Tissot has loved sport since 1938, the year in which the manufacture developed its first high-tech time-measuring instruments for sporting events. In addition to being responsible for the official timing of the Ice Hockey Worlds, Rugby Top 14, the National Basketball Association (NBA) or the Tour de France, the house of the Swatch Group has also been timing MotoGP races since 2001.
A partnership that leads Tissot – in collaboration with the company Swiss Timing – to develop high-tech information systems in order to give the exact classification of MotoGP riders at the finish line. The speeds are such – up to over 350 km/h in a straight line – that the time of pocket chronometry seems a long way off.
Thus, it is no longer the timekeeper who indicates the time of the riders at the checkpoint but the racing cars themselves, the motorcycles being equipped with a transponder. The latter signals its time at each passage via a cable buried in the asphalt without forgetting other information such as engine temperature, battery life or charge level.
In addition, Tissot also places transmitters, antennas, cameras and a camera on the finish line in thorny cases where it is difficult to determine precisely which driver crossed the line first. These devices therefore take the famous “photo-finish” – like the Tissot timing booths on the Tour de France – which allows to designate the winner.
Tissot and MotoGP celebrated their alliance again last March, at the first Tissot Grand Prix of 2023, which took place at the Portimao circuit in Portugal. “Since 2001, our two brands have worked hand-in-hand to deliver new and better experiences for fans around the world. Motorcycles pass and the gaps can be so small that a thousandth of a second can change everything. Tissot continues to ensure that timekeeping is done with precision and, in return, MotoGP is a source of inspiration for the watches. Like the drivers, Tissot is driven by its passion and dedication to the sport, and we look forward to this exciting new season,” said Sylvain Dolla, CEO of Tissot, on the occasion of the resumption of the world championship. dominated for the time being by the Italian Marco Bezzecchi ahead of his compatriot Francesco Bagnaia and the Frenchman Johann Zarco.
This season will be full of surprises for the watchmaker, which has announced the arrival within its ranks of a new ambassador in the person of transalpine prodigy Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team). The latter will unfortunately not take the handlebars of his machine on Sunday April 16 in Austin for the MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas, recovering from a fractured shoulder blade suffered during a fall in the Tissot Sprint race of the GP of Portugal. This new format is also the great novelty of this year. An event intended to revitalize the discipline while offering a new experience to fans and which will take place on Saturday afternoon over a distance corresponding to approximately 50% of that of the race on Sunday.
Finally, and to seal these 22 years as official timekeeper, Tissot has lifted the veil on the new T-Race MotoGP 2023 reference. An unprecedented watch that smells of the circuits and limited to 8,000 pieces. This chronograph version, entirely redesigned by the Tissot teams to stick as closely as possible to MotoGP DNA, offers an ultra-sporty look that should delight lovers of motorsport and traditional watchmaking. This racing beast is therefore adorned with a round 45 mm diameter steel case with black PVD coating as well as a bezel featuring a brake disc. The pushers evoke the handlebars of racing machines while the engine cooling fins are represented on the sides of the case. The carbon black dial contrasts with dazzling red details like the numerals, a nod to the drivers’ numbers for an accentuated Racing style. Finally, a quartz chronograph movement animates the watch which is delivered on a red rubber strap and in an exclusive helmet case. Tissot T-Race MotoGP Chronograph 2023 Limited Edition, 725 euros.