Tissot T-Navigator 3000 T-Touch Review

[neutron]

I'm heading out of the country this summer around two weeks of vacation... and we all know that's a great excuse for a travel watch. So I started looking for a multi-timezone quartz watch with alarm and a steel bracelet; something decent, not too cheap, that I would be proud to wear on vacation or not.

After some chasing I settled on the Tissot T-Navigator because it had the features I was looking for in the price range I was looking for ($300 to $500 street price; $625 MSRP). I'd never seen one in person, but I figured a Swiss-made watch with a temperature-compensated ETA quartz movement should be a worthy addition. I found it for $387.50 at Jomashop.com, model T96-1-488-42 (blue face; also available in black for around $30 less).

My first impression when I received it was that Tissot probably spent half the watch's asking price on the box. It is a super-nice looking rig. But my awe and amazement ended as soon as I took the watch out – it's a lightweight with a cheap bracelet and a crudely-made case.

Nonetheless, I sized the watch and put it on. Another disappointment: The bracelet has sharp edges and makes this the second most uncomfortable watch I have ever worn. The bracelet and case on my $99 Orient Mako is far nicer and I'm not afraid it's going to have a spontaneous disconnect when I'm running through an airport.

Still nonetheless, I adjusted the time on the watch and explored the features. I really like the functions the watch offers. The hands are driven by a step motor, so when you select a function (by touching the crystal) the hands point to an indicator on the bezel to tell you what mode it's in. When you select a new time zone, the hands flutter around to show the time in that zone.

The little LCD panel has dimmable LED illumination and offers a myriad of display configurations and can show you the time, date, time zone, combination of seconds and day/date, etc. In this regard the watch is super. The alarm beeper is surprisingly loud considering it's contained within a steel case. The "low" beep is strong enough to make the watch vibrate noticeably. You can have the time zone displayed with the default city names or enter your own name manually.

Right now I'm wrestling with the fact that I paid almost $400 for a neat watch that can be outmatched by a $70 Casio and in my opinion, far less of a value than a comparably priced Swatch stepmotor watch.

Plus:

·Nice looking rig with great functions for those wanting an alarm/timezone watch with analog hands.
·ETA quartz movement with (as far as I could find) less than 12 seconds of drift per year.

Minus:

·Crappy bracelet
·Cheap construction
·Expensive
·Cheap hardware removes any panache this watch might have to the non-WIS

Misc:

·Uses common CR2032 lithium coin cell (2 year life rating).
·50 ATM water resistance; instructions say it is not permissible to use watch functions while wet.

Verdict:

For what I paid for the Tissot I can get another (better) watch, a set of tires for my car and a steak dinner.

[CSV]

You're review helped me from purchasing a mistake, thanks!

[mo1689]

You're review helped me from purchasing a mistake, thanks!

^^Same here!!

[ajack]

Excellent review, that's the reason why I should read many reviews before choosing right watch for my own

[g-mac]

I was thinking of buying this watch....anyone own it and like it?

[eqdok2007]

I was thinking of buying this watch....anyone own it and like it?

I have one with the same metal bracelet as the above review. I like my Tissot T-Navigator and use it all the time when I travel. A couple of points.

First the minuses:

• My opinion of the metal bracelet is not as bad as the above review. My best description of the bracelet is "functional." It has a diver style fold-down clasp, so I'm not worried about it popping open while running in an airport. I don't notice any particularly sharp edges. That said, it has a cheap "clinky" feel to it. You can switch to a NATO or leather strap if it bothers you enough.
• The case body is also nothing to shout about - large metal case, coin edge bezel is non-turning. Case back is very wide and easily scratched. Pretty plain.
• The case (at around 42mm+) is large enough that when I bend my wrist, I accidentally activate the watch crown switch.

What I really like about it:

• World Timer function is easily the best I have used. The touch dial interface is extremely intuitive. You can pre-set 5 different time-zones (you can set your watch to any time zone, the settings here are just quick sets). You can simply switch to any of the pre-set time zones as soon as you land.
• Two alarms that you can set with several different alarm tunes. Believe me, if you are a busy traveler with appointments to meet, you need all the alarms you can get. As with time switching, setting the alarm with the T-Touch interface is super easy and simple.
• Very subtle back lamp - useful. You'll miss it when you wear a watch without illumination.
• Chronograph and Timer function. Date function also (tied to time zone changes).
• Extremely accurate. Haven't set for over 2 years and it's still telling the correct time to the minute according to my PC clock. Several Casio G-shocks in my collection has drifted over 5-10 mins in the same period.

So -

Minus:
Cheap feeling/looking. (becomes a plus if you wander into an iffy place and don't want to attract attention).
Useless when wet - touch screen becomes unreliable when wet.

Plus:
Easily the best world traveler watch I have used - intuitive touch screen interface.
Easily set alarm clock function.
Extremely accurate

Conclusion:
Expensive? Not really IMHO. I have the cheaper Seiko Sportura SNJ011P1. I don't have to fiddle with buttons (and remember the correct sequence of button presses) to switch time zones. Everything is done with a few simple swipes on the touch screen dial interface. Super simple. Well worth the price.

If you want the luxury look/feel in a travel watch, invest in a Rolex or Omega GMT. For a fully functional world traveling watch - I'll be using my Tissot T-Navigator.

[por44]

IMO: the quality of the stainless bracelet tells much about the overall quality of the watch