Tissot
Country
Switzerland
Founded
1853
Founder
Charles-Félicien Tissot
Tissot was founded in 1853 by Charles-Félicien Tissot and his son Charles-Émile Tissot in the Swiss city of Le Locle. The father and son team worked as a casemaker (Charles-Félicien Tissot) and watchmaker (Charles-Emile). His son having expressed an interest in watchmaking from a young age. The two turned their house at the time into a small 'factory'.
Quick Hits
- Has a history of timing downhill skiing, cycling, and formula one races.
- Tissot's mission statement is "gold value at silver price" which is actually pretty on-the-nose
- Tissot introduced the first mass-produced pocket watch, as well as the first pocket watch with two time zones, in 1853
Charles-Emile Tissot left for Russia in 1858 and succeeded in selling their pocket watches across the Russian Empire, as Russia became Tissot's greatest market. With the brand gaining popularity even in the Tsar's court, Charles Tissot, Charles-Émile's son, moved to Moscow in 1885 to manage the branch his father had set up there.
In 1929, the global financial collapse brought the entire watch industry to a standstill, and Omega and Tissot forged an alliance under the leadership of Paul Tissot-Daguette, who had been trained at Tissot and became Omega's chief executive officer in 1930. The merger formed Société Suisse pour l'Industrie Horlogère (SSIH). and Tissot-Omega watches from this era are sought after by collectors. SSIH eventually became known as The Swatch Group, sellign watches in over 160 countries and positioning Tissot as a 'mid-range market' brand. But they're also the official watch of the NBA, so maybe higher-mid market...