Many watch enthusiasts argue that Swiss brands offer the best in watches and engineering efficiency.
That’s because these watch brands specialize in high-quality timepieces with a focus on quality and craftsmanship. As a result, these brands have stood the test of time and have remained relevant through both the quartz crisis and the current digital revolution.
Among these Swiss brands, Tissot is noteworthy for continuously offering premium quality watches at relatively affordable prices.
They’re also one of the most successful Swiss brands as well––the company has worked for centuries to perfect their approach to watchmaking, and they continue to offer beautiful, stylish watches.
Another attractive element of Tissot is that they offer all the perks of Swiss engineering in an accessible package. They make watches that are great for every type of watch wearer, from the everyday enthusiast to the serious collector.
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Quick Take
Short on time? Here are our top three picks for the best Tissot watches you can buy right now:
The Seastar is an elegant, stylish dive watch that doesn’t look out of place in formal occasions. This 42mm diver wears incredibly well and offers 300m of water resistance.
The Everytime offers some of the best things Tissot has to offer, from their popular movements to the sleek watch case.
The Couturier is a 43mm stainless steel watch with an automatic movement, silver indices, and a sapphire crystal. What separates the Couturier from other chronograph watches is its unique take on the day-date complication.
Read on for more info and the complete list…
History of Tissot
Founded in the Swiss town of Le Locle in 1853, Tissot began as a small family company. However, it didn’t start as an independent watchmaker. Instead, Tissot spent many of its early years constructing watch parts for other companies.
The company then transitioned into making pocket watches like many other established watch brands of the time. During this time, Tissot garnered numerous awards for their industrial ingenuity.
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By the early 1900s, Tissot had become a brand name. Along the way, it had gotten the attention of other powerhouse brands. One of those brands, Omega, ended up merging with Tissot. After the merger, Tissot enjoyed tremendous growth throughout the 20th century.
Taking advantage of their success, Tissot launched a series of aggressive marketing campaigns and sponsorships. They partnered with many athletes and celebrities who represented Tissot and helped to increase the brand’s visibility.
Those sponsorships and campaigns are why Tissot is so well-known today.
Are Tissot Watches Good?
Yes! Tissot is a genuine Swiss brand with a storied reputation. They also do a great job of offering tremendous pieces at a variety of price points.
As a result, Tissot is one of the few brands that you’ll find in the collections of both budget-minded collectors and luxury connoisseurs.
Tissot’s partnerships with stalwart brands like Omega and Swatch allow them to offer tremendous value. The automatic movements found in Tissot watches are comparable to the movements found in much more expensive watches.
The 5 Best Tissot Watches
Here they are…
1. Tissot PR 100 Men’s Chronograph
Tissot’s chronograph offerings are some of the best in the industry. The PR 100 is one of their more affordable chronographs that’s strikingly stylish.
The PR 100 is a 41mm stainless steel quartz watch that retails for $395 although you can find it on Jomashop for $245 and on the used market for even less). It features sturdy pushers, 30m of water resistance, and lumed hands.
There are several dial color options, including black, silver, blue, and even mother of pearl.
However, the most appealing factor of the PR100 is the chronograph itself. Many chronograph watches look too busy, but the PR100 offers a clean, simple design.
The chronograph functions seem to disappear in the background but are legible when needed. Another standout feature of the watch is that it pairs well with both leather and steel bands.
2. Tissot Seastar 1000
The appeal of dive watches is their utilitarian cool. They look good in just about every situation. However, dressing them up can be a difficult challenge.
To answer that call, Tissot released the Seastar 1000. The Seastar is an elegant, stylish dive watch that doesn’t look out of place in formal occasions. This 42mm diver wears incredibly well and offers 300m of water resistance.
The Seastar also features the brand's efficient automatic movement and a sapphire crystal.
The dressy appeal of the Seastar is the understated yet beautiful minimalistic blue watch face with a simple date complication. While it offers the traditional circular markers, the overall construction of the watch makes it look distinguished and modern.
More importantly, the Seastar retails at roughly $700, which makes it easily one of the best sub-$1000 watches from any brand, period.
3. Tissot Everytime Swissmatic
Tissot excels at offering high-quality watches at relatively affordable price points. However, even by their standards, the Everytime is one of the best value watches on the market.
The Everytime Swissmatic is a 40mm automatic watch that also features a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal.
The Everytime is one of the most popular watches for watch enthusiasts. For roughly $400, the Everytime offers some of the best Tissot has to offer, from their popular movements to the sleek watch case.
With minimalistic branding and a simple date complication, the Everytime Swissmatic is a dressy watch that’s also not out of place for everyday casual wear, making it an extremely versatile watch.
4. Tissot Tradition Men’s Chronograph
Silver dial watches offer a clean style aesthetic that is nearly impossible to get wrong. However, many watch companies still stick with black or blue dial watches. Hence, when we see a silver dial, it immediately stands out.
Enter the Tissot Tradition chronograph. This is a 42m stainless steel chronograph watch with many appealing features, including a sapphire crystal, 30m of water resistance, stainless steel pushers, and classic indices.
In addition to the traditional chronograph functions, the Tradition offers a date complication between 4:00 and 5:00.
The Tradition can be purchased from most retailers at roughly $300, which is a fantastic price for a well-made chronograph.
5. Tissot Automatic Couturier
Chronograph watches can often be very formulaic. It’s rare for a brand to be able to break the typical chronograph mold, but Tissot has managed to offer a refreshing take on the chronograph with the Couturier.
The Couturier is a 43mm stainless steel watch with an automatic movement, silver indices, and a sapphire crystal. However, what separates the Couturier from other chronograph watches on the market is its unique take on the day-date complication.
It displays the day and date as the ‘fourth’ chronograph window, which provides a nice, balanced look. While this is a small detail, it adds a lot to the Couturier.
The Couturier is on the more expensive side at $800-$900. However, for those that love the look of the Couturier and are okay with sacrificing some of the higher-end features, a quartz option sans the day-date complication is also available at roughly $300.
Conclusion
Everyone should experience Swiss watches at some point on their watch collecting journey, and Tissot is a great entry point. Their rich history, devotion to quality, and affordability have made them one of the most successful brands in the world, and we can’t recommend them enough.
The list is not complete without the Tissot T039 36 T-Sport V8