Is Tissot A Luxury Brand? All The Details You Need About This Watch Brand
Tissot is known for their high-quality watches with elegant designs, but is Tissot a luxury brand? We’re here to answer that question and tell you everything you need to know about this Swiss brand.
Tissot is a world-famous Swiss watch manufacturer so if you are on the hunt for a new timepiece, you may have thought about picking up a Tissot watch, because of its sleek look, quartz movement, and top quality craftsmanship, but can we consider Tissot as a luxury brand?
Some see Tissot as a luxury brand because of the high quality of their watches and Swiss craftsmanship, but others do not see Tissot as a luxury watch brand because of the affordable price range of their watches.
To answer the question, is Tissot a luxury brand, we will analyze the history of the brand, the quality of the watches, including what they are made from and where they are made, as well as take a closer look at some specific Tissot watches before coming to a conclusion. Here is everything you need to know before adding a Tissot timepiece to your collection!
Is Tissot A Luxury Brand?
The History of Tissot
The Swiss watch brand, Tissot has a long history, beginning in 1853 when the company was founded by Charles-Félicien Tissot and his son, Charles-Émile Tissot in Le Locle, Switzerland. The father worked as the case maker while his son was the watchmaker, slowly turning their home into a small watchmaking factory.
Tissot has been innovative with its designs and creations, becoming the first company to mass produce a pocket watch and was one of the first brands to manufacture an antimagnetic wristwatch in the 1930s. They have also made watches out of unique materials, including plastic in 1971, stone in 1985, mother of pearl in 1987, and wood in 1988.
Tissot is also a brand that is often used as an official timekeeper for sporting events, beginning with a series of ski races in Switzerland in 1938. Over the years, Tissot has been used as a timekeeper for the cycling, motorcycling, fencing, and ice hockey world championships have been a sponsor for several Formula One teams.
Now Tissot is a major watch brand, worn by the likes of Kate, Princess of Wales, Grace Kelly, Angelina Jolie, and Nelson Mandela. The brand is now part of the Swatch Groupe and offers a range of everyday and sports men’s and women’s watches.
The Quality of Tissot
To determine whether Tissot is a luxury brand, we need to consider the price range of the watches, the materials used, and the craftsmanship to see the quality of these timepieces. So let’s get started.
1. Price Range
The price range of a watch can give you a good idea o the quality of the watches and means we can compare the Tissot prices with other, well-established luxury watch brands. Most Tissot watches range between $395 and $2,395, but there are only a select few that are available for more the $1,000, with the majority of watches below this price point.
If we compare this to brands such as Cartier, where watches are available for between $2,610 and $279,000, or Van Cleef and Arpels where watches have a retail price of between $7,400 and $448,000, you can see how much more affordable Tissot is.
This displays how the pricing of Tissot watches is not in line with other luxury brands and therefore it may not be able to be considered a luxury brand.
2. Materials
Another way to look at the quality of a brand is to look at the materials used in its products. Tissot uses a limited range of materials in their high-quality timepiece, the main materials being stainless steel. Stainless steel is used for some of the watch straps and most of the bezels and faces, while you may see a PVD coating on some of the cases and straps to achieve a rose gold or yellow gold finish.
The leather straps are either made from grained cowhide leather or smooth cow leather, sometimes embossed with a crocodile or alligator print for a luxe finish. There are also a few silicone straps, rubber straps, and forged carbon cases – these materials feature mainly on the Tissot range of sports watches.
All Tissot watches have a sapphire crystal cover over the face that is scratch-resistant and anti-reflective, making it easy to always see the dial. These materials are good quality, but perhaps not as high quality as the metals and luxurious leather used by brands such as Rolex, Patek Phillipe, and Cartier.
3. Craftsmanship
Tissot is a Swiss brand and they are very proud of the fact that their watches are designed, assembled, and distributed from Le Locle in Switzerland. Swiss-made watches are world-renowned, which is why the brand likes to make sure customers are aware that their watches are certified as made in Switzerland.
In order to brand your watch with ‘Made in Switzerland’, it must contain a Swiss movement, have a movement that is cased in Switzerland, and have its final inspection carried out in Switzerland.
