Tissot Supersport Chrono Review: Hands-On Analysis

Tissot and sports have long been in strong correlation and are still to this day.

The Swiss brand that was founded in 1853 in Le Locle, Switzerland, is an official timekeeping partner of the NBA, Moto GP, and Tour de France, among other huge sporting events, saying pretty much everything about the strong relationship between Tissot and the sports. 

Hence, wishing to go for a Tissot sports watch is almost a must for anyone appreciating the luxuriousness of Swiss watchmaking and the beauty of sports. 

In 2020, Tissot launched the Supersport Chrono line, and ever since its introduction, I’ve wanted to get a hold on of one of the watches. Now I’ve fulfilled my desire, and I am the owner of the blue-dialed Tissot.

With this post, I’m bringing you an in-depth review of the Tissot Supersport Chrono blue watch.

This review will give you a better understanding of what this ticker offers, how it functions, and what to bear in mind before buying it. 

If you have never owned a Tissot piece before, we suggest you read our thorough Tissot brand review to get a better understanding of this famous Swiss manufacturer. 

Without further ado, here’s the hands-on Tissot Supersport Chrono review.

Tissot Supersport Chrono: Specs & First Thoughts

First of all, let’s look at the specifications the Tissot Supersport Chrono comes with.

I bought the Tissot Supersport from Amazon for around $350. Of course, it’s not cheap, but considering the high level of quality the brand has shown throughout its existence and also the impressive specs it sports, the price seems to justify itself. 

Furthermore, it’s a Swiss-made piece with a famous Tissot 1853 reveling on the dial that adds its own contribution to the justification of the price. 

Considering the prestige the brand holds, you can’t help but be in awe straight from the beginning. That is, right from receiving the watch box and opening it. 

Mine was a beautiful red and black box that contained a couple of booklets and a signed warranty card. And inside the box was also the impressive Tissot Supersport Chrono that offers plenty to admire. 

The Tissot Supersport Chrono is a tribute to the universal values of rugby. It represents sportsmanship, courage, physical versatility, and the elegance of framed formations. 

Therefore, it’s no wonder you’ll find the watch masculine and dominating while, at the same time, elegant and sophisticated. 

Case

The first and the most eye-catching part of the watch that adds to the masculinity of this Tissot Supersport is its oversized case.

The watch measures 45.5mm in diameter, 11.9mm in height, and 50mm in the lug-to-lug distance, which are quite impressive dimensions for a chronograph. 

My wrist measures 7.3in (18cm) in circumference and 2.7in (6.8cm) in cross-section, meaning the watch takes up quite a lot of real estate. However, since I prefer somewhat larger timepieces anyway, I don’t mind it not one bit. 

The case alternates polished and brushed surfaces, which shows the attention to detail put into perfecting the watch. The outcome is a well-finished high-grade 316L stainless steel case with nice aesthetics and eye-catching construction.    

The construction itself consists of lugs that are a little bit curved, a three-pusher design with crown protectors, and a fixed bezel ring.

The bezel is a tachymeter bezel with numbers going from 60 to 400. The black-colored top is made from aluminum, while the edge comes scalloped. The bezel is fixed and can’t be turned.

Overall, the case looks solid and well-made with no particular disadvantages. I can feel its presence, and it sits pretty well on my medium-sized wrist.

Strap

The watch comes with a 22mm-wide brown leather strap. However, it’s no ordinary strap since it features beautiful light-toned stitching on the edges. The front surface is smooth and is made from embossed cow leather, while the strap back is of synthetic material.

The strap comes with a buckle closure that has Tissot stamped on it. It also features quick-release pins that are always nice to see with leather and rubber bands.
 

When you look at the strap, you can see that it is relatively thick. It is good for the overall durability of the leather as it won’t break as easily as a thin one would. 

However, when a leather strap is thick, it tends to be stiff as well. And that’s what I encountered with my Tissot. 

In the first days, I couldn’t wear the watch for more than half an hour because the leather strap pressed on the sides of my wrist and caused discomfort. Also, due to the stiffness of the leather, it left a significant gap between the watch and my wrist while wearing it.

It took me nearly two weeks of daily try-ons when the leather eventually started to fit my wrist’s contours, and I didn’t feel the discomfort anymore. Now that I have worn the watch for more than a month, I’ve got no problems with it, and it sits just perfectly on my wrist. 

Regardless of the stiffness, the strap is still high-quality and will probably last me much longer than any other leather strap. That’s also the reason why I’ve listed this Tissot Supersport Chrono in my article on the best leather watches. The durability is just so good.

Dial

However, durability is not the onliest attribute describing the Tissot Supersport watch. It’s the elegant masculinity that adds another dimension. And where else to see it if not from the dial.

The blue tone of the face is what determines the watch’s visual appeal. If you like the color, you are going to adore the watch, no doubt about it. That’s precisely what happened to me. 

What makes it even better is that the tone is not just still, but it changes depending on the lighting. At one point, it is dark blue, even leaning towards the black, while on the other, it reflects a sea-blue tint.    

This Tissot is a chronograph, which makes sure the presence of subdials. They are well-placed at the two, six, and ten o’clock and stand lower than the rest of the dial. In fact, the whole dial comes in multiple layers – when moving towards the edges, the dial takes a considerable rise. 

The handset is silver-toned and of decent size, providing top-notch legibility due to the contrast between the hands and the background. I’ve never had any problems reading the time, no matter the reflections I get in the sunlight or the angle I look at it, despite the missing of an anti-reflective coating. 

