What makes a great cycling watch? Tissot pairs up with Italian cycling legends Pinarello to find out
Tom AustinIn the wonderfully diverse world of watch collecting, you’ll find all sorts of people, and with that come the many passions that sit alongside watches. Inevitably, those worlds begin to overlap, sometimes in interesting ways. Some pairings feel obvious. If you love swimming, for example, you’re spoiled for choice with dive watches. But if your idea of fun happens on land, or more specifically on two wheels, the options become a little more niche, though no less compelling.
Tissot is no stranger to life on two wheels. The brand has served as the official timekeeper for MotoGP and World Superbikes for decades, firmly embedding itself in the world of elite motorcycle racing, complete with a dedicated collection to match. Its connection to cycling runs just as deep, having supported major events like the Tour de France and La Vuelta for over 50 years. And yet, despite that long-standing involvement, Tissot has never truly developed a watch purpose-built with cycling in mind, until now.
If any brand is well placed to do it, it’s Tissot. For 2026, it shifts focus and partners with Pinarello, the legendary Italian bicycle manufacturer, to explore what a purpose-built cycling watch could look like. By drawing directly on Pinarello’s design language and manufacturing philosophy, the new Tissot Pinarello Special Edition emerges as a standalone model that experiments with materials and case architecture, capturing the essence of both brands while remaining a genuinely useful cycling companion.
The case
What makes a great cycling watch? Well, material choice is a great place to start, and who better to turn to for help than a company that knows how to make great bicycles? For this special edition, Tissot hasn’t just partnered with Pinarello to aimlessly share logo space on the dial; this runs much deeper. The 42mm case is machined from a solid piece of forged carbon fibre, similar to the methods used in the famous PRX and the reintroduced Sideral from 2023, but this time, using the same carbon fibre material found in Pinarello’s high-performance frames. Using carbon fibre gives the case an undeniable weight saving without compromising strength, resulting in a lightweight, comfortable fit on the wrist while riding, especially given its 12.15mm thickness.
Then there’s the case design itself. Unlike any other Tissot I can think of, the asymmetric layout allows the crown to sit unusually at 10 o’clock, meaning that no matter which wrist you wear it on, the crown won’t dig into your hand or wrist when your hands are placed on a set of handlebars. It’s quite a thoughtful consideration and combines a protruding crown guard reminiscent of Pinarello’s asymmetrical Fork Flap design, a functional, aerodynamic feature first introduced on its mid-2010s Dogma platforms and derived from its Bolide time trial bikes.
The watch clearly remains a tool watch at heart, with a steel exhibition case back at the rear and a domed sapphire crystal up front, both of which allow for 100-metre water resistance. The case’s low profile means it sits comfortably, and, with the carbon fibre being so lightweight, it pretty much disappears when worn, in the best way possible.
The dial
You might think that the Pinarello Special Edition can be used specifically to time stages or climbs, etc., with a chronograph-style setup; however, that’s not really where the functionality lies for this model. It’s a pure three-hander with a date function, and legibility at a glance has been made a priority. The dark grey of the dial features a grained textured inner disc, inspired by asphalt, which, as far as textures go, is relatively boring, but for a watch dial, it works great. The outer minute track sits on a contrasting smooth ring that follows the crystal’s radius, giving the dial some dimensionality and depth against the crystal’s surface.
On the inner disc, there’s a much tighter minute track, which is so small it is quite difficult to read, but it does lean into the watch’s sporty intentions. Nevertheless, the overall legibility is excellent thanks to the black-nickel-finished applied indices, paired with groove-faceted hands, all filled with your finest Swiss Super-LumiNova. Finally, the connection with Pinarello is made abundantly clear with the contrasting “Borealis”-coloured seconds hand, finished shaped with Pinarello’s “P” as the counterweight.
The movement
It seems that each new Tissot watch we introduce has a Powermatic 80 movement, and the watch reviewer in me would usually choose to be critical of this. However, there’s a good reason it appears so frequently: it’s simply the ideal movement for the watch, so why wouldn’t they use it? It offers a no-nonsense approach to timekeeping: excellent accuracy, solid dependability, and a significant 80-hour power reserve, all at a value-driven level without compromising on the things that matter.
It gives the wearer the full experience of wearing an automatic mechanical movement, with all the performance it needs, and some, without blowing the budget. Alongside that, it’s COSC-certified and comes equipped with a Nivachron balance spring for improved accuracy and resistance to magnetic fields, something quite important in a watch with a high-tech composite case.
The strap
Tissot and Pinarello wanted to ensure the Pinarello Special Edition remained versatile while still being designed for a specific job, and they have included some straps that do just that. Equipped with quick-release spring bars, the watch comes fitted to a technical, high-performance rubber strap, which is integrated into the lug’s design, and has a fine-textured chequered finish; perfect for riding. Alternatively, the watch arrives with a secondary handcrafted Italian leather strap, complete with blue detail stitching.
Finally, the watch arrives in a special Pinarello collector’s box, and should you feel inclined, Pinarello have even crafted a special edition bike to mark the occasion, allowing the watch and bike to be bought as a complete collectors’ set by hardcore Pinarello fans, of which there are several.
The verdict
Brands often go to great lengths to market special-edition collaborations, and all too often, the connection between the two brands gets lost in translation, confusing both prospective customers and fans about why it happened at all. This partnership between Swiss watch and cycling legends makes a lot of sense, given Tissot’s long-standing involvement in competitive cycling.
It’s clear that a lot of thought went into the overall design, rather than just making a carbon-fibre version of one of Tissot’s catalogue pieces and popping a Pinarello logo on it. Both brands have gone to considerable lengths to ensure the design philosophies of both companies are well translated, and the result is a pretty cool-looking watch that’s not only very functional for cyclists but also unusual and characterful enough to appeal to non-cyclists, too.
Tissot Pinarello Special Edition pricing and availability
The Tissot Pinarello Special Edition is available now from Tissot boutiques. Price: €1,495/US$1,775/AU$2,625
| Brand | Tissot x Pinarello |
| Model | Pinarello Special Edition |
| Reference | T162.408.97.061.000 |
| Case Dimensions | 42mm (D) x 12.15mm (T) x 48mm (LTL |
| Case Material | Forged carbon fibre |
| Water Resistance | 100 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Domed sapphire |
| Dial | Grained dark grey textured, Pinarello “P” on seconds hand |
| Straps | Technical black rubber strap, Italian leather strap with blue detail stitching |
| Movement | Powermatic 80, automatic |
| Power Reserve | 80 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds, date |
| Availability | Now |
| Price | €1,495/US$1,775/AU$2,625 |