Most watches ask you to read time in the familiar way: find the hour hand, follow the minute hand, and move on. Tachyon takes a more theatrical route. Its Classic model borrows the visual language of a motorsport instrument panel and pairs it with an unusual display: A jumping hour & a retrograde minute hand.
Tachyon isn’t trying to look like another traditional dress, fashion or dive watch. It’s aimed at people who enjoy the connection between cars and watches and want something distinctive.
Inspired by the Instrument panel
Tachyon describes its watches as motorsports / rally inspired, and the Classic makes that theme central to its design. The dial takes cues from Porsche 911 automotive gauges, while the case’s matte black finish gives the watch a technical, purposeful character. The brand says it chose a field-style case to make the watch durable, comfortable and practical, while letting the dial and movement take the spotlight.
Rather than adding racing stripes or a familiar chronograph layout, Tachyon translates the feeling of a tachometer into the way the watch displays time.
A display with a little drama
The Classic’s most striking feature is its combination of jumping hours and retrograde minutes. The hour appears in a window at six o’clock and advances in a single jump at the top of each hour. Meanwhile, the minute hand travels across an arc, then snaps back to its starting point when it reaches the end.
That gives the dial a sense of motion even when the wearer is standing still. It also changes the usual glance at the wrist: instead of tracking a minute hand around a full circle, you watch it progress across a gauge-like scale. The display is unusual, but it’s designed to be read rather than merely admired. Tachyon’s concept puts the minutes front and centre, with the jumping hour providing a quick reference for the hour itself.
An accessible take on an uncommon complication
The Classic is powered by a modified Miyota quartz movement. Tachyon’s published specifications list a 40mm 316L stainless-steel case with black DLC coating, a sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating, 50 metres of water resistance and a three-year battery life. The listed strap is a 20mm leather rally strap.
A young brand with a focused idea!
Tachyon is a small brand built around a specific intersection: automotive design and watchmaking. Rather than trying to serve every kind of collector, it has chosen a recognisable visual theme and a display that supports it.
The result won’t be for everyone. Collectors who prefer conventional hands, a minimalist dial or a mechanical movement may find the design unconventional. But for drivers, motorsport fans and anyone who likes a watch that starts a conversation, that unconventionality is the point!
The Windup verdict
My eldest son recently purchased the Tachyon’s Classic. And being he works in the motor sport industry, I’m the first to admit this watch an imaginative alternative to the usual racing-watch formula.
Its gauge-inspired styling is matched by a jumping-hour and retrograde-minute display, and at just over £200, this becomes a great entry level piece for aspiring watch enthusiasts that also have a love for cars!
If you’re a bit of a petrol head, then Tachyon turns the character of a tachometer into a fresh way to experience time. For a brand with a clear design identity, that’s a promising place to start.
