Top 15 Facts About Tissot – Interesting Things to Know
Tissot is one of the largest and most well-known watch manufacturers in the world. It is also one of the top Swiss watch manufacturers in the world. Tissot focuses on making high-quality entry-level wristwatches according to high Swiss watchmaking standards. As a result, Tissot is the first Swiss watch that a lot of people buy.
For their price point, they offer exceptional value for money and give you a classic, well-made Swiss watch.
The company has a long and rich history and has over the course of its long history been responsible for numerous inventions and for propelling the Swiss watch industry forward. In this article, we are digging into the Tissot brand and taking a closer look at interesting facts about the watches, the brand, and the company.
Interesting facts about Tissot
1. Tissot’s reputation received a huge upswing in 1900
In the year 1900, the company’s reputation received a huge upswing when it won the Grand Prix award in Paris for one of its watches. This award helped Tissot prove the quality and performance of its timepieces which made it a key player in the Swiss watch industry.
2. Tissot’s inception can be traced back to 1853
At this time, Charles-Félicien Tissot and his son Charles-Emile Tissot founded Ch. Félicien Tissot & Fils. The company was founded in Le Locle in Jura, Switzerland, and this region is still home to Tissot to this day.
The company started out with a few watchmaking experts who manufactured components.
3. Tissot created the world’s first anti-magnetic watch
During the 1920s, magnetism became more and more common in everyday life. Magnetism is a big issue for watches as magnetism can negatively affect the accuracy of the movement. As a result of this, many watch brands set out to solve this issue by developing anti-magnetic watches. Tissot was at the forefront of this development and released the world’s first non-magnetic watch.
The watch was called the Tissot Antimagnetique.
4. Tissot introduced a first-of-its-kind digital watch in 1986
In 1986, Tissot introduced a digital watch which was the first of its kind. The watch had digital and analog time displays together with seven additional functions, all of which were operated by one crown.
5. The T-touch was the first watch with touch-screen technology
The Tissot T-touch was launched in 1999 and was the first watch in the world to have touch-screen technology. Technically, this can therefore be seen as the predecessor of the smartwatch. From a historical standpoint, it truly was revolutionary. The watch was released 10 years before smartphones started using this technology.
6. Tissot was the first brand to create a mass-produced pocket watch
When Tissot started out, pocket were all the rage and wristwatches didn’t exist. In the early days of watchmaking, pocket watches was what it was all about. Tissot is responsible for manufacturing the first mass-produced pocket watch but it did not invent the pocket watch.
The mass-produced way of manufacturing helped push the industry forward and develop the industry.
7. Tissot released the world’s first pocket watch displaying two time zones
Tissot essentially created the first GMT pocket watch. There’s a lot of hype about the company that created the first GMT wristwatch (which was either Rolex or Glycine depending on how you look at it) but Tissot is responsible for having created the world’s first pocket watch that could display two time zones simultaneously.
8. Tissot created the world’s first wristwatch in plastic
Tissot experimented with many different materials during the end of the 1900s and thus came up with numerous world-firsts.
In 1997, Tissot created a watch that was completely made of plastic. Today, many different watches are made in plastic, perhaps most famously Swatch. But Tissot laid the way by experimenting with new materials.
9. Tissot created the world’s first watch case made in natural stone
In 1985, Tissot released the Tissot RockWatch. The case of this watch is made of natural stone in the form of alpine granite.
10. Tissot created the world’s first watch case made of pearl
The Tissot Pearl wristwatch was released in 1987 with a case made of mother of pearl. Upon its release, it became the world’s first wristwatch with a case in mother of pearl.
11. Tissot created the world’s first watch case in wood.
The Tissot Wood wristwatch was released in 1988 and became the world’s first wristwatch to feature a watch case made of wood.
12. Tissot created the world’s first mass-produced 24 time zone watch
Tissot created the world’s first GMT pocket watch. It also created the world’s first mass-produced watch to display 24 time zones, the Tissot Navigator back in 1953. Today, so-called world timers are relatively common on the market but Tissot led the way in the development of a watch with this type of complication.
13. A watch shipped to Tissot for service in 1916 is still at Tissot
In 1916, a Tissot ”Banana” watch was shipped to the Tissot factory for service. But in 1917, the czar was overthrown which made it illegal to ship items to Russia. As a result, that exact watch is still at the Tissot factor in Le Locle and could never be returned.
14. The Tissot T-touch can be seen in the James Bond movie Die Another Day
Whilst Omega and Rolex are most associated with Tissot, a Tissot T-touch can be seen in the James Bond movie Die Another Day. This model has also been seen in numerous other movies, including Tomb Raider.
15. Tissot received many awards in its early history
Known for pushing boundaries and its slogan ”Innovators by tradition”, Tissot has been rewarded many times throughout its history with numerous awards for its inventions and innovations.
In 1888, Tissot won the Diploma of Honor in Zurich, the Grand Prix in Paris in 1900, the Grand Prix and Gold Medal in Antwerp in 1890, and First prize for Chronometers and for Marine Chronometers in the Neuchâtel Observatory Competition in 1907.
All of these awards go to show how Tissot was at the forefront of the watch industry and all of this has contributed to Tissot’s huge success today.
16. Tissot delivered a watch to Czar Nicholas II in 1904
Tissot has also delivered countless watches to other prominent and important individuals around the world.
17. Tissot entered a partnership with Omega in 1925 and merged with Omega in 1930
Tissot entered a partnership agreement with Louis Brandt who was the director of Omega in Bienne.
Later on, Tissot merged with Omega in 1930, and the partnership led to the creation of the Société Suisse pour l’Industrie Horlogère (SSIH).
In 1983, Tissot became a subsidiary of The Swatch Group which is today the largest watch group in the world.
18. The first advertising films for Tissot were showcased in cinemas in the 1940s
Already from the start, Tissot created films in multiple languages to cater to its large audience and its widespread reach in different markets.
19. Tissot registered its first logo in 1880.
This logo was registered and protected under the Swiss Trademark Protection Act.
