# Why buy a sheep model Tissot?



## AndrewSo (Mar 1, 2010)

I adore Tissot, I really do. The Bridgeport is a magnificent piece and don't even get me started on the 2010 T-Lord. And the Heritage collection? 









Which leads me to my question. With so many offerings from this budget-friendly Swatch subsidiary, why buy a sheep model Tissot? I spend an unhealthy amount of time on the forums and the majority of the Tissots I see are Le Locles and PRC200 variants. With these two models being bought en masse, the demand has invariably led to the production of an overwhelming amount of Chinese counterfeits. It saddens me when I come to the Tissot forum and half of the threads are entitled "Is my watch fake?", "Is my PRC200 real?", and "Ebay seller peddling fake Le Locle?". In my head, I'm screaming the solution to myself: BUY SOMETHING DIFFERENT!

This thread isn't meant to bash PRC200 and Le Locle owners. I appreciate the simple, classical proportions of the PRC200 and I have expressed my desire for a Le Locle many times in the past. However, I can't help but think, with Tissot producing watches that look like this...










Why settle for "the usual" offerings?

*The picture, unfortunately, does not belong to me.


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## Washburn (May 19, 2010)

AndrewSo said:


> I can't help but think, with Tissot producing watches that look like this...
> Why settle for "the usual" offerings?


Perhaps some members don't have the financial means necessary to buy the Tissots that you mentioned?
The PRC200 and LeLeocles are a lot of watch for the money, and they look and feel like much more expensive watches...IMO.

(I do agree that waiting and saving to get a genuine watch is best/only way to go, however, one cannot blame people who get *genuine* PRC200 or a LeLocle, despite the popularity resulting in fakes...Just because there are fakes, i would not want to refrain from buying the real thing, if I like it)

I myself wanted a Tissot a bit less common, so I went with a PR50 2000 series chrono.


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## mleok (Feb 16, 2010)

Well, I think that the popularity of the Le Locle and PRC200 is that they are such canonical examples of two of the major genres of watches: the dress watch, and the sporty chronograph. Certainly, one of the attractions of the Tissot range of watches is the value proposition, and the fact that these two watches are exceptional watches for affordable prices are in no small part responsible for their appeal.

With regards to the Tissot Bridgeport which you mentioned, aside from the price issue, it has a less clearly defined appeal, since it has aspects of a dressy watch, like the roman numerals, gold accents, and guilloche dial, but yet it is a chronograph, which conflicts with the dressy aspects of the watch. In my mind, this particular Tissot is likely to have a more limited appeal.

I have a Tissot Le Locle with the roman numerals dial, and I came to this because I was looking for a dress watch with an automatic movement. The affordable price, wonderful guilloche dial, and the beautiful vintage caseback sold me on this watch.

I think in general, most people decide first on the type of watch they are looking for, be it a dress watch, dive watch, or something else, and then seek out options from the various brands at the price point they are considering, and therefore the watches which are classic interpretations of the main types of watches, tend to be more popular than watches with more specialized or ill-defined roles.


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## Ryan Alden (Nov 19, 2008)

AndrewSo said:


> In my head, I'm screaming the solution to myself: BUY SOMETHING DIFFERENT!


thanks for your reminding alarm, Andrew. if my country's AD Tissot have _completely complete_ collection, half of my collection will consist of Tissot. it is easier to find 1973 Speedmaster with 95% condition and never been serviced because of the previous owner is almost never wear it, or it's a lot easier to buy Seiko MM300 or Seiko Spring Drive. you know the answer, mate. . Tissot is the specially rare species in my country. they offering only best selling item. we know that auto PRC 200 is sold in worldwide for almost 1.5 - 2 years from now, and I *never* see it sold in *any* of my country's AD.

Ryan


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## k33k0z (Nov 19, 2009)

yeah...me too..i'm studying in foreign country...and it hard to find tissot watches with automatic movement in AD store...most are quartz movement...and i love the automatic with chronograph...the only i can find here in AD store is prc200 auto chrono..no Le locle, prs516 auto n etc...


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## watchoclock (Jun 6, 2010)

> why buy a sheep model Tissot?


