Here are some early images of the upcoming Tissot Sea-Touch, also known as the Tissot Atlan-T. No matter the name, it will be the next version of the very popular T-Touch line of tactile operation watches from Swatch Group’s own Tissot brand. In 2000 when the T-Touch line up came out I was instantly in love with the line. The techie good looks reminded me of a Swiss G-Shock style timepiece. What is so cool about the watch is the touch screen interface. You activate the touch receptive sapphire crystal and then tap the area’s function you wish. The readout is a combination of analog hands and a small LCD screen. I never got one of the original Tissot T-Touch watches, or the Navigator, or the Trekking, but I did eventually get a Tissot T-Touch Expert, which is their latest and greatest model with an updated movement that has more functionality and a slightly larger screen. Look for a detailed Tissot T-Touch Expert watch review on aBlogtoRead.com soon.
Tissot recently announced the Sea-Touch line, which will be a more diver friendly line of T-Touch watches. Early concepts of this watch also bore the name Atlan-T, so we will have to see what name Tissot ends up going with (probably Sea-Touch). The styling of the Sea-Touch is wildly different than the futuristic compass like looks of the standard T-Touch line, there is also some different functionality. Swatch took the ETA E48.351 movement of the Tissot T-Touch Expert and modified it to make the ETA E48.301 for the Sea-Touch. The main difference being the removal of the barometer and altimeter, and replacing it with a underwater depth gauge and diving log meter. The new features will indicate three pieces of information useful to a diver including, instant depth, dive duration and a variometer indicating the speed of descent and resurfacing. Good stuff to have, but perhaps not as useful if you don’t plan on diving too often.
The Sea-Touch looks really sharp, with standout arrow hands, and a strongly angular case. It looks like Tissot opted for a steel body construction as opposed to Titanium which has been a favorite on recent T-Touch watches (actually the watch will likely be available in both steel and titanium). The bracelet now looks like a hybrid between that of the T-Touch and a Rolex Submariner, with a slightly less angular look. It also has a lot of styling from the Tissot Sea Star diving watch. The Watch itself is very “tall,” but that makes sense given all that goes into it. Notice the open area near the back of the case. This is where the internal sensors have access to the elements. Despite this opening, the Sea-Touch is a true diver with 100 meters of watch resistance. The dial and bezel look very “instrumental.” I can tell they are made for function, though I haven’t studied the manual, so i can’t comment on that too much more. This is an interesting step for Tissot that has made wonderful gadget watches, which the Sea-Touch falls in line with. I’ve always felt that the T-Touch line had a limited but strong appeal. Meaning that you either love them a lot, or think they are childish looking. I happen to realize they are sometimes a bit much, but I still love them. I just wouldn’t recommend them for a board meeting. Nonetheless, I can’t wait to see my first Tissot Sea-Touch watch soon!
See Tissot T-Touch and related watches on eBay here.
See Tissot watches on Amazon here.
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