Imagen: Tissot, web oficial
The storyWhy this reference matters
The Chrono XL is a reissue of nothing. There is no seventies ancestor to salute and no pilots in the back story. aBlogtoWatch covered it as Tissot's 2017 novelty, six variants deep, and its reason to exist was to fill the gap marked "big cheap Swiss chronograph". Back then the market still bought 45 mm cases without blinking. The fashion moved on; the watch stayed, because what it offers still has very little competition.
The interesting part is the electronics. PowerDrive is a technology ETA introduced in 2013 to drive the motors in its quartz chronographs: it can push the hands at more than 200 steps per second, in either direction. On the wrist that means the reset doesn't send the hands crawling all the way round the dial — they take the short way home. It also lets the counters be programmed in different combinations.
That same family of Swiss quartz chronographs has turned up across half the group's catalogue, Tissot to Hamilton, and some people insist it is what ticks inside the MoonSwatch, though neither Omega nor Swatch has ever confirmed it. This is the anonymous plumbing of affordable Swiss watchmaking: nobody puts it in the adverts, but it sits under an enormous number of watches people wear every day.
SpecificationsThe numbers, in one table
| Brand | Tissot |
|---|---|
| Family | Chrono XL |
| Reference | T116.617.16.092.00 |
| Years made | desde 2017 |
| Calibre | Cronógrafo de cuarzo con electrónica PowerDrive de ETA |
| Movement | Cuarzo |
| Frequency | 32.768 Hz |
| Complications | Cronógrafo · Contador de 30 minutos · Contador de 1/10 de segundo · Fecha · Funciones ADD y SPLIT · Indicador de fin de vida de la pila (EOL) |
| Diameter | 45 mm |
| Thickness | 11.02 mm |
| Lug width | 22 mm |
| Case | Acero inoxidable 316L |
| Crystal | Zafiro resistente a los arañazos |
| Water resistance | 100 m (10 bar) |
IdentificationHow to tell it apart
The collection splits into two branches and telling them apart is easy. The Chrono XL Classic wears bare steel; the Chrono XL Vintage gets the same case in PVD. Within the reference, the pair of digits after 617 tracks finish and strap: T116.617.11 comes on a steel bracelet, T116.617.16 — this one — on leather, and anything starting with 3 is a PVD case.
This particular reference is the green dial on a brown cowhide strap embossed with an alligator grain, synthetic-lined, on quick-release bars. The dial mixes Arabic numerals with applied markers, and both hands and markers carry Super-LumiNova.
The measurements are the model's signature: 45 mm across, 11.02 mm thick, 22 mm lugs. The thickness is the surprise, because a 45 mm chronograph normally clears 13. Sapphire crystal and 100 metres of water resistance round it off.
CollectingWhat collectors check
Let's be blunt: this is not a collector's piece and it never will be. It is a mass-produced quartz watch whose value lies in wearing it. What you do get above its price bracket is the sapphire crystal, still unusual at this level, and a genuine 100 metres.
Buying second-hand, check three things. That all three counters snap back to exactly zero on reset, because if they sit off-centre the hands need repositioning and that means a workshop. That the sapphire has no chips around its edge, the part that suffers most on a case this wide. And that the strap still has its original quick-release bars, because 22 mm lugs will take anything, but the quick-release is the convenient bit.
On servicing, don't expect delicate repairs. For this family of quartz calibres ETA publishes electrical tests and hand-fitting, nothing else, because they were never meant to come apart. When the movement fails, it gets replaced. The sensible approach is to treat it as what it is and budget for a battery and gaskets every few years.
Common questionsWhat people ask us about this reference
What movement is in the Tissot Chrono XL?
Tissot describes it as a PowerDrive quartz chronograph and gives no calibre number. Its functions match the ETA G10.212: a 30-minute counter, a 1/10th-second counter, a central 60-second hand and ADD and SPLIT modes.
How long does the Chrono XL battery last?
Tissot doesn't publish a figure for this reference. ETA quotes a theoretical 38 months for the G10.212, the quartz chronograph it shares its functions with. The EOL indicator warns you when the charge is running out.
Is a 45 mm watch too big?
It is big, yes, but the Chrono XL has an advantage: it stands only 11.02 mm tall. A chronograph that wide usually clears 13, so it sits flatter than its diameter makes you fear.
What is the difference between the Chrono XL Classic and the Vintage?
The Classic keeps its 316L steel case bare. The Vintage takes the same case with a PVD coating and a more retro dial: Arabic numerals and straps with an aged look.
Keep readingWhere to go from here
Close relativesThe ones it gets confused with
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