Time + tide
Let’s face it. Not many sports have yet to be linked to horology in any way. Tennis, for example, has long and deeply connected to making watches, as well as the famous Swiss brand with the logo crown chose the best sport to become its ambassador. However, they often wear regular production models and are not specifically designed with the sport in mind. (I feel that other brands are doing a better job with it.) And, as you’re trying to see in HTD tennis sports, you can argue that micro/indie brands are even better at making theme-specific watches.
case
This is just the second collection we’ve seen from HTD so far, but the brand seems to have a clear trend to create timekeeping devices with thin, elongated stainless steel bodies, as they are seen in tennis sports as they become thinner and thinner and thinner. With a diameter of 37mm and a lug-to-lug 44mm, this model is extremely comfortable due to its thin profile and the fact that the mid-case/lug segment bends down. Although it is probably not easy in the photo, the fixed bezel has a concave profile that slopes towards the midcase and completely flat on top of it, making the case refined.
Furthermore, the superiority of the sophisticated surfaces on the top section and sides of the case contributes to minimizing the visual wrist print of the watch, and thanks to its reasonable dimensions, tennis sports feel light on the wrist even when worn on steel bracelets. Surprisingly, it is probably 100 meters water resistant thanks to its under-screw crown and caseback, making it the perfect sports watch. Even though tennis is rarely played while it’s raining, you never know when you need extra water resistance! The crown is on the smaller side (5.7mm diameter), but is easy to use thanks to well-machined knurling, and the main advantage of its small profile is that it doesn’t dig into the wrist while breaking the ball with strength!
Dial
The dial comes with a quick classic design. Baton markers in most places doubled at 12:00, except for three large tennis ball-shaped markers, 3, 6, and 9. All markers are made up of multiple layers of BGW9 Super Luminova (total thickness 0.4mm), which doubles as a light source for nighttime readability and look white during the daytime for daytime readability. All markers are surrounded by a thin black line to pop from the matte green dial, which comes with a tennis ball-like texture. In other words, it is made of felt that covers the pressurized rubber core of the bounce object.
Another subtle nod to tennis is one and an 11 o’clock marker and a “+” and “-” between the fine tracks of the railroad with signs when you score or lose points. The latter is very small and easy to overlook, but fun, an adjective that fully explains what HTD tennis sports are. The rest of the dial finds a rounded baton-style hour and minute hand and a hand-shaped second hand with all three fully polished. In addition to this “Elba” green color, HTD also offers cement (blue) and terrarossa (orange) tennis sports. This means that all three materials tennis courts can be created. Surprisingly, there is no yellow version that would have been made to connect directly to felt tennis balls.
bracelet
HTD Tennis Sports ships to 3-link stainless steel bracelets, 20mm wide with lugs, taper up to 16mm with double-pusher deployment clasp. The latter is thin and light, and comes with 4-point fine adjustments. The link is held together with the screws and there are no quick release spring bars or drilling lugs. I think I’ll guarantee that the bracelet won’t fall off while competing in the French Open.
Movement
Finally, the HTD is the perfect choice for creating thin sports watches as we chose the Miyota 9039 caliber, a premium move from a Japanese brand known for being thin and reliable. The tick of 9039 at 28,800 bph (4Hz) quickly lists an accuracy of -10/+30 seconds, but generally tends to run with a single digit daily deviation. This caliber also comes with a 42-hour power reserve.
HTD tennis sports price and availability
All versions of HTD tennis sports are available immediately from the brand’s website that is delivered straight away. Price: 678.69 euros/$1,194
Brand HTD Model Tennis Sports Elba (Same as Test) Case Dimensions 37mm(d) x 9mm
Created in collaboration with HTD. However, the opinions expressed in this article are our own in accordance with the editorial policy.
