Tissot Watches
The tagline on their official website 'Tissot, Innovators by Tradition' says it all. Tissot is one of the few names in the galaxy of watch manufacturers that continues to hold sway over watch lovers, 150 years after it first stepped into the world of watch manufacturing. With its uncanny knack of coming up with a pioneering product, brand Tissot has managed to carve a separate niche in the time galaxy.
The story of Tissot began in the year 1853. The location was Neuchâtel area of the Jura Mountains, in Le Locle, Switzerland. The father and son duo of Charles-Félicien Tissot and Charles-Emile were the founders of Tissot. They both succeeded in laying the foundation of a company that became renowned for its strong quality, excellent workmanship, unique aesthetic sense and newness in each model
The Unique Selling Point [USP] of Tissot is that the watches created by them slot into the mid-price segment, but at the same time the aesthetic quality and the workmanship of the watches can easily make one believe that they belong to the stable of Rolex, Patek Philippe etc.
Thus, Tissot is a brand that brings high quality watches in the reach of many. No wonder, it has become an international brand with a presence in more than 150 countries and 15,000 official points of sale. Its popularity took leapfrog in 1985 when it became a member of the Swatch Group, the biggest watch producer and distributor in the world.
'Innovativeness' can well be the name of this Swiss watch manufacturer. Tissot, has to its credit, inventions that later became landmarks in the history of watches. Some of the grounds -breaking models developed by Tissot were:
- The first antimagnetic watch: Tissot brought out the world's first antimagnetic watch. The rise in the use of telephones and electrical equipment meant that the precision of the isochronisms of the watch was getting affected. Hence, Tissot came out with an antimagnetic watch that was resistant to the interference caused by the magnetic fields of electrical and telephone equipments.
- Self winding wrist watch with a universal calendar: It came out with the first self winding wrist watch with a universal calendar that was capable of providing the time from 24 different time zones around the world which corresponded with 24 major cities.
- First plastic watch: It created the first watch that contained plastic parts instead of the normal metal parts. The idea was to provide customers ease of mind as plastic parts did away with the necessity of oiling.
- Rock watch: Tissot came out with the Rock watch, which made use of stone from the Swiss Alps. It made additions to this line of watches, by bringing out timepieces made from rocks of mountain ranges across the world.
- Two Timer: In 1980s, it came out with the Two Timer that had analog and digital display and displayed two time zones.
- T-Touch: Created in Y2K, this watch from the house of Tissot presents a unique experience to its user. Pressing on the crown and then pressing on the touch-sensitive screen can activate 8 functions of the watch. It also boasts of Altimeter (in feet and meters), Chronograph (split and add time), Compass, Alarm, Thermometer (in ºC and ºF), Barometer as well as Date and Time (choice of 12H and 24H)
Tissot has also made a mark in the world of sports by being the official timer of many events including MotoGP, Supercross, Fencing, Cycling, Ice Hockey and Nascar.
With a new invention up its sleeve every year, Tissot is poised to rule the hearts of watch lovers for a long time to come.