Touch screen sapphire is cool, I'll admit
By Abby Turner, Melbourne ยท
The T-Touch is the watch for people who want gadgets but still want hands. The sapphire crystal is touch sensitive, so you tap the glass to bring up the compass, altimeter or chronograph, and the hands swing around to show you. It's clever, a bit nerdy, and I like that.
This Connect Solar version adds Bluetooth and solar charging. It's titanium, so it's lighter than it looks, but at 47.6 mm wide and 15.3 mm thick it's a big unit. That's the main thing stopping me. 15.3 mm is thick enough that it'd sit up off my wrist and catch on every sleeve, glove and bed rail.
Good: solar means no battery drama, the titanium won't care about sanitiser, the rubber strap washes clean, 100 m water resistance handles anything I'd throw at it. Bad: it's a lot of watch, the dial is busy, and the touch functions aren't something I'd want to fiddle with while I'm wearing gloves.
US$1,100 to $1,195 is fair for what it does, but I'd rather the Pro Trek for the camping stuff at a quarter of the price.