Timepieces made for speed and endurance. When every second counts, every detail matters.
Turismo Watch Co. is a new, independent British micro brand watch company.
Turismo’s founders – Quentin Thomas and Andy Grelak, share a love and respect for friendship, good food, fine wine, their iconic boy hood racing driver heroes, and of course beautiful watches.
As they succinctly put it – they are simply two grown up boys, who revel in the thrill of motor sport from the 1960s, 70s and 80s, when heroes were tested like never before and never again.
Turismo watches are inspired and informed by two simple passions: The battle that is man and machine and the beauty of a finely crafted timepiece.
“The arrow of time has only one direction. A Turismo timepiece uniquely expresses both the measurement of time, as well as the ability to travel, and in doing so to create new memories.”
Perhaps nowhere are these two measures most elementally presented than in motor sport.
Coach built, sourcing parts from Switzerland, the UK and Italy, Turismo watches are a new and distinct expression of imagination and individuality that have been scrutinized to not only ensure the finest quality, but to deliver the Turismo mantra ‘When every second counts every detail matters.’
Turismo have uniquely taken the head turning and iconic motor sport and GT liveries of the period, such as Martini Racing, Ecurie Ecosse, Gulf, John Player Special and Marlboro to inspire the dial and strap colour palette.
As Quentin puts it -
“Whether a personal memory, the June midnight sky at Mulsanne, or the jaw dropping legend that is the powder blue Gulf GT40, our custom-made dials and hands, draw deep inspiration from those paint schemes
that shaped our motor sport memories”.
Turismo may be rooted in friendship and fun, but the founders have engineered a watch created in the very best traditions of British coach building, as well as a brand that evokes memories of distant motor sport battles and yet, it is also a brand cogent of its place in the present. – Uniquely, for each purchase, the business funds the planting of eight trees to carbon off set the average distance travelled by a competitor at the Le Mans 24 Hours race.
It’s a small step – but one which the Turismo team believes recognises the fundamental link between both preserving the environment and creating physical heirlooms for future generations.
New models are in the pipeline for later this year and the team aspire to have a mechanical piece in the portfolio by 2023.
TURISMO WATCH CO.
WATCH TECH SPEC
‘Racing is life. Anything that happens before or after is just waiting.’ Steve McQueen
The inaugural model “Tertre Rouge” from new British watch micro brand Turismo Watch Co., pays homage to arguably the greatest of all man and machine spectacles.
Their new to market Turismo ‘Tertre Rouge’, carries the name of the legendary corner on the Circuit de la Sarthe, that annually hosts the 24 Heures du Mans - The “Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency”.
Tertre Rouge refers to the colour of the terroir at this critical mid speed right hand curve, that leads towards the first stretch of the Mulsanne, and the wider theme of colour plays an important role in the new brands’ ethos, its designs being inspired by motor sport liveries from the 1960s and 70s.
True to this spirit, the Turismo Tertre Rouge has been meticulously crafted and is a perfect balance of form and function.
Whilst the team at Turismo share a passion to coach build the finest possible item, they recognise that even the most beautiful watch depends upon being set into motion by a reliable drive.
The precision of Swiss movements is legendary.
The Turismo Tertre Rouge specifies a Ronda sourced, 91 pieces, Swiss made, gold plated, 10 jewel, analogue quartz movement – A simple, but reliable movement, which powers many of the world’s most prestigious
brands.
The bi-compax chronograph, with hacking system, has an add and split function, 30-minute counter, small second and date window.
Complaint to both the ISO 1413 horology shock resistance and the ISO 764 horology magnetic resistance standards, the drive operates in temperatures of up to 50 degrees Celsius, with an accuracy of - 10 > + 20
seconds per month.
SPECIFICATIONS
Case Dimensions
42.5 mm diameter, 12mm depth, 50 mm lug to lug, 20 mm lug width.
Case weight without strap 0.062 kg.
Case Material
316 L low carbon chromium - nickel - molybdenum austenitic stainless steel.
To the rear, the case is finished with a mirror polished screw down back, etched with the Turismo emblem and serial number.
Dial
A bi-compax layout chronograph, finished in a unique gloss Le Mans midnight blue.
The dial is framed by an impression of a classic Nardi steering wheel, finished in Mercedes-Benz ‘Silver Arrows’, which delicately traces the chapter ring and encompasses the two-hand installed, concentrically
turned and recessed sub dials. The hour indexes are finished in Jaguar ‘Primrose Yellow’
Hands
Bespoke, syringe style, ‘French yellow’ hour and minute hands, with cathedral Swiss LumiNovaTM in fill, are complemented by a unique ‘full course yellow’ chrono second hand with ‘Lola White’ Turismo emblem and
Gulf Racing orange sub dial indicators. Glass
Sapphire coated K1 mineral crystal is specified. This combination offers both greater shatter resistance than sapphire crystal and enhanced scratch resistance versus traditional mineral glass.
Water Resistant
100M / 10 ATM.
Strap
The watch strap is so much more than simply an accessory, it is a ‘function critical’ component that significantly impacts horological ‘deportment’.
Turismo’s insistence upon only the very best being specified for the first and last thing you touch every day on your watch, led us to the finest British artisan leather worker, Ottely of Chalford, that we could find. Only the very finest leathers, sourced from the best tanneries in the world are used, combined with traditional and modern leather working techniques creating items of timeless elegance.
The colour palettes reference motor racing greats such as the legendary Ecurie Ecosse team, Vanwall and Gulf.
An Italian 316 L polished stainless steel tang buckle and discreet embossed logo to the strap complete the picture.