The date window at the bottom of the dial is also surprisingly easy to capture. However, it would be even better if the numbers were bolder.

The beauty of the dial is protected with a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal on top of it. It is a highly appreciated substance that is almost impossible to scratch, outperforming another widely employed crystal, a mineral, by a mile. 

I have to admit that wearing a sapphire crystal watch for more physical activities is much more soothing than a timepiece with mineral glass, precisely because of its durability. I can rest assured that no scratches will come, and the face will stay unscathed. 

Luminosity

So far, the Tissot Supersport has been on par with my expectations before buying it. And the expectations were high, to be honest. 

However, what really took me by surprise was the strength and longevity of luminosity.

The timepiece features Super-LumiNova afterglow pigments on the hour markers and the watch hands that emit a bluish tone, which suits my taste much better than another widespread tone, green. 

I charged the pigments under a strong LED light for half and hour and placed the Tissot in the darkness for three hours. For comparison, I did the same with my Invicta Pro Diver 8926OB that laid side-by-side with the Tissot watch. The results are visible in the images below.

I did the first image right after the light exposure, the second one after an hour, and the third three hours later.

The two things that stroke me were the strength of the lume straight out of the light exposure and the lasting glow after three hours in total darkness. I didn’t expect much from the luminosity as Tissot is typically not the first in line when it comes to that. Therefore, it’s a nice surprise I really appreciate.

Although, I have to admit the Invicta Pro Diver failed big time, and the comparison might not be, therefore, the most accurate.

I’m pretty sure if I had placed the Tissot Chrono alongside one of the Seiko divers, the outcome would have been totally different. But then again, the Tissot watch is a casual chronograph, not a professional diver. 

Movement

When it comes to watch movements, I’ve always admired automatic calibers for their sophistication and beauty. However, the most significant disadvantage they have is the accuracy. Or, should I say, the inaccuracy.

That is why I’ve always reserved a place for quartz watches in my timepiece collection.

This particular watch runs on a Swiss quartz chronograph movement, called the ETA 10.212. The battery life is around 38 months, which is better than typical quartz watches with a lifetime of about 24-30 months.

Though, the best part with this ETA caliber is still its accuracy. 

I corrected my Tissot to atomic precision right after receiving it. After two weeks of regular wear, it had gained only a second(!). After another two weeks, the deviation was +3 seconds. No words are needed. 

The quartz movement in the Tissot Supersport is super accurate. It’s so accurate that I even corrected my automatic watches based on the Tissot’s time.

A handy extra you’ll find with this watch is the end-of-life indicator (EOL). When the battery starts to run low on energy, the second hand moves once in four seconds, giving you a clear indication that the battery needs replacement.

Chronograph Function

That same ETA 10.212 quartz caliber powers the primary function of the watch, the chronograph. It is an advanced stopwatch with a dedicated second’s hand on the main counter, a 1/10-second precision subdial on the right, and a tachymeter ring.

I rarely find myself using the stopwatch feature. It’s also not why I buy chronographs in the first place. 

What I really like about these kinds of watches is their sporty aesthetics with cool subdial circles and a crowded bezel. And the Tissot Supersport Chrono is a top chronograph watch when it comes to appearance. 

The combination of the black tachymeter bezel and the blue dial is just so mesmerizing and luxurious. And if you top it with the sweeping motion of the 1/10-second’s hand, you’ll have everything you could wish for from a casual chronograph watch.

In terms of operating the feature, there’s nothing difficult to it. The upper pusher starts and stops the chronograph, while the bottom one resets it. The results come in 1/10-second precision and count for up to 30 minutes. 

Pros & Cons of Tissot Supersport Chrono

Now that all the essential information regarding the Tissot Supersport Chrono is presented, it’s time to combine it into an easy-to-read pros and cons comparison table.

The advantages and disadvantages are subjective, which means that some of you may find a particular con to be a pro, and vice versa. However, in broad terms, my views should be in line with the majority of you.

Alternative Options

The blue-faced Tissot Supersport Chrono may not be everyone’s cup of tea. Fortunately, the fairly new line consists of more than ten models you can choose from that all have similar attributes. You can see the full line-up here. 

A similar model to the one we covered is the Tissot Supersport Chrono Black that has a PVD-coated black case and black dial. Also, you can check out the silver version of the same model.

However, if you’re not a fan of leather straps, the brand has two brilliant all-metal versions available. When the Supersport Black strikes with its all-black appearance, the more classic Tissot Chrono comes with a silver-toned bracelet and eye-catching red chronograph hands. 

The specifications are the same for all four alternatives as in the one I reviewed. 

For those who find the Tissot Supersport to be too large, there are options available in the PRS516 collection. The watches measure 42mm in diameter and are more streamlined than the Supersport watches.

Final Take

The Tissot Supersport Chrono is among the best large watches currently available. It comes from renowned Swiss manufacture, features an accurate quartz chronograph caliber, is protected with a sapphire crystal, and looks like a million dollars with its commanding presence.

If your wrists accept the 45.5mm size, don’t hesitate to try it on. However, be ready for the stiff leather strap that will drive you nuts because of its initial discomfort (at least what I experienced). Over time, the leather will gradually become softer and reach a point where you almost don’t feel like you’re wearing the watch at all. 

Compared to other quartz chronograph watches, the Tissot Supersport may seem too expensive. Yes, it does cost more than many Seiko or Citizen chronographs. However, what you’ll be getting is impeccable Swiss quality and the famous Tissot logo stamped on the dial that makes every spent penny worth it.

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