Torgoen Swiss Watches are primarily
pilot's watches. Aviation is at the very heart of the company and
underlies every product they make. So when they asked me what watch I
wanted to review most, I chose the T18 chronograph, a watch inspired by
auto racing. Why, you may ask, did I request an automobile themed watch
from an aviation watch company? Two reasons, really. The first is
because as loyal Time Bum readers know, I love cars. That part is easy.
The second, is because I believe an aviation watch company is
particularly well suited to make auto racing watches. That second part
will probably take some explanation. Let me start with a story.
Innes Ireland was a Scottish Formula
1 driver in the 1960s, and one of the great personalities of the sport.
After he retired from racing, he became an automotive journalist. I
came to know of him by reading his coverage of Formula One for Road
& Track in the late 1980's. Shortly after his death in 1993, I read
this anecdote. The author happened to be covering the Grand Prix of
Monaco along with Ireland, and before the start of the race, they
stopped for a drink at an establishment overlooking the course. When the
waitress brought them plastic cups, Ireland asked her for a proper
glass. She told him she could not provide one because of safety
concerns. All drinks had to be served in plastic for fear that someone
would throw it onto the track. As the story goes, Ireland fixed her in a
steely glare and said, "Madam, I was a Formula One pilot. I do not throw glass on the track."
I remember this (I use "remember"
loosely. If anyone can direct me to its source, I would be forever
grateful.) not only for the passing of real barware at racing events,
but for Ireland's emphatic use of the word "pilot" to describe his
profession. It is a term used more frequently in England than in
America, but it struck me as having for more gravity than "driver."
Buses have drivers, trucks have drivers, even horse drawn carriages have
drivers, but none of those things comes remotely close to the
experience of operating a race car at speed. I have been lucky enough to
awkwardly hustle around a track a few times, and let me tell you, when
you climb into a purpose built race car, you had better pilot that
beast, not just take it for a drive. The folks at Torgoen get this. They
have sponsored young drivers in the feeder series for both American
IndyCar and European Formula One, and they understand the connections
between the disciplines of motor sports and flight. The Swiss made T18
chronograph was inspired by Torgoen's 2012 sponsorship of Team Pelfrey
in the US Star Mazda Series (now Pro Mazda), part of the Mazda Road to
Indy ladder system.
The
T18 has an ETA G10.211 4 jewel quartz movement. This is the same
robust, highly accurate unit used in the Tissot V8 and other watches by
the Swatch Group. It is a two button chronograph with 30 minute and 1/10
second sub-dials and a small seconds register at 6 o'clock. The primary
sweep hand operates in the chronograph mode. The pushers operate
smoothly and smartly reset the hands. Split time functionality is
achieved by simply depressing the lower pusher to stop the first timing
and start the second without resetting.
There
are several different color variants in the T18 range, with two
distinct dial layouts. One uses oversize numerals at 12, 3, 6, and 9
that are cut away by the sub dials, and a colored band from 55 to 15
that resembles a tachometer redline. The other uses smaller, angular
numerals and a bar on the small seconds dial, also recalling a dashboard
instrument. For this review, Torgoen provided a T18301, with the small
numerals and linear style small seconds dial. Although this function
looks like a horizontal indicator at first glance, it is actually a
conventional dial.
The
huge 40mm dial is intricate and multi-layered. A carbon fiber pattern
provides the foundation. The 30 minute and 1/10 second sub dials are
recessed with applied frames and decorative screw heads that mimic the
instruments in a race car. The sub dial indexes are white, and their
hands are red needles. A white on black date window sits at 4 o'clock. A
white chapter index is printed on an angled ring with cut outs for the
four raised orange hour numerals, which appear to float above the dial.
The orange skeleton sword hands and orange-tipped second hand complete
the effect. The
face is dense, yet still highly legible, and all that orange is
luminescent. It provides excellent nighttime visibility and looks
particularly cool on the skeleton hands.
The
case is stainless steel with a matte black ionic coating, which should
hold up exceptionally well if my experience with a black model T10 is
any guide. It measures 44mm in diameter, excluding crown, crown guards,
and pushers, and 14mm thick. Lug-to-lug height is 52mm, the physical
limit of my 6.5" wrist. In spite of its size, it wears comfortably,
aided in part by the slight curvature of the case, creating an arc that
hugs the wrist. It has a flat mineral crystal and a screw-in case back
that is polished and etched with the image of a single-prop airplane.
The pushers are plain but the crown is textured and decorated with the
Torgoen "T".
A tough 24mm polyurethane strap secures the watch. It has curved ends, a raised center, and "TOR" "GOEN" in raised letters on each half. A
square 20mm buckle engraved with the Torgoen brand holds it all
together. The strap is a little long, but still fits my 6.5" wrist, and
was quite comfortable. The supplied strap on the T18301 is black, and a fantastic lurid orange comes on the T18303. The
synthetic strap is water and chemical resistant, and thus a good choice
for pit lane, but I would opt for one of Torgoen's Italian leather
straps with contrasting stitching. For all of the practical advantages
of a rubber, latex, or poly strap, I'll take leather every time. One
note of warning: the supplied strap is a very snug fit to the case,
which looks great, but it makes it difficult to reinstall once it has
been removed.
On
the wrist, the watch has significant presence, both by virtue of its
size and its bold design. It is most definitely a sport watch and it
commands attention. For all its detail, it still manages to appear
purposeful. The black dial, case and strap keep it grounded, allowing
the orange to pop without looking fussy or garish. The black and orange
reminds me of the aircraft inspired "cockpit" lighting of a BMW
dashboard. Aircraft... Automobile... Aircraft... It all comes back
around. The carbon fiber and skeleton hands are just plain fun.
With
a suggested retail of $570, it approaches the high end for a quartz,
although ETA movements do tend to command a premium. I would also like
to see a sapphire crystal at this price point. For comparison, the G10
powered Tissot V8 range runs between $375 - $495, but Time Bum readers
know better than to accept full retail without a bit of shopping first,
and a cursory search yielded T18s for as little as $265, which makes the
watch even more appealing.
If you want a fun, sporty chronograph with a bold, racing style, you would do well to check out the Torgoen T18.
Pro: Fun, functional, well made.
Con: A sapphire crystal would have been nice.
Sum: For racing pilots and racetrack bums alike.
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