Tissot Desir 28mm Ladies Watch

Charles-Félicien Tissot and his son Charles-Émile founded the company in Le Locle in 1853, assembling gold pocket watches and, unusually for the time, exporting aggressively — Russia became a major market within a decade.

Tissot's history is a sequence of firsts achieved through willingness to try materials and ideas the establishment considered unserious. The first mass-produced pocket watch with two time zones came in 1853. The first anti-magnetic wristwatch in 1930. The Astrolon of 1971 was the first watch with a movement made largely of injection-moulded plastic, and it worked. The RockWatch of 1985 used Alpine granite for the case, followed by watches in wood and mother-of-pearl.

The T-Touch of 1999 was the most significant: a tactile sapphire crystal allowing the wearer to access altimeter, barometer, compass, thermometer, and chronograph by touching the glass, years before touchscreens were commonplace.

Tissot merged with Omega in 1930 and both became founding members of what is now the Swatch Group. Its position in the group is volume and accessibility — Swiss mechanical and quartz watches at prices most people can reach, with the Powermatic 80 movement offering an eighty-hour reserve at entry level.

The company has held timekeeping roles across cycling, basketball, motorsport, and fencing.