Tissot Le Locle

A tribute to Tissot’s history

Founded in 1853 in the small town of Le Locle, Tissot quickly became a reference in the world of watchmaking for its precise and well-made watches.

Tissot celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2003 with the Le Locle collection, a tribute to the city where it all began.

At the beginning, only a few models were available in the collection. Nowadays, it has become unmistakable in the brand’s line of products.

Specifications

• Powermatic 80
• Diameter: 39,3mm
• Lug to lug: 48,25mm
• Thickness: 9,75mm
• Lug width: 19mm
• Water Resistance: 30m
• Weight: 67g

Case

This watch is ideal for any formal occasion, with its 39.3mm 316L stainless steel case, 48mm lug to lug, and 10mm thickness. Despite looking a bit big on paper, the thin bezel and short lugs make it wear like a 40mm that will go with almost every wrist. As an example, it wears perfectly on my 19cm wrist.

The case shows two levels of finishing: the bezel and lugs are polished, and the case sides are vertically brushed. 

Non-screwable, the crown at 3 o’clock is polished and stamped with the “T” logo. With a 7mm diameter, it is easy to grip and operate as it is larger than the regular ones. 

The water resistance will stay at 3 bars, but you can’t expect more for a dress watch! 

On top of this nicely finished case is a flat sapphire crystal, which keeps the overall look very classical. 
Moreover, it spotlights this incredible dial and extends it in collaboration with the thin bezel despite the relatively short diameter of the case. 

Looking at the back, I have nothing more to say than WOW! 

Instead of going for a simple sapphire case back, Tissot opted for a stainless steel one with two windows, allowing us to see the ETA 2824-2 with its decorated rotor and bridge. It also features “Tissot” and “1853” very nicely engraved at the center.

Dial

The dial is clearly a key component of this watch’s awesome look.

At the center sits a nice checkered-styled disc, a pattern we can also find on the minute track on the edge of the dial. Despite being machine-made, it really elevates the watch to a more formal yet less boring level.

In between the two checkered zones is the ring with roman numerals and raised indices. On this model they are painted black, but on other variants they can be silver-colored.

At 3 o’clock is the date window. It easily integrates into the dial with the white-colored date wheel.

At 12′ can be seen the inscriptions “Tissot”, “1853” and at 6’, “Le Locle”, “Powermatic 80”, the name of the watch and the movement powering the watch.

Looking at the hands, Tissot used some polished leaf-styled hands, giving some nice reflections.

Movement

A Swiss Made Powermatic 80 – 23 jewels is beating inside this Le Locle.Well known in the industry, the Powermatic 80 is a solid movement/workhorse based on the ETA 2824-2. It comes with a higher power reserve (80h instead of 38h) and a lower frequency.

In terms of accuracy, the Powermatic 80 is said to run at around 12 seconds/day. However, mine runs at a great -5 seconds/day!

Bracelets

You can buy the Le Locle on two different bracelets; mine came with the black crocodile-style leather, but you can also find one with a metal bracelet. Concerning the leather, it takes a bit of time to “break,” but once done, the watch is super comfortable and lightweight. The polished deploying clasp adds a bit of class to the bracelet with the “T” logo engraved on it and creates continuity with the case polishing.

Moreover, the metal bracelet is said to be nice for the price category of the watch; it tapers from 19mm to 16mm at the clasp, which is a milled-butterfly one. It changes the look of the LeLocle to a more vintage one.

Source: tissotwatches.com

Conclusion

To summarize, the Le Locle is a very good watch and great value for money. It feels and looks way more expensive than it is thanks to the dial pattern and the several levels of polishing. Also, the caseback is a huge wow factor for everybody looking at it with this sweet looking Powermatic 80.

The bracelet is the cherry on the cake; the nice and super comfortable leather with the polished deploying clasp keeps the overall look very classy. With a weight of 67g, you might forget it’s on your wrist!