Tissot 1936 Heritage
Tissot is an old-line brand within the Swatch Group Empire that, from time to time introduces something that calls upon their rich heritage. The Visodate and Navigator are good examples. It’s nice to see that they’re not always about T-Touch despite the fact that we love the watch. So, this year in 2016 at Baselworld, I was excited to see an interesting release from the brand based upon an early pocketwatch that was often converted to a wristwatch. It’s big, it’s not overly practical, but it gets my vote as one of the more interesting and enjoyable niche releases from a major brand this year. Enter the Tissot 1936 Heritage.
The original Tissot pocketwatch – forms the basis for the Tissot 1936 Heritage (photo credit bubba48 on watchuseek.com)
The Tissot 1936 Heritage is based upon the above designed pocketwatch from – naturally 1936. In the case of the new piece, it’s stainless steel with a diameter of 45mm – remember, it’s based off of a pocketwatch – and features a nicely made pull-through leather strap that is removed in the same manner as a NATO strap.
The ETA 6948 manual wind movement in the Tissot 1936 Heritage can be seen via the rear-hinged case back.
One thing I enjoyed about seeing the Tissot 1936 Heritage is the fact it contains a manual wind movement. It has ETA/Unitas 6948 inside and, in a further nod to its pocketwatch heritage, the movement can be seen via a hinged case back. This movement is the same found in Tissot’s current Bridgeport pocket watch. Amazingly, the watch has 50m of water resistance, and it does feature sapphire crystals.
The Tissot 1936 Heritage sports some cool wire lugs
The dial on the Tissot 1936 Heritage is nicely done if not a bit bright and flat for me, but I appreciate the brand staying away from the faux patina look.
The Tissot 1936 Heritage sports a thick case, a pull-through leather strap and a signed crown.
The case is wonderfully round and equipped with a large signed – albeit using the modern Tissot “T” – crown.
The Tissot 1936 Heritage – note the rear case access lip in the lower right hand corner.
Tissot informed us that the Tissot 1936 Heritage should be released in the June/July timeframe at a price of roughly 1000 Euros. Yes, it’s big but it wears well in a jeans and flannel type way that seems to be so popular right now. I’m happy that Tissot continues to draw on their history and I’m even happier that this new piece is manual wind. Let’s hope that the brand continues to explore this path.
Head to tissotwatches.com for more info on the brand.
