TISSOT

Tissot is a luxury Swiss watchmaker company founded in 1853 by Charles-Felicien Tissot and his son Charles-Emile Tissot who established the Tissot factory in the Swiss city of Le Locle, in the Neuchatel area of the Jura Mountains.
Tissot should not be confused with Mathey-Tissot, a separate Swiss watchmaking firm established by Edmond Mathey-Tissot in 1886.

Tissot introduced the first mass-produced pocket watch and the first pocket watch with two time zones in 1853 and the first anti-magnetic watch in 1929-30. Charles-Emile Tissot left for Russia in 1858 and succeeded in selling their savonnette pocket watches across the Russian Empire. The Tissot company was also the first to make watches out of plastic (IDEA 2001 in 1971), stone (the Alpine granite Rock watch in 1985), mother of pearl (the Pearl watch in 1987), and wood (the Wood watch in 1988). Tissot merged with the Omega watch making family in 1930 and Tissot-Omega watches from this era are sought after by collectors. Tissot's parent company The Swatch Group define Tissot as a "mid-range" brand.
Still based in Le Locle, Switzerland and present in more than 150 countries around the world, Tissot has been a member of The Swatch Group Ltd., the largest watch producer and distributor in the world, since 1983.

Tissot is an official timekeeper for the world championships in cycling, motorcycling, fencing and ice hockey, and was used for the Davis Cup in 1957 and Downhill Skiing in Switzerland in 1938. Tissot was also a key Sponsor for the Formula one teams Lotus, Renault and Sauber. Tissot's first engagement as an official timekeeper was in 1938 where they timed a series of Ski races in Villar, near the company's home town in the Jura mountains.
For early events, handheld stop watches were sufficient to provide official timings. Today Tissot works with various sporting bodies to develop systems to produce ever more accurate timings for specific events. In competitive cycling for instance, sensors are placed on the bikes and track which are then linked by computers to provide track timings and performance data.

Tissot has become known in recent years for its tactile, or "T-Touch," technology; several new watches have touch-sensitive sapphire glasses and include compasses, barometers, altimeters and thermometers. T-Touch watches have been recently featured on Angelina Jolie's wrist in the movies Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life and Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

Famous people who have worn Tissot watches include the actress Sarah Bernhardt, singer Carmen Miranda, Elvis Presley, Grace Kelly, Banassim Kassim and Nelson Mandela. James Stewart also wears a Tissot watch in the movie "Rear Window". Indian actor Kamal Hassan also wears a Tissot watch in the Tamil Movie "Dasavatharam".India's famous actress Deepika Padukone is brand ambassador in India since 2007.

Tissot has been the Official Timekeeper for a multitude of major sports, including MotoGP, Ice Hockey, Cycling, the International Basketball Association (FIBA) the Fencing World Championships, and others, for many years, and being the Official Timekeeper means that Tissot has the privilege and the responsibility of actually timing each of these sports.

• IIHF Official Timekeeper

Tissot has been an official sponsor of the IIHF Ice hockey World Championship since 1996. The prolonged agreement provides the company with a comprehensive package of rights, including perimeter board advertising in prime camera view, hospitality and promotional opportunities in and around the arenas. Tissot will be part of a strong sponsor line-up for the annual championship, including official main sponsor Škoda, which also recently prolonged its involvement through to 2017.

• FIE Official Timekeeper

Tissot is the Official Timekeeper and producer of the Official Watch of the International Fencing Federation (FIE) and the Fencing World Championships. The partnership between the FIE and Tissot dates back to 1996 and and, since then, continues to the present day.

• FIBA Official Timekeeper

FIBA, the International Basketball Federation and Tissot have extended their global partnership for the 2013-2016 period. Tissot’s initial co-operation with FIBA started in 2008 and has since added French star Tony Parker as one of its main brand ambassadors.

• WSBK Official Timekeeper

Tissot is Official Timekeeper and Sponsor of the FIM Superbike World Championship. Tissot’s long-term commitment to the FIM Superbike World Championship is a considerable extension of its existing sponsorship portfolio and acknowledges the strong international scope and fan appeal of the leading road racing series for production-based motorcycles. Tissot's first appearance was at Superbike round in Assen, Netherlands 15-17 April 2011.

• Moto GP Official Timekeeper

Tissot has been the Official Timekeeper of MotoGP since 2001.

• NASCAR Official Timekeeper

In 2006 Tissot was appointed the role of the official timekeeper of NASCAR and Official Watch of NASCAR. Tissot introduced an entire collection of watches aptly named "NASCAR". These watches embody NASCAR with their sporty dials and bold colors.

• Asian Games Official Timekeeper

Tissot has been named Official Timekeeper of the 17th Asian Games Incheon, which will take place from September 19 to the October 4, 2014, in and around Incheon Metropolitan City in the Republic of Korea. Tissot has already been the Official Timekeeper of the Asian Games in 1998, 2002 as well as 2006. For Tissot, it is a perfect platform for demonstrating its dedication to precision in action.

• AFL Official Timekeeper

Tissot is the Official Timekeeper and Official Watch for the Australian Football League (AFL). Tissot may be relatively new to this exciting sport, but the AFL is an established league and wildly popular in Australia, with the largest average attendance, greatest exposure on TV and biggest sponsors.

• CBA Official Timekeeper

Tissot has partnered with the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) as the Official Timekeeper and Official Watch.

• UCI Official Timekeeper

Tissot has been a partner of the International Cycling Union (UCI) since 1995. Tissot renewed 2011 its sponsorship of the UCI for a further six years. As official timekeeper of the UCI, Tissot will receive significant on-site and on-screen exposure at UCI events such as the UCI Road World Championships, UCI Track World Championships, UCI MTB and Trial World Championships, UCI Track Cycling World Cup, UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, and, in a new addition, the UCI BMX World Championships from 2012. The company will also provide an evolving suite of real time information, statistics and results at all these events.

• Commonwealth Games