A FINE VINTAGE
Tissot’s new Heritage Porto watches stand out with their retro-look attires and their Art Nouveau style inspired by the eponymous Portuguese city’s famous bridge.
Although the Portuguese city is famous for its wine, the arch architecture of its Dom-Luis Bridge is also an internationally-recognized reference. Back in the 1910s, it inspired the design of a cambered-contoured, tonneau-shaped case created by Tissot. These Art Nouveau-infused lines are now reproduced in the new version of the Heritage Porto model, unveiled for the first time in 2001. The highly-contemporary 42.5 mm x 31.1 mm dimensions of this case, proposed in polished steel with brushed rose gold PVD around the case-middle, invite time data to reign in a rather airy space. Pear-shaped hands hover delicately over an hour chapter composed of numerals embracing a superbly-arabesque-style typography, a harmony of upstroke and downstroke subtlety. The dial adorns opaline white, black or a sunray-brushed silvery finish to ensure perfect readability.
The entry-level version is driven by a precise quartz movement. A variation, which also features the small seconds at 6 o’clock, hosts a hand-wound ETA 7001 caliber. This piece offers a power reserve of 45 hours once the watch is fully wound. Irrespective of the motor inside, the watch is never more than 10.47 mm thick.
The multiple versions of the Heritage Porto are complemented by a brown or black leather strap boasting crocodile embossing, attached by a butterfly clasp. The strap is retained by articulated lugs to offer the wearer optimal comfort and to perfectly embrace all wrists.
Price from EUR470 www.tissotwatches.com
By Dan Diaconu