2 Tissot Watches

Tissot Watches - A Watchmaking Legacy Guided by the ‘Signs of Time’

The rich heritage of Tissot watchmaking has its roots in the small town of Le Locle nestled in the picturesque Swiss Jura mountains. In 1853, Charles-Émile Tissot and his father Charles-Félicien Tissot created the brand in their hometown in Switzerland but soon realised that the valuable watchmaking skills of the locals could easily be lost. So, to take the craft beyond Le Locle, Charles-Émile started promoting the creation of watchmaking schools which, eventually, spread the word of his expertise and put the brand on the international stage. As Tissot gained prominence beyond the borders of its home country, the reliable pocket watches and the first ladies’ watches of 1853 gave way to more innovations. The first logo of Tissot was formally registered in the year 1880. This registration took place after the first Swiss Trademark Protection Act was passed. Subsequently, the brand’s illustrious evolution paved the way for revolutionising novelty, precision timekeeping, and luxury.

A Timeline Of Redefining Elite Luxury

While Tissot’s reliable pocket watches were highly appreciated, the brand was also one of the first to create wristwatches. With the ushering in of 19th-century fashion, the watches that Tissot created for women underwent significant evolution. The richly decorated Tissot pendant watches became so acclaimed that the star of the time, Sarah Bernhardt, sported one at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1900. 

In the following years, Tissot created watches for all ages, tastes, and occasions with a particular focus on the ‘woman of today.’ It designed timepieces decorated with precious diamonds, gold and rich crystals. Tissot also has watch collections which are well-received for their endurance - suited for the adventurous lifestyle. The brand gained global recognition with celebrities like the Queen Elisabeth of Belgium and singer Carmen Miranda flaunting the Tissot watches on their wrists. The Russian royalty was quite the admirer of the brand and special requests were made from the Czar’s court. 

Tissot - A Heritage of Innovation And Endurance

Despite the Russian Revolution and its aftermath, Tissot was able to leverage its resources and keep their watchmaking factory running, while producing all watch parts internally. With electricity becoming part of daily life in the late 1920s, the precision of magnetic watches went for a toss. However, Tissot brought about a revolution by creating the world’s first non-magnetic wristwatch in 1930. These watches were assembled with unique equipment that corroborated the watches’ non-magnetic properties.

Providing an innovative solution to the magnetisation problem was the start of Tissot’s venture into marvellous horological breakthroughs. For instance, the Powermatic 80 movement is driven by wrist motion and boasts 80 hours of power reserve with accurate time-telling. Then there is the Swissmatic movement, a marvel of watchmaking that enables Tissot to craft meticulous timepieces with up to 72 hours of power reserve. What’s more, Tissot’s mechanical movements comprising an intricate lattice of 100 finely manufactured parts lend utmost accuracy to time regulation. 

Taking innovation a step further, Tissot introduced the NivachronTM balance spring, a titanium-based alloy resistant to magnetic fields. The sophisticated NivachronTM technology was developed in 2018 by Swiss luxury watch manufacturer Audemars Piguet in alliance with the Swatch Group, Tissot’s holding company. As the world increasingly digitised, Tissot gave its first tactile watch loaded with functionalities and sporting minimal buttons. Besides, solar energy-run quartz and the illumination technology SuperLuminova® are highlights of some of Tissot’s most prized timepieces.

Notable Tissot Collections

Among the famous watch series by Tissot is the Tissot Seastar,  a 1000 Quartz Chrono designed for unfaltering reliability even in the greatest depths of the ocean. Its Powermatic 80 Nivachron calibre, illuminated dial, and unidirectionally rotating ceramic bezel make for an ideal diver’s watch. The Tissot Gentleman and Tissot Gent XL emanate a unique simplicity and class while keeping a traditional masculine aura around them. 

A rendition of a throwback Tissot design from the late 1970s is the Tissot PRX, remarkable with its slim and timeless design. Equally enchanting are the Tissot T-My Lady and Tissot Bellissima collections - women’s watch lines reflecting a combination of subtle beauty and technical perfection. 

The Tissot Supersport Chrono collection comes with the crown surrounded by two push buttons. The brand also introduced the first-of-its-kind tactile watch line in 1999 - Tissot T-Touch. Two other iconic Tissot creations are the Tissot Le Locle collection boasting a classic Swiss design and technical finesse and the Chemin des Tourelles watches with their oversized dials and Powermatic 80 movement.

Sports Partnerships and Ambassadors

A leader in precision, Tissot shares the sporting spirit of the champions and is the official timekeeper of revered sporting events such as the NBA, FIBA, Tour de France, Giro, and the like. Besides, the brand will provide its prowess in professional sports timing at the 2022 Asian Games. Just like Tissot’s timepieces, the brand has a versatile ambassador list with the likes of Tony Parker, Marc Márquez, Klay Thompson, Damian Lillard, Arthur Chen, Liu Yifei, Huang Xiaoming, Primož Rogli, Clint Capela, and Thomas Lüthi. 

Tissot continues to focus on innovative design and quality timepieces based on the illustrious Swiss watchmaking tradition. Today, Tissot is the traditional Swiss watch brand with the highest global sales while remaining true to its roots in the quaint little town in the Swiss Jura mountains.