The 2011 Tissot Tradition G15.561 collection offers an elegant appearance, and its retrograde perpetual calendar functionality courtesy of the new ETA G15.561 quartz caliber comes at a more than affordable price.
I am not exactly sure, but it seems that the new ETA G15.561 quartz movement that powers the Retrograde Perpetual Calendar is “ideologically” close to the not-so-old G15.261 retrograde chronograph caliber that was introduced five years ago.
Both movements have similar layouts, and the only visual difference between the two is that in this case the central retrograde hand displays the retrograde date and the chronograph counters at 10 and 2 o’clock are replaced with month and day indicators respectively.
The small seconds sub-dial is still here at six o’clock somehow balancing the whole display.
Being 42 millimeters in diameter, it is a bit larger than a traditional “complication dress watch” is supposed to look like, however, measuring just 11 millimeters from solid bottom to sapphire top, it is still thin and is actually good when it comes to comfort. Well, this is where a quartz caliber will always beat a mechanical one when it comes to inexpensive timekeepers: it is THIN!
Of course, being an “affordable” watch (as far as I understand, Tissot plans to place the MSRP tag below €500 mark, which makes the timekeeper potentially attractive to price-conscious customers,) it offers only a simplified version of the perpetual calendar that lacks a leap-year functionality.*
It means that you will have to manually correct its reading once in four years on February, 29. That’s the bad news.
Well, the good news is that this inexpensive watch comes in a stylish case with a nice silvered dial with a fine guilloche pattern, applied hour markers, and even polished dauphine-shaped hour and minute hands.
If you have nothing against the brand in particular and quartz watches in general, this may be a good choice if you need a dressy watch that would look good with your rented tuxedo.
Tissot plans to sell the timekeeper at a price of around $450 (local taxes may add to this sum, though.)
See also: Tissot Seastar 1000 Automatic Chronograph
*UPDATE: Well, it seems that the original info that we have received on this timekeeper was fundamentally wrong: the watch DOES have a leap year functionality, which makes it a “true” perpetual calendar. Our apologies both to our readers and to Tissot as well. The MSRP is indeed set at $450.
Photos: Tissot
Tissot Tradition G15.561 Quartz Perpetual Calendar specification
Price: $450
Movement: Quartz, Caliber ETA G15.561, Swiss Made
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds; perpetual calendar with retrograde date, day of week and month
Case: Stainless steel
Shape: Round
Size: 42.00
Lug width: 20 mm
Height: 11.00 mm
Dial: Silvered
Hands: Steel
Water resistance: 30 meters
Strap: Leather strap with butterfly clasp (ref. T063.637.16.037.00, pictured) or a stainless steel bracelet with butterfly clasp with push-buttons
Crystal: Sapphire
Back: Solid