Tissot was founded in 1853 by Charles-Félicien Tissot and his son, Charles-Émile Tissot in Le Locle. The father and son team initially worked out of their house, finding early success with selling pocket watches in the Russian Empire which led to establishing a branch in Moscow.
Alliance with Omega and the Swatch Group
Tissot formed the Société Suisse pour l’Industrie Horlogère (SSIH) with Omega and Lemania in 1930 in response to the global financial collapse, resulting in an era of Tissot-Omega watches that bore both companies’ names. By 1999, the partnership became known as the Swatch Group which remains the parent company of both Tissot and Omega to this day. Other stablemates include Blancpain, Breguet, Certina, Glashütte Original, Hamilton, Longines, and Rado.
Early Involvement in Formula 1
While most motorsport fans may associate Tissot as the long time official timekeeper of MotoGP, the brand has previously enjoyed a rich history in Formula 1. The 1965 release of the Tissot PR 516 served as a prelude, featuring a rally-style strap.
After several years of sponsorships in the World Rally Championship, Tissot made their first appearance in F1 with Loris Kessel in 1976. Kessel entered five races that season with RAM Racing, driving a Brabham BT44.
The Tissot F1 collection was launched in 1978, with the brand continuing their involvement in F1 with Team Renault Alpine and Lotus Team until 1982. Tissot would later return to the F1 grid in 1994 with the Sauber Mercedes Team.
Official Timekeeper of MotoGP
Tissot made the switch to two-wheeled Grand Prix racing in 2001 when it became the Official Timekeeper of MotoGP, a role that continues to this day. In addition to providing an exclusive watch for pole position in each class at each race weekend, Tissot have also since taken on sponsorship of select Grand Prix events as well as MotoGP sprint races starting in 2023.
V8 MotoGP Chronograph
Released in 2003, Tissot’s first ever official MotoGP timepiece had a limited run of 999 pieces and was based on their V8 chronograph. The phrase “Official Timekeeper” appears above the 6:00 subdial, and the MotoGP logo features on the case back. The limited timepiece came in a collector’s box along with 16 medallions, one for each MotoGP circuit from the 2003 season. There appears to be no publicly available information on its reference number.
T-Race MotoGP Chronographs
The partnership introduced the T-Race chronograph, which have since served as the platform for Tissot’s official MotoGP models. One automatic and one quartz MotoGP edition has generally been released each year. The first ever skeleton dial T-Race (ref. T141.462.27.041.00), limited to 2,025 pieces, was introduced to the lineup in 2025.
T-Race MotoGP Rider Editions
Tissot began creating rider edition quartz chronographs starting with Nicky Hayden in 2006. They generally have had the same design as the standard MotoGP quartz models with a different color scheme. Other riders to have T-Race models have since included Jorge Lorenzo, Marc Marquez, Thomas Lüthi, Tito Rabat, Bradley Smith, and Stefan Bradl. Seven-time MotoGP race winner Enea Bastianini was also announced as a Tissot ambassador in 2023.
Partnership with Kessel Racing
Kessel Classics and the Kessel Racing team are owned by the family of Loris Kessel, and Tissot established a partnership with the family operation in 2018. The Swiss brand worked with Loris’s son and brand ambassador Ronnie Kessel to release the Tissot Heritage 1973 Chronograph Limited Edition in 2019. Inspired by the 1973 Tissot Navigator, the Heritage 1973 had a limited run of 1,973 pieces and retains much of the original design. Major updates include a sapphire crystal, a third subdial and relocated date window, and a larger case size.
Following the success of the Heritage 1973, Tissot released a non-limited version in different dial options. While neither models are outright affiliated with Kessel, the strong ties make them worth a mention.
Related Pages
References
https://wornandwound.com/history-tissot/
https://www.tissotwatches.com/media/downloadable/pocket_book_en.pdf
https://wornandwound.com/watches-and-f1-tissot-lotus-f1/
https://www.tissotwatches.com/en-us/history-carracing.html
https://www.tissotwatches.com/en-en/tissot-world-sport-partnerships
https://www.timezone.com/2003/09/02/new-model-tissot-v8-official-motogp-watch-61303/
https://www.instagram.com/p/DGVivj4xK0g/
https://www.instagram.com/p/DGdRKdEx_i1/
https://www.europastar.com/news/1003316469-tissot-ambassador-nicky-hayden-becomes-the-2006.html
https://www.ablogtowatch.com/tissot-t-race-motogp-2012-automatic-chronograph-watch-review/
https://sponsorship.org/tissot-to-continue-as-official-timekeeper-of-motogp/
https://masterhorologer.com/2009/05/07/tissot-2009-t-race-thomas-luthi-limited-edition-quartz-chronograph-steel-case/
https://www.professionaljeweller.com/tissot-welcomes-new-uk-brand-ambassador/
https://nationaljeweler.com/articles/6494-motorcyclist-lorenzo-joins-tissot-team-of-ambassadors
https://www.ethoswatches.com/the-watch-guide/motogp-special-ethos-exclusive-tissot-t-race/
https://www.ethoswatches.com/the-watch-guide/tissot-t-sport-motogp-editions-review/
https://www.se-check.com/tito-rabat-becomes-tissot-ambassador/
https://de.watchpro.com/motogp-wunderkind-enea-bastianini-als-neuer-tissot-botschafter-vorgestellt/
https://www.sportcal.com/sponsorship/tissot-and-dorna-sports-renew-long-standing-motogp-partnership/
https://monochrome-watches.com/first-look-tissot-t-race-moto-gp-75th-anniversary-
chronograph-valjoux-a05-series-live-pics-specs-price/
https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/tissot-heritage-1973-chronograph-hands-on
https://monochrome-watches.com/tissot-heritage-1973-chronograph-review-price/