It's a sheep model for a reason, those things are just so damn sexy! Why buy a watch just to be different? Buy one you love.

p.s. totally clicked the wrong reply button, my bad


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## jmerrey (Mar 26, 2010)

While i will agree that the Le Locle and prc200 quartz chrono are a bit "common" on this board, they are still rare in the real world. However, I am in complete agreement about the "ebay: thing, and purchasing out of your means. If the watch you want is $500, and you only have $200 to spend, by all means save for awhile and then purchase it at your local AD. You'll be so much happier in the long run. Bargain shopping in this realm only leads to doubt.


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## ohmegah (Dec 16, 2008)

To each his own, I guess.

My personal opinion is that I'd be looking at other brands in the price range of the Bridgeport (MSRP +/- $3100, pre-loved less 50%) if the style of the Bridgeport wasn't what I liked... Tissot's value and strength lies in the +/- $500 range. More than this, I believe there are better offerings out there, even within the Swatch group of brands.

Glad you like yours, though :-!


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## mleok (Feb 16, 2010)

ohmegah said:


> To each his own, I guess.
> 
> My personal opinion is that I'd be looking at other brands in the price range of the Bridgeport (MSRP +/- $3100, pre-loved less 50%) if the style of the Bridgeport wasn't what I liked... Tissot's value and strength lies in the +/- $500 range. More than this, I believe there are better offerings out there, even within the Swatch group of brands.
> 
> Glad you like yours, though :-!


The Bridgeport which the OP showed has a MSRP of $1595, and the all gold version has a MSRP of $4495. But I nevertheless agree with the basic premise of your post, that Tissot's competitive niche is in the $500 range, and if one deviates significantly from that, there are plenty of other brands worth considering.


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## Close 2 Cool (May 22, 2009)

mleok said:


> The Bridgeport which the OP showed has a MSRP of $1595, and the all gold version has a MSRP of $4495. But I nevertheless agree with the basic premise of your post, that Tissot's competitive niche is in the $500 range, and if one deviates significantly from that, there are plenty of other brands worth considering.


 +1

My Tissot was just shy of $700, where as my two $1,000+ automatics are Breitling. That said, if Tissot made a watch that appealed to me at a higher price point I would have no problem buying it. I do also agree with the OP though, to buy something different, and why not save a while if you have to. For most of my life I've been a one watch guy who bought what I thought was a good watch on a lower budget, and one I could easily afford. It wasn't until about a year ago that all hell broke loose. :-!

I do like the fact I seem to be the only person who owns one of these!


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## AndrewSo (Mar 1, 2010)

mleok said:


> Well, I think that the popularity of the Le Locle and PRC200 is that they are such canonical examples of two of the major genres of watches: the dress watch, and the sporty chronograph. Certainly, one of the attractions of the Tissot range of watches is the value proposition, and the fact that these two watches are exceptional watches for affordable prices are in no small part responsible for their appeal.
> 
> With regards to the Tissot Bridgeport which you mentioned, aside from the price issue, it has a less clearly defined appeal, since it has aspects of a dressy watch, like the roman numerals, gold accents, and guilloche dial, but yet it is a chronograph, which conflicts with the dressy aspects of the watch. In my mind, this particular Tissot is likely to have a more limited appeal.
> 
> ...


This is the reply I agree with the most. However, while chronos are traditionally thought of as "sporty" watches, they can function as formal timepieces. For some examples, you can check out Donut's watches in this thread:
https://www.watchuseek.com/showthread.php?t=304947&highlight=donut&page=2

What's disappointing to me is that even though Tissot offer such a wide variety of watches, I rarely see the more unique ones offered by online dealers. My local AD only offered PRC200s, PRC50s and T-Touches :-(. It's tough to see most of the more beautiful Tissots at such a high price-point, forcing them to clash head-to-head with tougher competitors.

On a side note, I think I'm the only person in the whole world who's excited about the 2010 T-Lord chrono :think:...


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## Barnaby (Jul 21, 2008)

...or you could do what I did.

