T-Touch is the wilderness lover of the Tactile family which currently consists of the High-T, the Silen-T, and the newest member of the family, the Tissot Navigator 3000. You might not guess just from looking at it, but the Tissot T-Touch feels just as at home in the woods, in the mountains, or on long treks as it does in the office or at a cocktail party. The T-Touch combines good looks, rugged functionality, and impressive innovation in way you rarely see in the watch world.
Features of the Tissot T-Touch
- Touch crystal. I love showing this feature to people for the first time because they are almost always completely amazed. Like the rest of the Tactile family, the T-Touch has a touch-sensitive sapphire crystal. Rather than jamming repeatedly on a mode button, simply activate the crystal with the right center button, then touch the crystal in one of seven different areas to change modes, or to return to the default time mode.
- Compass. The Tissot T-Touch’s built-in compass can measure magnetic north as well as calculate geographic north.
- Thermometer. The range of the T-Touch’s built-in thermometer is -10 C (15 F) and 60 C (140 F). (If you’re in an environment which significantly exceeds that range, you should be more concerned about your life than your watch.) It is accurate to about 1 degree C (1.8 F), and the resolution is .4 C (.7 F).
- Barometer. The range of the built-in barometer is 300 hPa (hectoPascals), and it is accurate to + or – 3 hPa. The resolution is 1 hPa.
- Altimeter. Wherever you have a barometer, you usually have an altimeter, as well, since it is possible to calculate altitude by measuring atmospheric pressure. The range is -400 meters (-1300 feet) to 9000 meters (29,500 feet) with a resolution of 1 meter (3 feet).
- Chronograph. Resolution of 1/100 of a second, maximum time of 9:59′:59″. The T-Touch’s stopwatch can record a single split time.
- Alarm. The alarm is a daily alarm — nothing special — though it is nice and loud, which I really like. The only thing I don’t like about the alarm is that the only way to set it is by incrementing or decrementing minutes which can get a little tiresome if the time you want to set it to is 12 hours away. Fortunately, the minutes do speed up the longer you hold down the buttons (there are three different speeds) which makes it better, however I would rather be able to set the hours, minutes, and meridian separately.
- Analog and digital displays. The LCD can be configured to display the time or date, or data from one of the other many functions. The analog portion of the watch is even used to convey different types of information depending on the mode. (More on the watch’s hands below.)
- Dual time zone display (unofficial). This is not an official feature of the Tissot T-Touch, meaning I guess you’re not really supposed to do it, but there is a process you can go through to synchronize the analog time with the digital should they ever fall out of step with each other for any reason. If they can be synchronized, I hypothesized, they can be un-synchronized. And indeed they can. During the synchronization process, when the instructions tell you to line the hands up precisely at 12:00, simply add your second time zone’s offset, and suddenly you have watch capable of displaying dual time zones.
- Bidirectional rotating bezel. The bezel contains the four compass points rather than numbers so it can be used to orient a map.
- Semi-perpetual date. That means the T-Touch does not have a pre-programmed date function. Rather, it knows how many days are contained in each month, and can generally do a pretty good job of keeping track of the date that way, but gets tripped up between February and March. The instructions say, “For February it is necessary to reset the date when it is only 28 days” which at first I thought must be a typo. According to those instructions, the watch always assumes that it is a leap year, and adds an extra day to February. I tested the watch to see if this was actually the case, and discovered that this was indeed the watch’s behavior. A little strange, if you ask me. If I were designing a watch without a pre-programmed date function, I would assume that every year was not a leap year and give February 28 days since leap years only come along every four years (unless the year is divisible by 100 and not divisible by 400). Anyway, this is a minor point, but something Tissot might want to consider changing in the future. The point is, if you get yourself a Tissot T-Touch, make sure you check your date every year around March 1st.
- Metric and American units.
- Water resistant to 30 meters. (3 ATM, 3 BAR, or 100 feet).
- Luminescent hands. (No backlight for the LCD.)
- Quartz movement. For all of you who got here by doing a search on Google for “Tissot T-Touch battery,” it takes a Renata CR 1632 which should last about 12 months. I know that seems a little short, but consider all the features it’s expected to power.
- 42 mm in diameter, 150.36 grams.
- 2 year warranty.
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More Tissot news! While I was scouring Tissot's site for additional information on the Navigator 3000, I came across a new look for the High-T. There's no evidence that anything other than the color of the band has changed, but it certainly makes a dramatic difference. I thought this was an interesting decision since the High-T is intended for a higher-end (read richer), more conservative market while the Swatch Paparazzi has the younger, hipper urban crowd covered (Tissot and Swatch are owned by the same parent company — Swatch Group), but then I remembered that even the T-Touch is available in several different colors, so why not the High-T, as well?
In case you're unfamiliar with the High-T, it's my personal favorite MSN Direct watch at this particular moment. Although I don't actually own one (yet!), I have played with them several times in the past, and they are very impressive. Feature wise, they are pretty comparable to the Swatch Paparazzi, with two important distinctions:
- The High-T has a touch crystal, which means rather than jabbing at the mode button to navigate, you need only gently tap the fine sapphire crystal. I have a T-Touch (which also has a touch crystal), and I love the technology.
- The High-T has a vibrating alert. Personally, I think this is a fantastic feature. MSN Direct watches are big enough and draw enough attention to themselves as it is that they really don't need to be beeping all the time in response to alarms, appointments, news alerts, and instant messages. A subtle vibration is far more preferable, if you ask me.
The only problem with the High-T is that it's not easy to get your hands on. It's not that they are in short supply, but Tissots are not sold in your typical mall jewelry store. You may have to call around a bit and do some additional driving to claim one for your own, but believe it, it's worth it.
