Tissot is one of the best budget watchmakers in Switzerland. With its 170 years of legacy which began all the way back in 1853, Tissot is a well-known name watch brand throughout the world.
Among all of the impressive line-ups from Tissot, the Le Locle holds a special place in the brands’ hearts and its admirers. Tissot used the ‘Le Locle’ name to pay a deserving homage to its root and heritage. Classic design mixed with top-shelf craftsmanship is the main factor in the success of this marvelous timepiece. So, our goal is clear – we’ve gathered up some Le Locle models that would offer you the most satisfaction and are definitely worth your attention before you go ahead and buy one.
So, we present you a comprehensive and detailed Tissot Le Locle Review here today. Let’s dive in!
Is Tissot Watches Good?
Tissot makes good and affordable timepieces. No authentic Swiss brand can even come close to Tissot’s middle-range price points when it comes to high-quality Swiss-made watches. Tissot has made this possible mainly because of its systematized manufacturing and taking full advantage of being in the Swatch Group.
Swatch Group is a massive Swiss conglomerate. It owns royal brands like Omega, Longines, and Blancpain. All Swatch Group brands have the benefits of having low manufacturing costs and not having to sacrifice the high Swiss watch quality in the final products. Thus, most of the Tissot watches comes in at an entry-level price ($200 – $1,000). Yet the quality and build-wise remain beyond their price points.
Tissot’s movements can also be found in much more expensive brand watches. For example, take the Omega Seamaster (prized for around $1,000). It uses the same movement as the Tissot Seastar 1000 (priced around $430). Not only that, Tissot provides Sapphire Crystal-made glass. This is one of the best scratch-resistant glasses and is heavily used on expensive watches. Then the thick and high-quality leather straps! They assure utmost comfort and security. So, yes, Tissot watches are an absolute gem among automatic timepieces.
Overviewing The Tissot Le Locle
Tissot began its Le Locle journey with 17 variants. Out of them, we’d take a closer look at the most prominent models of the series such as Valjoux, Powermatic 80, Regulateur, Petite Seconde, and Double Happiness.
In technical terms, Tissot Le Locle is an automatic mechanical watch series — powered by the Tissot’s very own Swiss automatic movements.
Tissot Le Locle models are easily identifiable by the round dials with the leather strap and Roman numerals (some models have Arabic numerals also). Any savvy watch lover can recognize these watches by their see-through case-back.
Only the Le Locle Powermatic 80 has a power reserve time of 80 hours. It’s a big deal because most of the Le Locle automatic watches come with an average power reserve time of 40 hours.
One thing is constant though — each Le Locle possesses such supreme craftsmanship touches that it will make you fall in love with it at a first glance. And don’t forget the price! The price offers a great value proposition!
Our Tissot Le Locle Reviews
Before we start, we must address the common feature that exists in all of our selected models – The Sapphire Crystal! It’s a Tissot trademark feature too! It provides the watch with extremely high impact resistance, superior scratch-resistant screen, and transparent hand readability. Watchmakers use Sapphire because it’s the strongest material after diamonds. Sapphire crystals can also take many forms such as flat, domed, concave, or ground.
Le Locle Valjoux
The Valjoux is the name of the town where Tissot originated. And its dial is fashioned after the clock on the Le Locle Church tower. This model has a special engraved case back that gives the user a glimpse of the beating heart of the timepiece.
According to the already preexisting Tissot Le Locle Valjoux Chronograph reviews, it’s already a hugely popular choice among the automatic watch family. Its exquisite display with elegant details such as Roman numerals and a traditional Le Locle signature offers a classical chic.
The Swiss Automatic ETA Valjoux caliber is a strong, self-winding chronographic movement. Some of its variants have beautiful finishing touches like Geneva waves and circular graining. Designed in the 1970s, its reliability in performance has made it a classic one.
This 109g classic watch has water resistance up to a pressure of 5 bar (50 m / 165 ft). The round-shaped case is 13.2mm thick and 42.30mm wide. The case is made with 316L-grade stainless steel with rose gold PVD coating. As mentioned before, the dial window is made of scratch-resistant sapphire crystal. Its automatic energy can serve and reserve power for 60 hours. The special functions are central 60-seconds chronograph hand, 30-minutes, and 12-hours counters. They used classic roman numerals as indexes. The strap is made of synthetic Alligator-style grained cowhide and has a butterfly buckle clasp with push buttons. The strap is 115mm long from the 6h-side and 75mm long on the 12h-side. The Valjoux comes with a 2-year warranty.