I love the design of the black-dialed LeLocle chronograph, but wanted it to look slightly different, so I changed out the flat crystal for curved and changed the white date wheels for black ones. Now I have something that looks almost exactly like others, but seems somehow subtly altered.

One day in the future, I am actually considering changing out the standard 7750 inside for a chronometer-quality version, along with all of the appropriate decorations, such as perlage, blued screws and cotes de geneve. I actually really like the idea of a watch that appears to be _nearly_ the same as those that others have, but better in ways that mostly can't be seen.

I'd post a photo, but only have a 'phone camera.


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## mleok (Feb 16, 2010)

A domed crystal certainly adds to the vintage feel of a Le Locle. Where were you able to source a domed sapphire crystal? Or, did you go with a domed mineral glass crystal instead because of the substantial premium that a domed sapphire crystal commands?


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## Guest (Jun 7, 2010)

This is only my second Tissot, I bought it on Friday. I didn't buy it to join the herd or whatever, I bought it because I liked how it looks. In the real world I have only ever seen one other person wearing a Tissot, a T-Touch, so for my money it was worth it to get something a little different. Also, I haven't seen that many Tissots in the jewelery shops here in Dublin, they do stock them, just not a huge selection. The only place I have seen the Le Locle is on this forum.


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## Barnaby (Jul 21, 2008)

mleok said:


> A domed crystal certainly adds to the vintage feel of a Le Locle. Where were you able to source a domed sapphire crystal? Or, did you go with a domed mineral glass crystal instead because of the substantial premium that a domed sapphire crystal commands?


My watchmaker was not able to get a domed sapphire of sufficient diameter, so it is mineral glass - but I am on the lookout and, if I find a sapphire crystal of the right size, I will happily grab it regardless of price. It's a sort of long-term obsession. I suspect that the watch will continue to have changes made to it over time.


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## dustoncross (Sep 13, 2006)

This morning I told my dear wife that it looks like I am becoming a Tissot Shepherd so she picked up this Desire for me at an unbelievable USD120.00 at a Tissot AD by the shopping Mall. Now besides my flock of 5 Le Locle sheep, I now have this different, not so common piece. Lovely nonetheless. I first saw the Le Locle in 2007 and immediately fell in love with it. Within 3 months I bought the white chrono then the black chrono and 3 other non-chrono Le Locle. That is how much I loved Lamb... Ooops, I mean sheep.. Le Locle sheep watches. And it's perfectly alright to love them, I believe. I am still looking for another "sun beam" Le Locle for safe-keeping. Sorry for the poor quality pictures.

Regards to ALL


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## JohnnyMonkey (Apr 27, 2009)

dustoncross said:


> This morning I told my dear wife that it looks like I am becoming a Tissot Shepherd so she picked up this Desire for me at an unbelievable USD120.00 at a Tissot AD by the shopping Mall. Now besides my flock of 5 Le Locle sheep, I now have this different, not so common piece. Lovely nonetheless. I first saw the Le Locle in 2007 and immediately fell in love with it. Within 3 months I bought the white chrono then the black chrono and 3 other non-chrono Le Locle. That is how much I loved Lamb... Ooops, I mean sheep.. Le Locle sheep watches. And it's perfectly alright to love them, I believe. I am still looking for another "sun beam" Le Locle for safe-keeping. Sorry for the poor quality pictures.
> 
> Regards to ALL


Very nice little collection of watches you have there........the Le Locle sure is a beaut :-!


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## Ryan Alden (Nov 19, 2008)

AndrewSo said:


> What's disappointing to me is that even though Tissot offer such a wide variety of watches, I rarely see the more unique ones offered by online dealers. My local AD only offered PRC200s, PRC50s and T-Touches :-(. It's tough to see most of the more beautiful Tissots at such a high price-point, forcing them to clash head-to-head with tougher competitors.


so you had same Tissot distribution issue with me here, mate. someone have to fix it. Tissot fan is as huge as others' fan.


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## mleok (Feb 16, 2010)

I have the Le Locle with a white face and roman numerals, but I also like the look of the Tissot Desire. Indeed, it a much simpler and cleaner design, and seems a bit more appropriate for everyday wear.










