ISLE OF MAN TOURIST TROPHY – 2010 EDITION

13.06.10 Imagine zooming past a 30 mph sign at 200 mph – legally. There is no doubt that the Tourist Trophy is a mad race. It’s about going very fast on very narrow lanes flanked by stone walls and through small Manx villages. The race transforms the sleepy little island into a petrolhead nirvana. Unlike other racetracks which feel a bit manicured, this one is the real thing, the public roads of the Isle of Man. Riders say it’s a bit like going to work on your bike – except going very fast.

Talk to one of those petrolheads and they will tell you about the stresses on the bike, suspension strike through, the shaking and near wipe-outs on the 37 ¾ miles (60.7 km) and its 200 bends, going from sea level to 1,300 ft (396m) and back.

Not surprisingly, the sponsors of this quirky race are equally quirky Anglo-Swiss watchmakersGRAHAM-LONDON who designed the special winners' watch for this occasion.

Eric Loth, founder of GRAHAM-LONDON, is also a keen motor cycle rider: "We like this race because it's historic, it's real, it's mad and it's British and gritty and we want to see it prosper. In the Isle of Man, one can still do one's own thing. Perhaps it's no coincidence that it's also the home of fellow petrolheads Jeremy Clarkson and Nigel Mansell."

THE CHRONOFIGHTER OVERSIZE TOURIST TROPHY
The special edition watch by GRAHAM-LONDON for all 18 winners
in the different categories.

The Chronofighter Oversize Tourist Trophy Bi-compax chronograph, automatic
mechanical movement, Calibre G1734, 27 jewels, 28'800 A/h, Incabloc shock absorber. 30 minutes stopwatch counter in the form of a 30 mph road sign and a sweep seconds hand in the form of the Manx coat of arms, the Triskelion. Super-LumiNova coated hands and markers for night visibility. Date at 7 o'clock for easy reading angle. PVD coated stainless steel case, fast action start-stop lever and non-slip stopwatch-reset button. Domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both faces. See-through case back with TT logo. Limited and numbered edition of 211 pieces.