Mathey-Tissot
Encyclopedia
Mathey-Tissot is a Swiss
watch
maker of prestige watches, originally established in the late 19th century by Edmond Mathey-Tissot at Les Ponts-de-Martel
in the canton
of Neuchâtel in Switzerland
. It should not be confused with Tissot
, a completely separate Swiss watchmaking firm established by Charles-Felicien Tissot.
business at the village of Les Ponts-de-Martel in 1886. He began by specializing in complications
, and especially repeater pocket watches, that is, watches which chime the minute and/or the hour and quarter-hour. The firm soon proceeded to make chronograph
s and won a number of prizes.
In 1899, the outbreak of the Second Boer War
led to such an expansion in demand for Mathey-Tissot watches that a new factory was built. Among the orders received was one from a nobleman in Scotland who commissioned 2,500 watches, having decided to present every man in his son's regiment
with a repeater watch: in gold for officers, silver for other ranks.
In 1914, Mathey-Tissot was represented at the Kew Observatory
Competition by six Observatory Chronometer
s capable of split-second timing, all six being rated 'Class A' with the comment 'specially good'. The same year, Mathey-Tissot gained the Grand Prix at the Swiss National Exhibition. During the First World War, the company supplied the United States Army
's Corps of Engineers
with precision chronographs in large quantities, while General Pershing
, commanding the United States Expeditionary Force
, chose the watch to award to members of his own staff. Both before and after the Second World War, the company continued to supply the U. S. Army and the Royal Navy
.
The name 'E. Mathey-Tissot & Co.' was protected by trademark
in the United States
in 1937.
The firm at one time had good relations with China
and made watches of Chinese designs for that market which have been described as "complicated and painstaking pieces... in the realm of superior watchmaking".
In 1969 and 1970, Elvis Presley
bought several dozen customized
Mathey-Tissot automatic watch
es for giving to family, friends, and staff, the purpose being to identify the wearers as having a privileged right of access to Presley's concerts and tours. For this object, a bezel setting
was created with the name ELVIS PRESLEY in raised letters and four stars.
movements. The company's logo
is similar to the symbol of the British Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
, but turned upside-down, with the words Mathey-Tissot in manuscript, above the printed words "since 1886".
The name of Mathey-Tissot is registered with the World Intellectual Property Organization
, under the company name E. Mathey-Tissot & Co SA, of Boulevard de Pérolle, Fribourg
, Switzerland.
Swiss Made
Swiss Made is a label used to indicate that a product was made in Switzerland.-Overview:The wording was formally adopted in the late 19th century and is unique in that most other countries use the phrase "Made in ". The most obvious place where the label is found is on Swiss watches...
watch
Watch
A watch is a small timepiece, typically worn either on the wrist or attached on a chain and carried in a pocket, with wristwatches being the most common type of watch used today. They evolved in the 17th century from spring powered clocks, which appeared in the 15th century. The first watches were...
maker of prestige watches, originally established in the late 19th century by Edmond Mathey-Tissot at Les Ponts-de-Martel
Les Ponts-de-Martel
Les Ponts-de-Martel is a municipality in the district of Le Locle in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland.-Geography:Les Ponts-de-Martel has an area, , of . Of this area, or 59.2% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 30.5% is forested...
in the canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of Neuchâtel in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. It should not be confused with Tissot
Tissot
Tissot is a luxury Swiss watchmaker company founded in 1853 by Charles-Félicien Tissot and his son Charles-Émile Tissot who established the Tissot factory in the Swiss city of Le Locle, in the Neuchâtel area of the Jura Mountains....
, a completely separate Swiss watchmaking firm established by Charles-Felicien Tissot.
History
Edmond Mathey-Tissot established his watchmakingWatchmaker
A watchmaker is an artisan who makes and repairs watches. Since virtually all watches are now factory made, most modern watchmakers solely repair watches. However, originally they were master craftsmen who built watches, including all their parts, by hand...
business at the village of Les Ponts-de-Martel in 1886. He began by specializing in complications
Complication (horology)
In horology , complication refers to any feature in a timepiece beyond the simple display of hours, minutes, and seconds.A timepiece indicating only hours, minutes, and seconds is otherwise known as a simple movement...
, and especially repeater pocket watches, that is, watches which chime the minute and/or the hour and quarter-hour. The firm soon proceeded to make chronograph
Chronograph
A chronograph is a timepiece or watch with both timekeeping and stopwatch functions as well as other functions. Pocket watch chronographs were produced as early as the 18th century but did not become popular until the 1820s...
s and won a number of prizes.