I've been trying to find a place to find the Tissot Desire with the black leather strap (T52.1.421.13), but it doesn't seem to be very common, even online, and I haven't been able to find one for sale from an online authorized dealer, with the exception of the Tissot online store at the MSRP of $225.

Out of curiosity, do you have the model number for the one with the brown strap which you got, and was the AD which you purchased the watch from a chain jeweler? I should probably check out some of the local ADs to see if I can a good deal on this watch.

I guess another possibility is the Tissot Dream (T033.410.16.013.00), but I'm not as keen about the hands on the Dream. The Tissot Desire evokes the Patek Philippe Calatrava 5120.


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## sci (Aug 6, 2009)

I am the only one I know personally, who wears Le Locle. And I know at least 10-15 people with Tissot's. The popularity in the forum doesn't necessary mean popularity among the mass customers. I would be interested to see official Tissot statistics about the quantity of produced watches by model


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## mleok (Feb 16, 2010)

Watch enthusiasts tend to have a preference for mechanical movements that is not shared by the general public. I imagine that this would make the Le Locle less popular in the general population than would be suggested by this forum.

When I visited my local Ben Bridges, which is a Tissot authorized dealer, there was only one Le Locle in the entire store, out of perhaps 30 Tissots on display. As suggested in the prior posts, the mechanical Tissots are not generally as popular, and as a consequence, can be difficult to find at ADs in many countries.


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## dustoncross (Sep 13, 2006)

Yes, it does remind me of some Patek Philippe designs. Very nice. Mine came with a black leather strap originally but I got an after market brown strap for it just for a different look. For formal wear, it looks much better on black leather but the tan leather does give it an aged look.:-!

I am quite lucky in that there are no less than 6 independent Tissot ADs here on the tiny island of Penang (Georgetown) where I currently live. And they are quite well stocked and are willing to place an order for a particular Tissot if they do not have it.

I liked the Dream until I discovered the movement inside and checked it out on the ETA site. At least the Desire has the ETA F06.111 which you can find in many expensive watches from up market brands retailing at almost 10 times the price of the Desire. I kid you not! Take a look at the Quartz Aquaracer.
Tissot makes very nice watches and for now it's within reach for most people. 

The Le Locle isn't the most popular model so says the AD. The T-Touch and PRS516 Chrono are selling a lot more. Maybe it's not the same in different countries?

It's quite a nice thing to be wearing a Tissot while reading the little novel "The story of a watch company" and imagine being with the writer as he travels to such wonderful places.. with a hot cup of coffee by my side.
Here's to Chs. Tissot & Fils.

Regards to ALL


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## AndrewSo (Mar 1, 2010)

mleok said:


> Out of curiosity, do you have the model number for the one with the brown strap which you got, and was the AD which you purchased the watch from a chain jeweler? I should probably check out some of the local ADs to see if I can a good deal on this watch.
> 
> I guess another possibility is the Tissot Dream (T033.410.16.013.00), but I'm not as keen about the hands on the Dream. The Tissot Desire evokes the Patek Philippe Calatrava 5120.


At the bottom of my post, I made this footnote.


AndrewSo said:


> *The picture, unfortunately, does not belong to me.


The reference number is T71.0.427.33 and good luck pushing the price below $1k. The 18k gold is what's pushing the price up but I found an internet dealer that will sell it for about $1,100. I would love to save for one but I currently have my eye on a Stowa Antea. If the Tissot Desire were mechanical, I would jump on it in a heartbeat.


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## mleok (Feb 16, 2010)

dustoncross said:


> I liked the Dream until I discovered the movement inside and checked it out on the ETA site. At least the Desire has the ETA F06.111 which you can find in many expensive watches from up market brands retailing at almost 10 times the price of the Desire. I kid you not! Take a look at the Quartz Aquaracer.


Thanks for pointing out the difference in the movement. The Desire has the ETA F06.111, as you mentioned, and the Dream has the ETA 805.112. I haven't been able to find out much about the two movements, apart from the fact that the ETA F06.111 has been used in the Tag Heuer Formula One quartz, and that the ETA 805.112 is a relatively new movement from ETA.

