THE SPEED OF THE PAST
The history of the brand from Le Locle is closely linked to car racing, especially through its partnership with Kessel Racing since 2017 and now the re-release of an updated chronograph from the 1970s.
The good thing about having a long history, like Tissot (founded in 1853, 166 years ago, to be precise), is first of all the rich archives on hand to give you inspiration, and second the chance to forge lasting links outside of watchmaking. All this can be seen in the new Heritage Navigator 1973, a re-released chronograph. It is a celebration of the past, the future and the partnership between the watchmaker from Le Locle and the Kessel Racing team, set up by Loris Kessel (1950-2010), the Swiss driver Tissot sponsored from 1976 to 1979.
As its name suggests, the Heritage Navigator 1973 is based on a watch from the 1970s. The 43mm-wide and 14.8mm-thick cushion-style case is topped with a flat crystal. The watch is watertight down to 100m and features two mushroom-style monopushers to start, stop and reset the chronograph function, as well as a corrector at 10 o’clock for the date. The watch houses the self-winding Valjoux 7753 calibre, running at 4hz and providing a power reserve of 46 hours.
The ivory dial is encircled by a black chapter ring, including a tachymetric scale. Two black, baton-shaped hands are coated in lume and show the hours and minutes in the centre, while the seconds are displayed in one of the three black counters, at 9 o’clock. The chronograph function includes the seconds in the centre and the minutes and hours in sub-dials at 3 and 6 o’clock, respectively.
This limited edition of 1,973 watches comes with a perforated black calf’s leather strap with a steel folding clasp.
Price not available www.tissotwatches.com
By Sharmila Bertin