Tissot is widely considered to be one of the most iconic Swiss watch brands in the world today. Presently, it is part of the Swatch Group and is known primarily for its affordable mechanical watches. The brand has over 165 years of experience in the watchmaking industry and is loved by watch connoisseurs all over the world. Before we get to the 10 interesting facts about the brand, let us first dive into the history of the brand.
History of Tissot
The inception of Tissot can be traced back to 1853, when Charles-Félicien Tissot and his son Charles-Emile Tissot founded Ch. Félicien Tissot & Fils in Le Locle in Jura, Switzerland. The senior Charles was a fitter of gold cases, while his son was a watchmaker. The watchmaking establissage initially started with a few specialized independent workers who crafted different parts of the Tissot watch. Thereafter, the parts were assembled and sold at the Comptoir. Tissot was involved in the production of luxurious pendant watches, pocket watches, and complication watches at the time. A major turning point for the brand was in 1900 when Tissot won the Grand Prix award in Paris. From then onwards, Tissot established itself as a formidable watchmaking brand around the world.
In 1930, Tissot ended up merging with Omega, establishing Société Suisse pour l’Industrie Horlogère (SSIH) in the process. After enjoying many years of popularity, the Swiss watchmaking brands entered a period of crisis. From the 1970s, the Japanese-made quartz watches started dominating the market, while the Swiss watchmakers had not capitalized on the quartz innovation. So the need to come up with quartz variants was realized and this is how Swatch was born.
The Swatch was released in the 1980s with exciting new designs, and it helped the Swiss watchmaking industry in recovering from the slump. After the success enjoyed by Swatch, a merger was recommended for the main watchmakers, which included SSIH and ASUAG. This group resulting from this merger later came to be known as the Swatch Group (1998), of which Tissot is an important part. At present, Swatch is the largest distributor and producer of watches in the world today.
Tissot – Innovation and Design
Tissot has been a frontrunner in the watchmaking industry for more than 165 years, producing elevated-looking watches at affordable price points. The brand holds a reputation for making elegant dress watches and striking sports watches that try to push the envelope when it comes to technological innovations.
Tissot stands true to its slogan – “Innovators by Tradition”. The brand is known for using progressive methods of craftsmanship and it prides itself in producing the finest quality watches. The first pocket watch created by Tissot in 1853 featured ground-breaking technology of dual time zones. Besides this, the brand is also credited with producing the first Tissot automatic watch with 24 time zones displayed, known as the Tissot Navigator 1951. In the present day, Tissot is widely known for its innovative T-touch technology. These new Tissot watches come with a barometer, compass, altimeter, and backlight, all of which are controlled by touch-screen technology. These watches have been frequently covered in movies like Tomb Raider and Die Another Day.
Tissot watches are quite impressive in the style department and are way ahead of the curve as far as design elements are concerned. The most famous Tissot watches are the sportier versions, however, the vintage-style dress watches also command a lot of style. Tissot also has some smart-casual watches and pocket watches, which are equally in demand.
Tissot – Collections and Models
Tissot watches come in several variations, with models in both quartz as well as automatic movements. The timepieces feature varied designs, with case options like gold, stainless steel, platinum, and titanium. There is no dearth of variation in bracelets and dials too. Following are some Tissot watch collections and famous models:
T-Touch:The Tissot T-Touch allows users to access all the features like alarm, date, time, compass, etc., through touch technology. Prominent models consist of T-Touch Lady Solar and T-Touch Expert Solar.
T-Sport:This consists of divers and sports watches. While the majority of the models have been designed for men, there are some great models for women too. Prominent T-Sport models include Tissot Seastar 1000, T Race, Tissot V8, Tissot PRS 516, among others.
T-Lady:This collection consists of some of the most iconic Tissot watches for women. Famous models in this collection consist of Flamingo, Cera, Lovely, Generosi-T, and others. Some of the models in this collection feature mother of pearls and diamonds on the dial too.
T-Classic:This collection consists of timeless and classical designs. It consists of a versatile range of models like Luxury, Couturier, Bridgeport, Tradition, and T-Complication Squelette.
Some other collections of Tissot watches for men consist of Heritage, T-Gold, and Pocket Watches like Savonnette and Lepine.
10 Interesting Facts About Tissot
Now that we have discussed the history, design, and collections of Tissot watches, here is a list of 10 interesting facts about the Tissot watches.
- Tissot was the first watchmaking brand to produce a pocket watch with a dual time zone in 1853.
- Tissot incorporated art deco styling and curved case design its watches to cater to the tastes of the Russian and European customers in 1916. These were known as Tissot Prince Banana watches. They also made pendant watches with real gold and diamond inserts.
- Tissot is credited with producing the world’s first non-magnetic timepiece in 1930. It was known as the Tissot Antimagnetique.
- The Tissot Navigator, released in 1951, was the first self-winding watch in the world that displayed 24 time zones.
- The Tissot PR 516, released first in 1965, featured a bracelet with holes. The unique bracelet design was reportedly inspired by the steering wheel of racing cars.
- In 1971, Tissot came out with the world’s first plastic mechanical watch, which was known as Tissot Astrolon.
- Tissot also came out with a unique case design for its watches which were made from natural stones like granite. Released in 1985, this was known as the Tissot Rockwatch.
- In 1986, Tissot introduced the first-of-its-kind wristwatch to the world, which featured digital and analogue time displays, along with 7 other functions which were operated by a single crown.
- The Tissot T-Touch was the first watch in the world to feature touch-screen technology. Released in 1999, the T-Touch came out with this technology 10 years before smartphones started incorporating it.
- The Tissot Le Locle was a watch that won the first prize in 2011 in the International Timing Competition.
Conclusion
It is evident from this article why Tissot is loved by watch connoisseurs all over the world. The brand has been featured in many famous Hollywood movies. In addition to that, it has also been the favorite choice of prominent celebrities which included Elvis Presley, Nelson Mandela, and Grace Kelley. Tissot offers a wide variety of options based on different preferences and lifestyles, and one will surely find a timepiece to their liking from the vast collection of Tissot models.
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