However, you may be wondering how these Swiss-made watches have such an affordable price tag, this is because Swatch, who own Tissot, bulk produces some of the parts in China to bring the manufacturing costs down, but still make and assemble certain parts in Switzerland so the watches can be branded as Swiss-made.
This is different from Swiss luxury watch brands, such as Tag Heuer, Rolex, and, Audemars Piguet who make their watches entirely in Switzerland.
Best-Selling Tissot Watches
There is a wide range of watches available from Tissot, from practical sports watches to everyday dainty designs, so there is something to suit any lifestyle and every personal style! We have chosen a few of our favorite watches from the brand that we think you will love and deserve a place in your watch collection.
1. Bracelet Watches
This Tissot T-Classic Carson Bracelet Watch is a stunning and timeless watch that is completely irresistible. The simple design, striking Roman numeral time markers, and two-tone finish make it a super stylish watch that would suit any outfit.
The slim bracelet strap, secured with a deployant clasp closure, is made up of links of sparkling silver and gleaming gold, punctuated by a gold, round face. The black time markers and slight black hands really stand out against the shimmering white face, covered by a sapphire crystal face for a practical, anti-reflective finish.
The Tissot Le Locle Bracelet Watch is another elegant timepiece and a best-seller for the Tissot brand, named after the town in Switzerland, where this watch brand was founded. The contrast of the textured face and smooth, shiny watch strap works perfectly with the minimalist stainless steel case design of this beautiful watch.
This watch has an oversized silhouette with a refined bracelet strap, a statement round face, and delicate black Roman numeral time markers. This watch is powered by the Tissot Powermatic 80 movement which has an 80-hour power reserve for its automatic mechanisms.
2. Leather Strap Watches
If you are looking for a chic and stylish watch that will suit a wide range of outfits, then this Tissot Women’s PR 100 Auto Classic Croc Embossed Leather Strap Watch is exactly what you need!
The stylish watch has a white leather strap, embossed with a crocodile leather pattern for a textured finish, and a shimmering white mother-of-pearl dial, embellished with rose gold and diamond time markers for an extra special, sparkling touch. At the 6 o’clock mark, you will see a super handy date window, while the dial is covered with the scratch-resistant sapphire crystal face.
We love the dainty look of this Tissot Bellissima Leather Strap Watch – a great choice if you are looking for a feminine watch ideal for everyday wear. This watch has a narrow pink leather strap, secured with buckle closure, and features a glossy silver bezel framing the sparkling silver dial.
The sophisticated watch face features black Roman numeral time markers and sharp black hands set against a dial decorated with guilloche scallops. Again, you will find a handy date window at the 6 o’clock mark.
3. gold Watches
A striking gold watch can really make a statement on your wrist and add a touch of glamour to your look – here are two of our favorite gold watches available from Tissot. The first is this gorgeous Tissot PR 100 Classic Chronograph Bracelet Watch, where the glittering gold strap and bezel are interrupted by the white, diamond studded face.
The white, mother-of-pearl face features gold hands, crystal time makers, and three subdials to add a stopwatch function to this beautiful watch. This Swiss-made watch has a quartz movement for incredible accuracy and water resistance of up to 100 meters or 330 feet.
The tonal look of this Tissot PRX Bracelet Watch makes it super unique and a must-have in your watch collection. The Tissot PRX collection was introduced in 1978 but has been redesigned recently to create a contemporary design with a vintage touch.
This PRX watch has a minimalist look, with a brushed gold finish and sleek curves – just perfect! The simple face features white lines as time markers and white and gold hands. One of the best features of this watch is the end-of-life indicator to notify you when the battery is low, so you can change it before you find your watch has stopped.
Conclusion
Tissot is an excellent watch brand, with a beautiful collection of watches, with something to suit any personal style, but after looking at the prices, materials, and craftsmanship of Tissot watches, you can see that Tissot cannot be considered a true luxury brand.
This Swiss watchmaker is a high-quality, high-end brand that makes incredible watches at an affordable price, meaning it is more in line with other affordable luxury brands such as Cassio and Accurist.
If you are looking for a stylish and timeless watch with a price tag that won’t break the bank, then Tissot is an excellent brand to go for!
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