On July 1st, 1853, Charles-Félicien Tissot, a fitter of gold cases, founded Ch. Félicien Tissot & Fils in Le Locle in the Jura, with his son Charles-Emile Tissot, a watchmaker. Tissot began life as a “comptoir d’établissage”, which consisted of a network of independent workers who were highly specialized and who produced the different watch parts, to then be further assembled and sold at the “comptoir”. Tissot’s timepieces focus was on pocket watches, luxurious pendant watches or complication watches, at that time mainly destined mainly for the United States market. In 1858, the founding son, Charles Emile Tissot, left Switzerland for Russia and successfully sold Tissot ‘Savonnette' pocket watches across the huge and influential Russian empire, starting off by selling hunter watches to the officers guarding the Tsar’s palace. Tissot went on to gain a highly coveted Grand Prix award in 1900 in Paris, the same year in which the city would host the 2nd Olympic Games. At the same time, Tissot pioneered a long history of collaboration with its ambassadors, with one of its wristwatches being worn by the iconic actress Sarah Bernhardt, the most successful stage actress of her day. At the end of 1917, the limited company Chs. Tissot & Fils SA was created and became a manufacturer with the introduction of movement-blanks production. Within a few years, Tissot was able to create a formidable presence in the worldwide horological market. Mergers and the turbulent 20th century In 1930, Tissot and Omega merged to form the first Swiss watchmaking association, the SSIH (Société Suisse pour l’Industrie Horlogère). Watches from the Tissot-Omega era are highly sought after by the collectors. Quartz, the 20th century’s greatest revolution in the watch industry, passed Switzerland by. Although the first quartz watch was developed at the Centre Electronique Horloger (CEH – Centre for Electronic Watches) in Neuchâtel in 1967, Swiss watchmakers did not capitalize on this innovation. By the 1970s the Swiss watchmaking industry was in serious crisis, arising from the advent of highly successful quartz watches, dominated by the Japanese. The Swiss watch industry would be saved when the watch was reborn as a fashion accessory - enter the Swatch. This analogue quartz watch, which combined high quality and exciting designs with a low price, was first released in 1983 and became a pop culture sensation and enormous global success in the 1980s. There is no doubt that the Swatch saved the Swiss watchmaking industry from its slump and helped boost it. Thirty years after the ‘crisis’ in the Swiss watch industry, it has now once again become one of the most prosperous economic sectors in Switzerland, and once more synonymous with Swiss quality and prestige. In 1983, Nicolas G. Hayek of Swatch, and who had been mandated to audit the Swiss watchmaking sector, recommended the merger of the main groups of watchmakers at the time: the SSIH (mainly Tissot and Omega) and ASUAG (a holding of the manufacturers of movement and component blanks). The group, which was then named SMH (Swiss Corporation for Microelectronics and Watchmaking Industries Ltd.), would become The Swatch Group in 1998, of which Tissot has been a part to this day. The Swatch Group is today the world's largest watch producer and distributor. Brand Recognition: “Tissot - more than a watch.” Heritage, Innovation & Global Prestige: Tissot is defined by its well-known slogan - 'Innovators by Tradition'. The company has proudly had its home in the town of Le Locle in the Neuchâtel area of the Jura Mountains since 1853, with a highly visible presence in 160 countries, including many luxurious Tissot boutiques and point of sales in high-end department and jewelry stores worldwide. Tissot's distribution spread is unmatched by any other Swiss watch company. Tissot’s enviable and groundbreaking innovation has enabled the development of high-tech products, special materials and advanced functionality. It has a broader, more versatile range of high-quality timepieces at an attractive price than any other Swiss watch brand, Tissot is also committed to making excellence that is affordable and accessible. Timeline:
Here are some interesting factoids about Tissot:
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Old Time WatchesI enjoy collecting mechanical (manual wind and automatic) and early electric and quartz timepieces. I take great pleasure in researching and writing about the companies and people that created these beautiful watches. PF
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September 2018
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