I am not sure if this accounts for the difference in MSRP, $225 vs. $200, for the Desire vs. the Dream.


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## dustoncross (Sep 13, 2006)

I would definitely prefer to have a Desire with an Automatic movement but it would have to be much bigger and that would defeat what the Desire was designed to fulfill, a beautiful slim classic Swiss wrist watch on leather at only 34mm. 

Frankly I do not know what the watch is going to look like on my 7.5 inch wrist. I expect it will look small but that's how it was in the old days so it has quite a historical aspect too, IMHO. So wearing this watch could very well be like wearing an antique in a way perhaps? The 38mm Classic Dream is of a more contemporary size.. if only Tissot used the F06.111 instead and a different type of hands..

I have often observed the ETA F06.111 in many many watches over the years and never ever heard of any problems. It is of partial steel construction, has 3 jewels and is pretty accurate. The 805.112 is basically plastic. I am not implying that it's not good in anyway, just that for some reason I personally prefer the look and proven reliability, and popularity of the F06.111

The ETA 805.112 reminds me of the Miyota 2115.

Tomorrow I shall put on my Desire and continue reading "The story of a watch company"

Cheers to ALL


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## rageshgr (Apr 6, 2013)

Sorry for the bump, but I think it would be a crime not to mention this
Tissot Men's T0454071103300 Bridgeport Silver Automatic








A bit pricier than Locle, but oh my god!, pulchritude personified and ETA 2892-A2. The coin bezel, onion crown, and the Breguet ish hands. How could one not fall head over heals in love with one?
It resembled some > 1000 dollar watches like FC 303 series and RW Maestro


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## Donf (Jul 11, 2006)

rageshgr said:


> Sorry for the bump, but I think it would be a crime not to mention this
> Tissot Men's T0454071103300 Bridgeport Silver Automatic


Resurrecting a 3 year old thread with an watch that has nothing to do with the original post - and apparently one you don't have pictures of - is not a crime.

BUT IT SHOULD BE!!!!

Start a new thread next time


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## rageshgr (Apr 6, 2013)

Donf said:


> Resurrecting a 3 year old thread with an watch that has nothing to do with the original post - and apparently one you don't have pictures of - is not a crime.
> 
> BUT IT SHOULD BE!!!!
> 
> Start a new thread next time


How is it irrelevent? The OP never said anything about "chronographs only", I am giving one more option in this thread so that anyone who reads this thread and considers and thinks anything other than LeLocle Visodate or PRC is too costly, can consider Birdgeport coz it is not too costly but it is rarer and more beautiful than LeLocle, Viso or PRC (in my humble opinion)

Is there any rule that I should have pictures of it personally? And, why should I start a new thread? for what?

Nitpicking others' post and finding fault is not a crime, "but it should be" chill


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## Donf (Jul 11, 2006)

rageshgr said:


> How is it irrelevent? The OP never said anything about "chronographs only", I am giving one more option in this thread so that anyone who reads this thread and considers and thinks anything other than LeLocle Visodate or PRC is too costly, can consider Birdgeport coz it is not too costly but it is rarer and more beautiful than LeLocle, Viso or PRC (in my humble opinion)
> 
> Is there any rule that I should have pictures of it personally? And, why should I start a new thread? for what?
> 
> Nitpicking others' post and finding fault is not a crime, "but it should be" chill


It's an over three year old thread, nobody - except apparently you- going to read it. The vast majority of people on these forums dislike "zombie threads". I was trying to be polite. Your own photos would lend some credibility to your opinion, while you can't be exxpected to own every watch you post about when you dig up something 3 years old I kinda want to see some real reason for the post other than a "I saw this picture on line and I like it better". Not a requirment but if I am going to have to search for the new post I like to feel like I got something out of my time spent.
Again, how about a new thread - "What do you all think about the Tissot Men's T0454071103300 Bridgeport Silver Automatic?" Or an "Anybody own a....."
Bet you'd get some responses.
Actually, I am (was) chilled. I get ugly when I'm all riled up.


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## rageshgr (Apr 6, 2013)

It was not a "I saw this pic" post. My post was a response, not to get responses.


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