Ex-Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya and his crew have secured the first Tissot Pit Road Precision award of the new NASCAR season, after his team spent the least amount of time working on his car.
Each member of Montoya’s crew will now receive a luxury Tissot watch, while his team is given a cheque for $5,000 (£3,170).
The award was handed out after the first race of NASCAR 2010, which was held at Florida’s iconic Daytona International Speedway circuit.
Montoya himself is set to be given a Tissot VA Quartz Chronograph watch as recognition of his achievements at Daytona.
The 34-year-old Colombian drove for Formula 1 teams Williams and McLaren between 2001 and 2006, before leaving to sign up to the American racing series.
In total, he competed in 95 grands prix, winning seven times and reaching the podium on 30 occasions, while in NASCAR he has won once – in Mexico City in 2007.
Tissot T-Touch Expert
Just one look at the Tissot T-Touch Expert and your heart may skip a beat, but it is even more fascinating once you put it on. This lightweight watch almost has a hollow feeling, even though it looks very solid. That’s because it is made from titanium, of the strongest yet lightest metals on earth.
Trying it on made me wonder why more watchmakers don’t use titanium in their cases and bracelets… it seems like the perfect metal for making an otherwise cumbersome piece of jewelry seem weightless. But before I get too carried away with the feel of this watch, let’s talk about the coolest part of all – the touch screen.
Tissot makes the “Expert” seem like it would fit right in with Apple’s iPhone and iTouch. By incorporating a large LCD screen that encompasses the bottom third of the dial, the wearer is able to view data while still viewing the hands of the watch. Before long, you will become an “expert” at using the chronograph-style buttons on the side of the case to manipulate all the functions of this amazing watch. The center button is used to activate the “touch mode” or the backlight.
What kind of information can you get from your T-Touch Expert? Well, let’s just say you will stay one step ahead of the weatherman. Tissot includes a barometer, temperature gauge in Fahrenheit and Celsius, and even a “meteo” mode for tracking the rise and fall of atmospheric pressure. Who knows, wearing a T-Touch might even turn you into a storm tracker!
Tissot Watches Celebrates in Vegas
Tissot, who is the official timekeeper and watch for NASCAR, participated in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week this past week in Las Vegas.
Tissot watches were everywhere; the Pit Crew Team received a check for $100,000.00 and specially engraved Tissot T-Touch Expert watches. The next day, part of the weekend-long celebration, the top twelve drivers raced their cars down Las Vegas Boulevard with their new special edition Tissot Le Locle Power Reserve watches on.
However, the drivers were not the only ones to be lucky enough to get a Tissot watch; fans too were rewarded. All along the “strip” that weekend were Tissot Touch Pit Road Girls handing out T-Touch wrist bands with a chance to win watches. “Printed on each wristband were the four Tissot retailers each participating in the give-away. Located inside each retailer was a locked safe containing a Tissot Special Edition NASCAR watch. Fans wearing the wristband were given the chance to unlock the safe and win.” The give-away gave fans a chance to win a total of eight Tissot watches, each worth $525 dollars.
Tissot watches, due to their sporty nature, durable build and precise timekeeping are often used in events like race car driving and motorcycle races.
Tissot has always been on the forefront of watchmaking and technology. They were the first company to implement a tactile touch technology, known as the T-Touch. These Tissot watches have touch-sensitive sapphire glasses and are technologically advanced with barometers and compasses.
Tissot are “still innovating”
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Tissot watches are still as innovative as they were 150 years ago, according to the company’s president
Tissot watches are still at the forefront of industry innovation, according to the company president Francois Thiebaud.
Speaking to the Economic Times, Mr Thiebaud highlighted the importance of innovation to the watch firm’s 150 years of success.
He told the newspaper: “Tissot made the first pocket watch with two times zones. 150 years later, we’re still innovating.
“At any point in time you have to be ready to deliver. In difficult times, even more so.”
The comments come just weeks after the latest innovative limited edition Tissot watch was unveiled in the run up to the start of the MotoGP.
Celebrating another milestone, its ninth year sponsoring the sports championship, Tissot showcased its innovation with the launch of the MotoGP Automatic Chronograph Valijoux.
The MotoGP watch underlined the device’s reliability, however, Mr Thiebaud also recommends that brands “rethink their strategy and reinvent themselves” in the current downturn.