I want to start my review with a revelation. Until a couple of weeks ago, I knew nothing about Mathey-Tissot. More precisely, not so! I knew that there is such a brand, I saw his watches for sale. But for some reason I was sure that this was just an offshoot of the more eminent Tissot brand, designed to promote a certain direction of its development. And what was my surprise when I found out that this is a completely separate, independent brand, with more than a glorious centuries-old heritage.
Moments that impressed me:
- The popularity of the brand was brought by pocket watches on repeater mechanisms (watches capable of striking time), which were very popular with British officers. Thanks to their order of several thousand pieces, Edmond Mathieu-Tissot, already in the first decade after the founding of the company, managed to significantly expand his factory.
- The peak of the brand's heyday came in the second half of the 20th century. During this period, the company actively supplied its movements to such eminent brands as Girard-Perregaux, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Breguet, Longines, Piaget, Ulysse Nardin, Vacheron Constantin, IWC, Zenith and many others. However, Mathey-Tissot did not forget about its target audience either. The company kept pace with the times and, in addition to the supply of its mechanisms, actively purchased components from the most famous brands in order to fully satisfy the needs of brand adherents with a high level of quality.
- Until 1977, the company's official logo was a stylized inscription "Mathey-Tissot", which, after re-registration, was replaced by an "inverted Pacific" badge. The company currently uses both logos.
Let's finish the historical background with the most interesting intrigue of the brand - is there anything in common between "Mathey-Tissot" and "Tissot"? As it turned out, in addition to the common name of their founders, the brands have nothing in common. In fairness, it should be noted that there were two periods when:
- in 1919 Mathey-Tissot supplied their movements to Tissot;
- in the 1940s, Mathey-Tissot assembled watches from Tissot components under the Tissot brand.
But to call it something common (or at least cooperation) does not turn out the language.
When I was offered a choice of several models of this brand, I was even confused and asked for a little time. There was plenty to choose from. In some I liked the form factor, in others I liked the interesting colors of the dial or the overall design. However, the legacy of Gerald Genta took its toll, and the choice fell on the Mathey-Tissot H152ATABU model, which is a hommage to the Nautilus model that was released back in 1972.
The highlight of such watches is a wide welt, the octagonal shape of which was rounded to the maximum, and, according to the idea of the creator, symbolizes the porthole of the yacht. It would seem that the design is nothing at all, but for 50 years now it has remained in demand and desired by many watch lovers, to which I include myself.
The welt has a vertical satin finish that sets it apart from the fully polished case. The satin finish is deep, I would even say rough, in the good sense of the word. This solution is both beautiful and practical at the same time.
The integrated bracelet is a continuation of the watch case, the links of which have a polished finish with a central satin finish. Together with the watch case, it all looks like a single whole. The fit on the hand is comfortable. There is a little lack of mobility of the first links from the body, but their anatomically curved position compensates for this shortcoming. The small thickness of the watch at 10 mm will allow you to comfortably wear the watch with any type of cuff, and even more so in the quartz version with a thickness of 8 mm.
The welt is nice, but the face of the watch is the dial, and in this updated model, it is dark blue with a waffle structure. In general, this color is considered universal. It is not as strict as black, not as boring as gray, and not as smart as white. The detailing of the waffle structure is at a high level, but the manufacturer did not stop there and also made the substrate for improvised tiles textured. You can only see it in good light and if you look hard.
Such attention to trifles and details does not leave indifferent. Together, all this looks interesting and beautiful, but there is one small “but”! In some angles, in poor lighting, it all starts to merge and ripple a little. This does not affect the time reading in any way and, most likely, this is just my individual perception. Applied markers and hands are bright white, which glow in the dark with a pleasant green light.
Given the overall style of the watch, the updated logo on the second hand is missing, as if paying tribute to the century-old history of the company and the immortal design of the progenitor. But he found a place at the end of the crown and the butterfly clasp of the bracelet.
What would you like to say in conclusion? Since the beginning of the 21st century, Mathey-Tissot has steadily increased its reputation among Swiss watch brands. All models are assembled at Mathey-Tissot's own factory in Switzerland and are equipped exclusively with movements from leading Swiss manufacturers. Yes, now most of the products are hommage to popular models of other brands, but let's be honest - black stripes happen to everyone: this is life and there is no getting away from it.
In such a situation, everyone faces one single question - how to overcome them with the least losses? And if at this stage the path to the formation of "Mathey-Tissot" is through the release of copies, then why not? The main thing is not to stumble on this slippery path and not slide into the bottom of the watch industry.
I wish "Mathey-Tissot" the fastest development and in the near foreseeable future to please us not only with interesting and original models, but also with their own mechanisms.
