Many “jersey” changes have occurred in the 2017 MotoGP, and this means that the starting grid is getting more and more interesting by the minute and that teams have been reshaped quite drastically. Iannone and Vinales have changed team but, of all the changes that have occurred lately, Jorge Lorenzo’s move from Yamaha to Ducati has certainly been the most striking surprise of them all and the change that has attracted the greatest attention from the audience, both because of the challenge that is awaiting the five-time-world-champion and because of the money invested by Ducati, who aims at winning the world championship in the next two years.
I was in Misano in 2015 and, on that occasion, I participated in the pre-race press conference, where Tissot usually awards the pilots, who have reached the pole position in each of the three classes of the MotoGP. The Tissot T-Race is the watch of the MotoGP itself; one of the favorite sports watches by motorcyclists. In 2015, a limited edition dedicated to driver Kentucky Kid (aka Nicky Hayden, who has now moved to the Superbike category) was released and this edition is still available nowadays. Tissot, however, is also Jorge Lorenzo’s personal sponsor and to him, and to his new adventure in the Ducati team, the manufacturer dedicated the Tissot T-Race Jorge Lorenzo 2017.
The Tissot T-Race Jorge Lorenzo 2017 does not bring anything new to the features that made the T-Race a watch loved by sports chronographs’ enthusiasts (especially bikers), despite the fact that the timepiece has grown significantly on different levels. It is large, because its case measures 45.25mm, and it has been crafted to be best used on a daily basis in different situations; the stainless steel case has undergone a gray and black PVD treatment chosen to protect the watch from accidental shocks and scratches and to give it a high-tech look at the same time.
The color fits well with the style of the bezel inspired by the geometry of motorcycles’ brake discs and, thanks to the PVD treatment, it reminds us of the color of carbon brake disks – rather than steel ones – that are used by many drivers on MotoGP prototype motorcycles. A characteristic of the T-Race is its protection bridge aimed at shielding the crown, applied to the case through two Allen screws, and including a magnifier for the date applied to the flat sapphire crystal.
On the bottom of the case lies the “Por Fuera” logo that is the driver’s race number (number 99) that is topped by small devil horns. On the most outer ring is an engraving of the identification number of the specimen (a figure included between 1 and 2017). The case is completed by a silicone strap with colors that remind us of the red (and white) colors of the Ducati team and the rain-carved tire texture alike.
The strap is attached to the case through mobile lugs that remind me of the hollowed (and lightened) handlebars of sports motorbikes. The choice of silicone instead of rubber is quite an interesting one: silicone is way softer than rubber and its choice is probably due to the fact that the T-Race is quite light and is equipped with a quartz caliber. The total weight of this timepiece is 118 grams despite its stainless steel case and its folding clasp with a double push button.
The caliber allows the user to time 30 chronograph minutes and tenth of a second; the chronograph seconds are located in the middle. There are also two quite uncommon functions that you need to take a look at and that could only be deployed on such an evolved quartz caliber like Tissot’s; the ADD and SPLIT functions. The former function allows the user to time consecutive events without having to restart the chronograph, while the second function is the quartz version of a rattrapante chronograp, but (obviously) without the double hand of a mechanical timepiece.
The user can stop the chronograph to read any intermediate time, and once the chronograph has been restarted, all the chronograph measurements will move to the indicator of the total time that has passed by since the first start. The dial is beautiful and quite detailed; it has evolved quite a lot if compared to the previous editions of the Tissot T-Race 2016 still in the catalog. The dial is a hybrid combination between a dial with a classic V-display of the counters and a sports chronograph.
The Tissot T-Race Jorge Lorenzo 2017 is a true sports chronograph; it is very personal and therefore its liking will depend on your personal taste, its design, however, will give its owner a tool to easily measure the time during track races. The timepiece retails at € 830, and is available in three additional versions; two versions are dedicated to the MotoGP category (quartz and automatic), while the other three versions are dedicated to Moto 2 rider Thomas Luthi and two former MotoGP racers that have now joined Honda in the Superbike category respectively; Nicky Hayden and Stephan Bradl.
(Photo credit: Horbiter®)
Gaetano C @Horbiter®
@Gaetano Cimmino