In 1899, the outbreak of the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
led to such an expansion in demand for Mathey-Tissot watches that a new factory was built. Among the orders received was one from a nobleman in Scotland who commissioned 2,500 watches, having decided to present every man in his son's regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
with a repeater watch: in gold for officers, silver for other ranks.
In 1914, Mathey-Tissot was represented at the Kew Observatory
Kew Observatory
Kew Observatory was an astronomical and terrestrial magnetic observatoryfounded by King George III , located within the Old Deer Park of the former Richmond Palace in Richmond, Surrey, now within Greater London. The former royal manor of Kew lies to the immediate north...
Competition by six Observatory Chronometer
Observatory Chronometer
In the world of mechanical timepieces, accuracy is paramount. In the times before electronics, mechanical timepieces called marine chronometers were developed to a very high degree of accuracy and used for maritime navigation...
s capable of split-second timing, all six being rated 'Class A' with the comment 'specially good'. The same year, Mathey-Tissot gained the Grand Prix at the Swiss National Exhibition. During the First World War, the company supplied the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
's Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
with precision chronographs in large quantities, while General Pershing
John J. Pershing
John Joseph "Black Jack" Pershing, GCB , was a general officer in the United States Army who led the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I...
, commanding the United States Expeditionary Force
American Expeditionary Force
The American Expeditionary Forces or AEF were the United States Armed Forces sent to Europe in World War I. During the United States campaigns in World War I the AEF fought in France alongside British and French allied forces in the last year of the war, against Imperial German forces...
, chose the watch to award to members of his own staff. Both before and after the Second World War, the company continued to supply the U. S. Army and the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
.
The name 'E. Mathey-Tissot & Co.' was protected by trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1937.
The firm at one time had good relations with China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and made watches of Chinese designs for that market which have been described as "complicated and painstaking pieces... in the realm of superior watchmaking".
In 1969 and 1970, Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
bought several dozen customized
Personalization
Personalization involves using technology to accommodate the differences between individuals. Once confined mainly to the Web, it is increasingly becoming a factor in education, health care Personalization involves using technology to accommodate the differences between individuals. Once confined...
Mathey-Tissot automatic watch
Automatic watch
An automatic or self-winding watch is a mechanical watch, whose mainspring is wound automatically by the natural motion of the wearer's arm, providing energy to run the watch, to make it unnecessary to manually wind the watch. A watch which is not self-winding is called a manual watch...
es for giving to family, friends, and staff, the purpose being to identify the wearers as having a privileged right of access to Presley's concerts and tours. For this object, a bezel setting
Bezel setting
A bezel is a band of metal containing a groove and a flange holding a watch crystal or gemstone in its setting. This was the earliest method of setting gemstones into jewelry...
was created with the name ELVIS PRESLEY in raised letters and four stars.
Present-day
Mathey-Tissot today continues to make and customize watches with both mechanical and quartzQuartz clock
A quartz clock is a clock that uses an electronic oscillator that is regulated by a quartz crystal to keep time. This crystal oscillator creates a signal with very precise frequency, so that quartz clocks are at least an order of magnitude more accurate than good mechanical clocks...
movements. The company's logo
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
is similar to the symbol of the British Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament is an anti-nuclear organisation that advocates unilateral nuclear disarmament by the United Kingdom, international nuclear disarmament and tighter international arms regulation through agreements such as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty...
, but turned upside-down, with the words Mathey-Tissot in manuscript, above the printed words "since 1886".
The name of Mathey-Tissot is registered with the World Intellectual Property Organization
World Intellectual Property Organization
The World Intellectual Property Organization is one of the 17 specialized agencies of the United Nations. WIPO was created in 1967 "to encourage creative activity, to promote the protection of intellectual property throughout the world"....
, under the company name E. Mathey-Tissot & Co SA, of Boulevard de Pérolle, Fribourg
Fribourg
Fribourg is the capital of the Swiss canton of Fribourg and the district of Sarine. It is located on both sides of the river Saane/Sarine, on the Swiss plateau, and is an important economic, administrative and educational center on the cultural border between German and French Switzerland...
, Switzerland.
See also
- List of watch manufactures
- Manufacture d'horlogerieManufacture d'horlogerieManufacture d'horlogerie is a French horological term of art that is also used in English. In horology, the term is usually encountered in its abbreviated form manufacture. This term of art is used when describing either a wrist watch movement/watchworks fabricator or its products...
- Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FHFederation of the Swiss Watch Industry FHThe Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH is the Swiss watch industry's leading trade association.-History:...
External links
- Mathey-Tissot - Les artisants du temps - official web site
- Mathey-Tissot at swiss-made-watches.com
- Elvis Presley watch by Mathey-Tissot, 1969 (illustrated)