ReviewEnduring Cycles Of Time: Presenting The 2024 Tissot PR100 Tour De France And La Vuelta a España Special Edition Timepieces
With a clear indication to its purpose, the new Tissot PR100 Tour de France and the Tissot PR100 La Vuelta a España timepieces celebrate two cross-country cycling races across France and Spain, and the brand’s enduring association with the sport
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For many years, Tissot have been official timekeepers of the Tour de France cross-country cycling race, and the La Vuelta a España (which translates to lap or tour of Spain), the Spanish equivalent of the iconic French cycling competition. To celebrate this enduring partnership, Le Locle-based watchmaking brand released the Tissot PR100 Tour De France and the Tissot PR100 La Vuelta a España timepieces, with multiple references to these defining races across two European countries. The most striking reference visible on the dial of both timepieces is the seconds hand shaped distinctively like a cycle, in yellow to coincide with Tour de France hues, or red for the La Vuelta a España. The grained dial itself is a nod to the tarmac that follows cyclists across these countries, while the closed casebacks have a logo of each respective tour engraved on them. Both chronograph timepieces display a clear indication of the sport they are associated with, and yet the watches have a wider, everyday appeal, with their 100m water resistance rating.
Time Cycles And Tissot
Tissot have a long-standing association with the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), that organises 20 cycling races including the Tour de France, La Vuelta a España, and others. As official timekeepers, the watchmaking brand are responsible for much more than timing the one thousandth of a second difference between two riders for the photo finish of a race. Incidentally, this is made possible with the help of transponders fitted within bike frames, which capture 10,000 images per second for the photo finish. Tissot also monitor breakdowns and penalties, and track the ever-changing positions during a race. Their systems consist of 8-15 timekeepers that precisely monitor every rider’s position and speed. This is then shared across multiple platforms so fans of the sport can track these tours.
T-Race Cycling Collection: Tissot PR100 Tour De France
Over the years, Tissot have released many a watch inspired by and dedicated to the Tour de France and La Vuelta. These latest releases, too, are the brand’s ode to the races. The 40mm case of the Tissot PR100 Tour de France timepiece is crafted from sturdy 316L stainless steel, and features a closed steel caseback with an engraved logo of the Tour de France.
The 100m water resistance rating on this timepiece makes the watch versatile and suitable for everyday wear. This versatility is enhanced further by a three-link steel bracelet with a brushed finish, and an additional dual-hued perforated bi-material rubber and leather strap in yellow and black, featuring a bicycle handlebar grip texture. These cool straps can be interchanged easily without the use of any additional tools.
Unlike most earlier versions of the timepiece, this 2024 release makes for a comfortable accessory because of its extremely wearable and ergonomic 40mm case size, with a versatility and robustness facilitate daily wear and tear. Powering the watch is the G10.212 chronograph quartz movement ensuring precision.
Tissot PR100 Tour De France: Winning Hues As Dial Accents
On the periphery of the dial is a smooth minute track which frames the grained asphalt-like finish on the dial. A contrasting circular grained finish decorates three sub-dials housing the chronograph recorders and small seconds, with numerals and markers in grey. A discreet date window sits between the applied hour markers at 4.30, with white numerals against a black background. Highlights in yellow pop out against contrasting black textures on the dial of the PR100 Tour de France. A central yellow chronograph hand with one end shaped like a bicycle matches the yellowed hands on the chronograph counters at three and nine o’clock. This is the yellow of the Tour de France, and of the jersey awarded to the winner. In comparison, central timekeeping hands and the small seconds hand at six o’clock match the finish of the case, clearly distinguishing the watch’s two functions related to timekeeping and timing the cycling race.
Tissot PR100 La Vuelta A España
While the Tissot PR100 La Vuelta timepiece mirrors the Tissot PR100 Tour de France watch, on the dial of the former, accents in colour—the central chronograph seconds hand and those on the two chronograph recorders—stand out in red, to match the theme colours of the Spanish race. Even on the bi-material strap of the Tissot PR100 La Vuelta watch, underlying red accents complement those on the dial.
The Everyday Watch: Tissot PR100 Chronographs
Besides these special cycling editions, even the Tissot PR100 Chronograph makes for a great everyday-friendly watch. Alternating polished and brushed finishes decorate the 40mm steel case and matching bracelet, and the watch offers a water resistance of 100 metres. On the sunray brushed dial in various hues, a date window at 4.30 stands out with the numeral in black against a white background. Powered by a quartz movement, these chronographs offer enhanced accuracy and robustness well suited to daily use.