Tissot, with its signature 'Innovators by Tradition', has been pioneering craftsmanship and innovation ever since its foundation in 1853. The company has always had its home in the Swiss watchmaking in the town of Le Locle in the Jura Mountains but now has a presence that can be felt in 160 countries. The Tissot innovation leadership is enabled by the development of high-tech products, special materials and advanced functionality. With a broader, more versatile range of high-quality timepieces at an attractive and affordable price than any other Swiss watch brand, Tissot also expresses its commitment to making excellence affordable for all. As official timekeeper and partner of FIBA, AFL, MotoGP™, FIM Superbike and the World Championships of cycling, fencing and ice hockey, Tissot is also committed to respecting tradition, underlines its core values of performance, precision and setting new standards for others to emulate. Tissot has designed dual-time-zone pocket watches since being founded in 1853. An innovative spirit and a profound respect for watch making tradition have made what it is today. It is now a global presence in over 160 countries. In its glorious history spanning more than a century in 1853, Charles-Emile Tissot travels the world and in 1858, he sells savonnette pocket watches for the Czar of the Russian Empire and his officers. To keep pace with the brand’s growth, the new workshops and craftsmen had to be brought in.
Following the Great Depression in 1930, Charles and Paul signed a sales and manufacturing agreement with the Brandt brothers, founders of Omega in Bienne: Tissot and Omega then formed the Société Suisse pour l’Industrie Horlogère (SSIH) holding. That same year, they designed the first anti-magnetic watch. In 1971, a revolutionary new product was born: the Tissot IDEA known as Astrolon.
It was the first watch with a plastic mechanical movement and case. This model will later inspire what is now known as the Swatch watch, a decade later. Showing resilience even in the face of adversity is another trademark which reflects on their watches.
In 1996, Francois Thiébaud was appointed head of Tissot and initiated the creation of two flagship lines: the T-Collection, designed by a woman for women in 1998, a collection with many different editions that also later included men’s models, all graced with the “T” of the brand logo; and the first touchscreen technology watch, the T-Touch, in 1999. This technology allowed the wearer to enjoy real instrumental information, such as that from a compass, altimeter, barometer, and more. Touch-screen technology in a watch – a decade before it appeared in other fields, like telephones – was developed by Tissot in models, including the SailingTouch, Sea-Touch, and T-Touch Expert, providing their users (divers, navigators, mountaineers) with top-quality instrumental functions, all user-friendly, simply requiring a finger-stroke across the glass.
It has continued its ceaseless expansion on five continents for nearly two decades. Today, the brand is distributed in more than 160 countries through more than 14,000 points of sale and nearly 200 monobrand stores.
Tissot offers an extensive selection of watches to meet diverse functional needs and tastes, all while meeting strict quality criteria. Such excellence and precision was even recognised in Tissot’s winning first prize in the 2011 Concours International de Chronométrie in the “Entreprise - Classique” category. Tissot collections: http://theprimewatches.com/brands/tissot.html
Tissot is now a global brand with a presence in over 160 countries