Tissot T-Touch Connect Sport Review: A Modern Take on an Old Classic, But Does It Need To?
Tissot’s T-Touch technology, first introduced in 1999, revolutionized the traditional watch world with its touch-sensitive sapphire crystal. It offered a unique way to interact with digital watch features like a thermometer, barometer, and compass. However, in today’s world of ubiquitous touchscreens and smartwatches, the T-Touch technology has lost some of its novelty. While Tissot could have opted to simply follow the trend of touchscreen smartwatches, they instead decided to introduce activity-tracking features to their quartz-powered T-Touch lineup. This culminated in the latest release, the T-Touch Connect Sport. But is this modern-day T-Touch a worthy competitor in the competitive smartwatch market? Let’s dive into the details to find out.
Tissot Connect Sport Review: Design and Specifications – A Unique Blend of New and Old
The Tissot T-Touch Connect Sport stands out from the crowd with its hybrid watch layout, blending the familiar rotating watch hands with a small capsule-shaped display for accessing advanced functions. This display stays off most of the time, making the watch look like a classic timepiece until it lights up on receiving a notification.
- Case Size: 43mm
- Case Material: Titanium, Ceramic
- Durability: 5 bar (50m) water resistant
The watch’s sporty design is further emphasized by its titanium case, available in both natural and color-matched finishes. The numbered bezel is crafted from ceramic, while the sapphire crystal protects the touch-sensitive display. The price tag, starting at Rs. 97,000 for the basic model with a silicone strap, might seem high, but Tissot justifies it with the use of premium hypoallergenic titanium and the 50-meter water resistance.
The two pushers on the right side, while visually reminiscent of a chronograph, are not customizable and are dedicated to interacting with the Sw-ALPS software. However, their deep tactile travel contributes to the premium feel of the watch.
The silicone strap, replaceable with metal bracelets or other quick-release straps, feels comfortable and breathable. While the design is excellent, a slightly larger 46-47mm case size would have been preferable for some users.
Tissot Connect Sport Review: Display – Small is Never Better
The T-Touch Connect Sport’s display, measuring just two centimeters across, is surprisingly readable in all lighting conditions. It sits within a small capsule shape in the dial, surrounded by the photovoltaic cells, and wakes up when you press either pusher. The design ensures that the hands move out of the way to reveal the display, and the minute hand perfectly aligns with the exact second when the display deactivates, a detail that watch enthusiasts will appreciate.
- Display Type: AMOLED
- Protection: Sapphire Crystal
Tissot Connect Sport Review: Software and Companion App – Confusingly Minimalist
Unlike the older T-Touch Connect Solar, which relied on the intuitive touch-sensitive bezel for navigation, the Connect Sport adopts more typical smartwatch gestures, including swipes and taps.
- Companion App Platforms: Android, iOS, Harmony OS
- Watch Software: Swiss Low Power Operating System (Sw-ALPS)
The Sw-ALPS interface is minimalist, offering a limited set of functions accessed through swiping gestures. You navigate through the main watch face, which displays the date, day, and step counter, to various widgets for daily goal tracking, exercise modes, notifications, toggles, and watch functions.
While swiping gestures are intuitive, the need to switch between touch gestures and physical button presses with limited functionality can become cumbersome for multitasking. Setting a timer, for example, requires a string of actions, potentially spanning over a minute. Moreover, the display shuts off after 30 seconds, forcing you to reactivate the watch to check the timer.
The T-Connect companion app, however, is remarkably simple and user-friendly, mirroring the watch’s minimalist approach. It features a dashboard with customizable widgets, step tracking, activity history, profile management, and the ability to set up timezones, alarms, and notifications.
While the lack of app support in the Sw-ALPS interface, you can rely on the companion app for managing most of the watch’s features. The minimalist interface, however, makes it difficult for the watch to perform simple tasks like multitasking.
Tissot Connect Sport Review: Performance – It Just Works
The T-Touch Connect Sport is not designed for serious fitness enthusiasts, offering basic activity tracking with limited features. It accurately tracks steps and provides real-time updates during activities, but its lack of advanced features becomes apparent.
- Sensors: Heart rate monitor, accelerometer
- GPS: None (uses smartphone’s GPS)
- Storage: None
The watch lacks built-in GPS, requiring you to carry your smartphone for location tracking during workouts. Additionally, it doesn’t allow music control, a common feature even in basic fitness bands. The focus is on walking, running, cycling, and hiking, for which it offers adequate tracking capabilities.
Other features often found in smartwatches at this price point, like continuous heart rate monitoring, SpO2 monitoring, sleep tracking, and ECG readings, are absent in the T-Touch Connect Sport.
Tissot Connect Sport Review: Battery – Impressive
Given the limited functionality, the T-Touch Connect Sport relies on a 110mAh rechargeable battery, which powers both the quartz movement and the solar-powered functions.
- Battery Capacity: 110mAh
- Charging Adapter: Magnetic (2-pin)
Tissot claims a six-month battery life with regular solar charging for 35 minutes a day. While the watch doesn’t support auto-health monitoring, its minimal features and solar charging capability contribute to its impressive battery life. Even during extensive use in non-ideal lighting conditions, the battery drain was negligible.
Tissot T-Touch Connect Sport Verdict
The Tissot T-Touch Connect Sport represents an interesting attempt to bridge the gap between classic watches and modern smartwatches. It offers a unique blend of design elements and features, but its minimalist software and limited functionality limit its appeal.
While it surpasses its predecessor in terms of features, it lags behind other hybrid smartwatches at its price point, offering less functionality and advanced health tracking.
The T-Touch Connect Sport is ideal for those seeking a classic timepiece with basic activity tracking and notification capabilities. However, it falls short in providing the comprehensive experience expected from smartwatches in today’s market. Users might find themselves better served by other hybrid smartwatches with more features and functionality.
