Iconic Tissot Watches – History & Collections
Tissot is owned by the Swatch Group and is a luxury Swiss watch brand. The Swatch Group is the world’s largest producer as well as distributor of watches. Charles Felicien and his son, Charles-Emile Tissot founded the company in 1853 in Le Locle, Switzerland.
The father and son worked as a casemaker and a watchmaker in the city of Le Locle which is near the Jura mountains. Charles Felicien’s son was interested in watch-making from his early years. They decided to turn their house into a small watchmaking factory. In 1858 they produced pocket watches and succeeded in selling them across Russia.
In 1930, Tissortr merged with a company called ‘Omega SA’, forming SSIH (Société Suisse pour L’Industrie Horlogère). The Tissot-Omega watches are the most sought-after watches by collectors. In 1983, the holding company ASUAG (Allgemeine Schweizerische Uhrenindiustrie Aktiengesellschaft) was formed which also covered SSIH.
In 1985, the company was named SMH (Société Suisse De Microélectronique et D’horlogerie) which was renamed as the ‘Swatch Group’ in 1998.
In 1853, Tissot introduced the first pocket watch that could be mass-produced and the first pocket watch that had two time zones. In 1930, it introduced the first non-magnetic wristwatch. In 1970, it introduced the first watch with a plastic movement and a case.
It was also the first to make a watch out of wood (Wood watch – 1988), mother of pearl (Pearl watch – 1987), stone (Alpine Granite Rockwatch – 1985) and plastic (Idea 2001 – 1971).
The company’s logo is ‘Innovators by Tradition’ and its mission statement is ‘Gold value at silver price’. Tissot watches are marketed in more than 160 countries at over 14,000 boutiques and 200 stores and are also sold online.
In 1999, Tissot introduced the first watch with ‘T-Touch’ technology (tactile watch). This watch uses a sapphire crystal which is ‘Touch-sensitive’ and is used to manage the various functions. The latest models, the T-Touch Lady Solar and the 2014 T-Touch Expert Solar have 25 different functions.
Tissot is responsible for the timings of several sports events and has been the official timekeeper of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Swiss Ice Hockey Federation, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), MotoGP and more. It is the official timekeeper at world championships in motorcycling, cycling, ice hockey and fencing.
Tissot designs official watches every year in honour of its various sports partnerships.
Collections by Tissot
The different collections offered by Tissot are the Touch collection, T-Sport, T-Classic, T-Lady, Heritage, T-Pocket and T-Gold. You can find these at the Tissot watches showrooms in Mumbai.
Since 2011, Tissot has been offering watches with interchangeable straps that can be changed to suit the season or occasion, bring in a new look and more. It provides a wide range of colours and materials, steel buckles and clasps.
At the back of every Tissot watch, there is a reference number that corresponds to the product collection. The number starts with a ‘T’ and the number varies from 6 to 13. You can go to the Tissot website and enter the reference number to get a range of compatible straps. Tissot creates watches with easily interchangeable strap systems.
Men’s collection
The main collections are Tissot – Sideral, PRX, Seastar, Supersport Chrono, Gentlemen, Chrono XL, Chemin Des Tourelles, Le Locle, Couturier and Tradition.
Women’s collection
The main collections are Tissot – Sideral, T-My Lady, Bellissima, PR 100 Sport Chic, Lovely, Flamingo, Chemin Des Tourelles, Seastar, PRX 35, Le Locle and Excellence.
Tissot watch boxes
The watch box is the box in which the luxury watch is presented. The beautifully designed and crafted box provides protection and also brings in a sense of style.
Tissot has introduced a new watch box across the brand’s worldwide network. The new box is produced using recycled and recyclable materials. The box’s base and lid are made from paper and cardboard. The cushion that holds the watch is made from recycled PET plastic.
The box retains Tissot’s iconic red, white, and black palette. The box is inscribed with the words ‘Time is precious, the planet is too’.
Tissot celebrates 160th Anniversary
Tissot celebrated its 160th anniversary with the Tissot Heritage Navigator timepiece that shows its love for the new horizon. It has a vintage class with an automatic chronometer precision and multiple time zones. The piece is certified by COSC (Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres) and is available in Tissot watches showrooms in Mumbai.
Once you set the watch to a specific country the time zone will be indicated by the number on the bezel. It allows you to be on time no matter where you are as the time differences will be at hand.
