Tissot History and Heritage | Bob's Watches

Nestled within the picturesque Jura Mountains, in a small Swiss city known as Le Locle, Tissot has been a key player in the luxury watch industry for more than 150 years. Although often less-discussed than some of the industry’s other brands, Tissots’ rich heritage in watchmaking is one of the oldest and is still alive and strong today. With a more diverse selection of wristwatches in its portfolio than ever before, and with increasing demand for vintage timepieces on the pre-owned market, now is the perfect time to discuss the history and heritage of Tissot watches. When it comes to the fundamental values of a quality timepiece - Tissot represents one of the best values for the money in the Swiss watch industry. The company, established by Charles-Félicien Tissot and his son Charles-Émile Tissot in 1853, still remains in its original hometown of Le Locle, which is now one of Switzerland’s watchmaking capitals. Initially, the company built its reputation by crafting elegant and reliable gold pocket watches before merging with Omega in 1930, and then later ultimately becoming a part of the present-day Swatch Group after a second merger in 1983. Back before the Quartz Crisis, wristwatches were generally rather expensive items to produce. Since most people only owned one watch and took pride in owning it, timepieces typically had a more formal and dressy appearance to them. This design approach can be seen when we look at some of Tissot’s vintage models like this circa 1960s T