SHIFTING UP GEARS!

Fans of cycling and the Tour de France can now enjoy all the atmosphere of their favourite sport embodied in these new watches.

Tissot again became the official chronometer of the Tour de France in 2016 (editor’s note: as it was between 1988 and 1992), and has taken inspiration from the world of this great popular race to launch a collection of T-Race Cycling models. A lot of details in these chronographs recall the distinctive elements of a bike. So the internal bezel on the dial and the aluminium tachymetric scale represent a tyre mounted on a carbon rim. The chronograph monopushers recall brake levers, and the silicon strap and the space between the lugs look like a bicycle fork. The case back displays an engraving of the chain wheels on derailleur gears. What’s more, the watch is available in a wide range of sparkling two-colour tones evoking champion cyclists’ outfits.

The watch is not powered by pedals or a chain, but by a Swiss-made quartz movement providing all the precision needed to display the time information and the date. The calibre is housed in a 44.5mm-wide steel case with a black and grey PVD coating and with carbon fibre.

Split-time measurements are made and displayed in the traditional way. The wide hour and minute hands move around a dial designed to evoke asphalt. The T-Race Cycling is a very light watch, weighing no more than 90 grams, so can be worn on a mountain climb in the Alps or during your Sunday ride through the forest.

Price: 480 EUR www.tissotwatches.com

By Dan Diaconu