Tissot has just released their new look, and revitalised Chemin des Tourelles range of watches, names after the town in Le Locle where the brand first set up shop on Le Chemin des Tourelles in 1907. Tissot is breathing new life into this eternal design, with subtle refinements, and an upgraded movement.
The Chemin des Tourelles is an evergreen classic in the Tissot line up, elegant, refined and good looking watches that are designed to symbolise life’s great achievements. This newly revitalised range comes in a wide variety of sizes and colours to suit most people’s tastes. Here at Watch Advice, we’ve had the pleasure of going hands on with several of the watches in the collection, and will be releasing a Hands On Review in a couple of weeks time, so stay tuned for this.
The new Chemin des Tourelles will be available in three cases sizes, measuring 34mm, 39mm or 42mm. Similarly, it will appear with either an all-steel, rose gold PVD or steel and rose gold PVD bi-colour finish, with a variety of dial and strap colours. The watches will also be offered with metal bracelet options, and for those who like classic to be classical, there will be a choice of versions featuring Roman numerals on a Clous de Paris dial motif. For those who like simplicity, the models with baton indices will cater to those needs.
Whilst the look of the Chemin des Tourelles remains fairly similar to the previous range, Tissot has upgraded each model to the new Nivachron Powermatic 80 movement. This Swiss Made automatic calibre brings a number of benefits, including an 80-hour power reserve and increased resistance to magnetism via the Titanium based alloy in the balance spring.
Another new addition to each model in the collection, which I will touch on in the upcoming Hands On Review, is the quick change spring bar mechanism on both the leather straps and steel bracelets. Whilst not as refined as some brands quick change mechanisms, these are easy to use, and also gives the ability to add custom straps with standard spring bars should the owner wish to.
The hero feature across the collection is the dial. Tissot have designed some stunning colour variations – deep blue, slate grey, silver, white, ivory and green sunray finished and a ladies model with Mother of Pearl at the centre. This gives potential owners a vast array of colours and styles to suit their needs, not to mention the three sizes of 34mm, 39mm and 42mm.
Tissot have gone one step further with their dial design, allowing the dial, indices, minute and seconds hand to curve at the edges to follow the curvature of the domed sapphire crystal. Whilst not noticeable at first, looking closer you can see this, in an almost optical illusion. Just another way Tissot have given some new life to the collection.
The cases are finished in a combination of brushed and polished steel, with relatively short lugs, allowing the satination and polishing to continue through, giving the watches a nice three dimensional effect, and combined with the polished fixed bezel, adds to the classic look the Chemin des Tourelles is known for.
Specification:
- Cases: 34mm / 39mm / 42mm.
- Thickness: 10.5mm / 11.2mm / 11.3mm
- Case Material: Stainless steel, rose gold PVD or bi-colour case Polished and satin-finish details
- Dial: Black, white, blue, silver or ivory lacquered dial options, or mother-of-pearl dial. Hours, minutes, seconds and date indications
- Crystal: Sapphire crystal, scratch resistant with anti-reflective coating
- Water resistance: 50m / 5bar
- Movement: Tissot Powermatic 80.111 with 23 Jewels and Nivachron Balance Spring
- Power reserve: 80 Hours
- Strap/Bracelet Options: Range of leather straps, five-link brushed and polished stainless steel bracelet or five link brushed and polished bi-colour bracelet
