Sailors need different information than divers, and the Sailing-Touch is one of the few watches designed around that fact. Presented by Tissot at Baselworld 2010, it takes the tactile T-Touch platform and adds tools you actually use on the water: a regatta countdown for the starting gun, a tide calculator, a compass and a barometer to watch the weather build.

Everything is controlled through the sapphire crystal. Activate the touch mode with the crown, tap the zone for the function you want, and the analog hands and digital display work together to give the reading. The regatta timer counts down through the start sequence, while the compass and barometric trend help with navigation and planning. Back on land, the perpetual calendar, alarm, chronograph and second time zone make it just as useful.

The 45mm brushed steel case is broad but not tall, and the black rubber strap with folding clasp is the right choice for spray and salt. Club racers, weekend cruisers and anyone who spends summers near a marina will understand it immediately.

Sailing-Touch 45mm Details: Reference T056.420.27.051.00

• Case: brushed stainless steel, 45mm, approximately 13.5mm thick
• Dial: black with stick hour markers and luminous hands plus LCD display
• Crystal: scratch-resistant sapphire with touch zones
• Movement: Swiss ETA analog-digital quartz, caliber E48.331
• Sailing tools: regatta countdown, tide calculation, compass, barometer
• Additional functions: chronograph, alarm, perpetual calendar, dual time, backlight
• Strap: black rubber with folding clasp
• Water resistance: 100 meters (330 feet)

A purpose-built regatta companion from Tissot’s touch collection.