Tissot Alpine On Board Automatic Chronograph, attached to the infotainment screen.
Why do many car enthusiasts also love watches? Well, both are powered by engines (movements for timepieces). They are also admired for aesthetics, and the engineering skill it took to put them together.
But among all watches, enthusiasts love chronographs the best because of their connection to motorsports. The ability to measure elapsed time in minutes as well as seconds is important in racing.
So chronographs look cool on your wrist. But what if you could use one as a lap timer?
DETACH & ATTACH
That’s exactly what Tissot has created with the Alpine On Board range of timepieces. These watches pay tribute to the relationship between Swiss watchmaker Tissot and French sports car manufacturer Alpine.
The cases of the Automatic Chronograph and quartz models can be detached from the watch’s body and attached to a special mount in the Alpine A110.
No magnets are involved. Tissot Alpine On Board timepieces use a twist and lock mechanism to detach/attach the timepiece to the car.
You’ll need a special bracket, though, which isn’t cheap. According to Alpine distributor Wearnes Automotive, it will cost between $800 and $900.
The Tissot Alpine On Board Automatic Chronograph. The piston-shaped pushers and second hand with the Alpine “A” logo are clearly visible.
COOL DETAILS
There are piston-shaped pushers that operate the chrono functions and a second hand with the Alpine “A” logo. The dial is reminiscent of the meters in Alpine Berlinette models of the 1960s and 1970s.
Meanwhile, the holes in the perforated leather strap are inspired by the ones on the steering wheel spokes in old racecars. The Tissot Alpine On Board Automatic has a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal caseback that shows the movement in action.
Tissot Alpine On Board quartz. Simpler, but not totally bereft of nifty details.
MOVEMENTS
The Tissot Alpine On Board Automatic Chronograph is powered by the Valjoux A05.H31. This 27-jewel self-winding movement has a 60-hour power reserve.
The quartz version has a three-jewel ETA F07.111 movement. It utilises a Renata 371 battery.
BODIES
The Tissot Alpine On Board timepieces have 316L stainless steel bodies. As they are meant to be mounted on the dash, the dials are a sizeable 45mm in diameter.
Both Automatic and quartz dials are covered in scratch-resistant sapphire crystal, which has an anti-reflective coating.
The Chronograph is more complicated than the quartz, so it has a 16.59mm thick case, versus 10.55mm for the quartz. Both timepieces are water-resistant to 100m.
The Tissot Alpine On Board Automatic Chronograph has a sapphire crystal caseback.
LOCAL PRICING
The Automatic Chronograph is priced at $2880, while the quartz model retails for $680.
Both timepieces have a two-year warranty.
