Tissot T-Race Chronograph Review

Look and feel

Tissot T-Race Chronograph is powered by ETA G10.211, a quartz movement known for its reliability, accuracy and durability. As a chronograph watch, it includes a 60-second timer, a 1/10 second timer, and a 30-minute timer. The dial is protected by scratch-resistant sapphire crystal. The stainless steel case is solid and heavy, as you would expect from a sport watch, made to withstand a rough everyday use.

The design of the watch is truly unique. It is a sport watch and you can tell this from the first glance. The bezel with its slanted markings resembles a bike tire (some say it looks more like a motorcycle brake disc), and the two topmost subdials, highlighted in contrast colors, create a vague silhouette of a motorcycle. Another nice detail is the little magnifying glass over the date window, which, truth be told, adds nothing of importance to the functionality of the watch, but looks really cool.

The watch feels robust and heavy and looks very masculine.  With its diameter of 45mm and wide (21 mm) rubber band, it is definitely not designed for people with small wrists. There are 12 color variations available, which makes it easier for everyone to choose their favorite.

Tissot T-Race complements almost any wardrobe, whether casual or formal (although it is not suitable for some of the most formal occasions). It is a great choice for everyday watch; you will feel as comfortable wearing it to the office as to the basketball court. In the later case, however, we would advise against buying the gold-plated model. Not only it will look, well, strange at the gym, but also the PVD coating (since it is not designed for sports watches) may discolour or even peel off.

Tissot T-Race is water resistant for up to 330 feet (100 meters), Although it is not suitable for scuba-diving, it can be used for swimming and snorkeling as well as while bathing. Do not forget, however, to change the silicone gaskets every 12 months. This process would ensure that your watch will be just as water resistant as it was when it came out of the factory.

Functions

The main dial features three subdials and a date window (at 3 o’clock position). What looks like a second hand is actually the 60-second counter hand. The “normal” second hand is located at the 6 o’clock subdial. The other two subdials are located at 10 o’clock (30-minutes counter) and 2 o’clock (1/10 second counter).

All chronograph functions are controlled by the crown (which has three positions) and the two start-stop buttons. Of course, the crown is also used to set the time and date, as with any non-chronograph watch.

The chronograph has five main functions:

RESET – resets all counters. Each counter can be reset individually.

SIMPLE TIMING – used to measure isolated events.

ADD – enables measuring consecutive events without having to reset in between. Each time is added to the previous total.

SPLIT-TIME – enables you to stop the hands to read an intermediate time, without interrupting timing. When you restart, the chronograph hands “catch up” to the ongoing elapsed time.

SPEEDOMETER (TACHOMETER) – Start the simple timing operation and stop it again once you have covered a distance of 1 km. The chronograph hand then points at a numeral on the tachometric scale (the one located on the outer ring of the dial), indicating the speed in km/h.

Specifications

Conclusion

Tissot T-Race Chronograph is an excellent choice for everyday’s watch. It is robust and accurate, it looks cool and it is has a lot of useful functions. Its price ($350 to little over $500, depending on the model) is more than reasonable for a Swiss chronograph. The only drawback is its size – the watch is just too big for people with slender wrists, although this is a matter of everyone’s personal taste.