Swiss watchmaker Tissot has agreed a sponsorship deal with the Tour de France and other cycling events staged by Amaury Sport Organisation.
Tissot has been named the official timekeeper of the Tour for its next five editions, in a deal that will run until 2020. During this period, the company will also sponsor all time trial events run by ASO.
Under the agreement, Tissot will have a presence at such races as the Vuelta a España, Paris-Nice, Paris-Tours and La Flèche Wallone, as well as the Tour de France itself.
Christian Prudhomme, director of the Tour de France, said: “Cycling time trials come down to a few seconds, sometimes even a few milliseconds at certain finish lines. It’s essential to be able to trust a timekeeper that shares the same vision of our sport as ASO; by putting the cyclists’ efforts first and giving them the credit they deserve in the eyes of the public.”
Tissot has been the official timekeeper of the Tour de France in the past, having partnered the race from 1988 to 1992.