Tissot is reaching back into their archives for the release of a new chronograph inspired by the brand?s racing heritage. The suitably named Tissot Heritage 1973 Chronograph is a modern take on the Tissot Navigator, a distinctly ’70s chrono with a big cushion case and bright orange accents on a panda dial. This new version, while certainly not a replica of the original, takes the best elements of the 1973 version and updates them for the modern consumer.
First, Tissot slightly upsized the case. The Navigator came in at 39mm, and the Heritage measures 43mm. With a cushion style case though, you may find that the watch wears smaller than advertised since the lugs are very short and don?t significantly increase the watch?s footprint.

Vintage Tissot Navigator from the ’70s. Image courtesy of @thejames80.
The next significant change is the dial layout. The Heritage sports a familiar three register design with a love-it-or-hate-it date window at 4:30 (I?m fine with it, given the color matching to the dial and the fact that a racing inspired sports watch can stand to have a design element slightly askew). The Navigator, on the other hand, had a wildly unsymmetrical two register layout, with subdials at 9:00 and 6:00, and date indicator at 3:00. Fairly unusual to say the least, and I think Tissot improved on the original in terms of the dial design, but then again I?m a stickler for symmetry.

What remains from the Navigator" Well, the panda dial, for o...