A shocking price for such quality! Check out the amazing new Tissot Chemin des Tourelles

Tissot has redesigned its Chemin des Tourelles collection. This collection is a classic watch named after a street in Le Locle, a place the company is familiar with. This time, we'll be taking a closer look at the actual watch, examining every last detail and exploring the true value of Tissot, which is often praised for its excellent value for money.

Find out why it's the best value for money

　Tissot boasts the largest shipment volume of finished products among all Swiss watch brands and is loved by people all over the world. The company's popularity is due to its watchmaking roots, which dates back to 1853, its rich history, its adoption of the latest technology within the Swatch Group, and its friendly pricing.

　In a word, it means "excellent cost performance." However, the term "cost performance" tends to be used a little too conveniently.

　While cost can be compared quantitatively, it is difficult to quantify performance, and it is possible to use a product without specific explanations. Surely it is only by getting into the details and touching on the appeal of each and every one of them that we can truly discuss cost performance?

　Meanwhile, Tissot's Chemin des Tourelles collection has been renewed, and we had the opportunity to get our hands on the actual watch before its release.

　The name of the collection comes from the name of the street in Le Locle where Tissot established its workshop in 1907. The company's headquarters are still located there, and the Chemin des Tourelles (a narrow street with a small tower) that runs halfway around the building is a historic path that the company's artisans have walked for over 100 years.

　This collection, with such an endearing name, is the perfect place to explore the charm of Tissot. This time, we would like to share with you the overflowing charm that is contained within this latest work.

Test 1: Good appearance, good substance

　First, let's take a look at the dial, which is the face of the watch. The new Chemin des Tourelles comes with a wide variety of dials, with three types available, each with a different finish.

　One has a sunray-finished center and a Clous de Paris pattern on the outer periphery, the second has a sunray-finished dial on the entire surface, and the third has a mother-of-pearl center and a sunray-finished outer periphery.

　All of them have a classical appearance, but the model with the Clous de Paris decoration and four Roman numerals is particularly appealing. Combined with a sunray finish, it adds a sense of sharpness to the simple dial. The Clous de Paris decoration itself has a sharp finish, demonstrating the high level of precision in its processing.

　This decoration not only pleases the wearer's eyes, but also serves a practical purpose by scattering light, highlighting the contours of the indexes and improving visibility.

　For those who prefer a simpler design, a dial with a full sunray finish would be suitable. The appearance changes depending on the angle, revealing new charms every time you look at the dial. The beam of light that spreads freely from the center to the periphery can only be enjoyed with a full sunray finish on the dial.

　Recently, many brands have been adding various colored dials to their lineups, but colors like anthracite and gray are gradually becoming the norm. These nuanced colors, which have a sporty feel similar to black but also an elegant impression, are often combined with a sunray finish. In such cases, if care is not taken in the treatment of the indexes and hands, they will be overwhelmed by the brightness of the dial and visibility will be significantly impaired.

　The Chemin des Tourelles lineup also includes a model with a sunray-finished gray dial, but the thin bar indexes and alpha-shaped hands are not coated with luminous material, a combination that seems to be at a disadvantage in terms of legibility.

　However, on the actual watch, each index and even the tip of the hands were clearly visible. Looking closely, we could see that the faceted tops of the indexes and half of the hands were satin-finished, which reduced light reflection and improved visibility.

　The dot-type minute markers, which are likely press-molded, are slightly conical when viewed under magnification, and do not appear to be lost in the dial. The watch has a classic design, so if the minute markers were printed, the dial would have looked unsophisticated.

　However, the choice to omit the minute markers must have been made because this model is positioned as a practical watch that can read the time in one-minute increments.

　If it is a practical device, it is essential to check the specifications. In the case of a wristwatch, the movement, which is the heart of the watch, greatly influences its specifications.

　The latest model is equipped with the Powermatic 80 movement, which is based on the Caliber 2824-2 from ETA, a movement manufacturer in the Swatch Group, the same group as Tissot. The original Caliber 2824 was released in 1971. This means that the Powermatic 80 boasts solid reliability based on feedback from half a century of actual use.

　The balance spring of the Powermatic 80 is made of Nivachron, an alloy developed by Nivarox, a subsidiary of the Swatch Group. This alloy offers significantly improved resistance to magnetism and temperature changes compared to Nivarox, the most commonly used balance spring material.

　In addition, by reducing the balance frequency to 21,600 vibrations per hour (6 vibrations per second), a long power reserve of approximately 80 hours has been achieved. The balance itself is a free-sprung type without a regulator, which should theoretically improve shock resistance. There is no particular decoration on the baseplate or bridge, but there are no noticeable cutting marks. Above all, the price tag makes it difficult to ask for more.