Tissot T-Touch review

The Tissot T-Touch has worked hard as consumer-attractor in the windows of high-street jewellers for a while now. But how does it earn its geeky bauble status?

Your average watch lacks the functionality to necessitate a touch-sensitive screen. Not the T-Touch, which packs thermometer, barometer, altimeter and compass widgetry behind its cocktail-party aesthetic. Not to mention a chronograph and alarm.

Never get lost again

Of these wondrous, backwoods activities, the compass wins the ‘wow’ award. Press and hold the ‘T’ button, then touch the compass corner of the screen: the hands spin to form a compass needle, actively pointing north as you spin gaily in circles.

The barometer pressure reading is largely useless to the common man – more useful is that the hands move to either side of the 12 o’clock position to indicate the pressure trend over the past twelve hours. Broadly speaking, an increase in pressure means better weather.

How hot, how high?

No matter what colour you just sprayed yourself, there’s a T-Touch face colour to suit (so long as it’s black, white, blue, orange or carbon). Decent wide hands and clear hour-markers make time-telling child’s play.

Materials to suit all wrists

There’s no second hand, but the minute hand moves in obvious increments if you’re boiling an egg. (Or, if you’re fussy about your eggs, there’s the digital chronograph.) Metal, leather or rubber strap choices should suit all wrists, and titanium construction keeps weight down and pub bragging up.

So it appears that, in the harsh environs of Surrey, the T-Touch is less use than a £10 compass and some Kendal mint cake. But in the urban jungle and the geeky tundra of gadgety minds, the T-Touch goes down a storm. Ergo, we’d hand over the £480+ asking price without a care.