Le Locle Powermatic 80
The name Le Locle Powermatic seems to be one of the game-changer from Tissot. Le Locle already the name of Tissot’s home and heritage from the Swiss Jura Mountains, had to add this beast of a hugely popular automatic watch into their family. Another classical wristwatch flourishes on its owners’ wrists all night and day.
We start Tissot Le Locle Powermatic 80 review with its special movement. The watch is powered by the energy of the wearer. Simply put, the wrist movements enable the watch mechanism to run throughout. The Powermatic 80 movement holds 80 hours of power. This amount of power is enough for telling the time accurately for 3 days, even if the watch is not worn at that time. It is an innovative movement by Tissot that outperforms the competition. Most other similar watches generally offer 1.5 days of power reserve.
This 67g weighty elegant beast has water resistance up to a pressure of 3 bar (30 m / 100 ft). The case has a thickness of 9.8mm and a width of 39.30mm. And like Valjoux, it has also a see-through case back. The round case is made of 316L stainless steel material. As a common but precious feature, the Powermatic 80 comes with a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal display. It has some variants and most of them come with a silver-toned dial and Roman numeral index. The synthetic leather strap works with a butterfly buckle. In terms of length, from the 6h-side it’s 115mm long and 75mm long from the 12h-side. This model too comes with a 2-year warranty.
- Case Size: 39.30 mm, Band Width: 19, Case Thickness: 9.75 mm
- Swiss mechanical movement, 316L stainless steel case, Roman dial type, Date
- Stainless steel strap, butterfly clasp with push-buttons closure
- Water-resistant up to a pressure of 3 bar (30 m / 100 ft): suitable for short periods of recreational swimming and showering, but no diving or snorkeling.
- 2 Year International Warranty
Le Locle Regulateur
Le Locle watches honor Tissot’s history as a watchmaker. The Regulateur is a timepiece that replicates the function of a regulator clock. A regulator clock is a special type of clock. Because it has only a standalone traditional hour hand. The minute and second hands are into a vertically arranged set of separate mini-dials so that all 3 hands can line up at 12 o’clock. In the earlier days of watches, when Tissot began its journey, pocket watches were not so accurate. The minutes were the smallest fraction people could record, so something like a Regulator watch was an incredible solution to go beyond that problem.
This classic gents’ watch weighs 78g, has water resistance up to a pressure of 3 bar (30 m / 100 ft), and comes with a 2-year warranty. The round case is made of 316L stainless steel with a rose gold PVD coating. The case has a thickness of 11.6mm and a width of 39.30mm. And yes, it has that iconic see-through case back. The dial window is also made by the Tissot trademark scratch-resistant sapphire crystal.
The watch is equipped with the Swiss Automatic ETA 2825-2 movement of 11 ½’” caliber. The movement has 38 hours of power reserve capability. Out of its variants, the dial color is predominantly seen as black-toned with roman numerals and indexes. The synthetic leather strap comes with a butterfly buckle and clasp. The strap is 115mm long at 6 o’clock and 75mm long at the 12 o’clock index.
Le Locle Petite Seconde
The Tissot Le Locle Petite Seconde encases the brands’ DNA and craftsmanship values. The Le Locle Petite is powered by Swiss automatic movement and almost has the elegant Regulateur-like displays settings. The Petite Seconde has only traditional hour and minutes hands which are accompanied by a separate mini-dial for seconds. As expected, Le Locle details such as Roman numerals and a traditional Le Locle signature are present also.
The Petite Seconds weighs only 78g and comes with impressive water resistance up to 3 bar (30 m / 100 ft) of pressure. Tissot offers a 2-year warranty with this model also. The case is extremely thin that measures 11.6mm. The width of the case is fairly standard 39.30mm and comes with semi see-through case back. Tissot used 316L stainless steel to make this round case. It has a rose gold PVD coating on it too! To look at its classic and aesthetically pleasing dials and roman numerals, they used the scratch-resistant sapphire crystal display window on top of it.
It has the Swiss Automatic movement, Model ETA 2825-2 which has an 11 ½’” caliber. It has the capability to reserve power for 38 hours. The strap back is synthetic and the front is made of Alligator-style grained cowhide leather. It uses a butterfly clasp buckle.
Le Locle Double Happiness
The Le Locle Double Happiness represents the oriental aesthete, often used for decoration and as a marriage symbol. Tissot has created this version of Le Locle exclusively for its Asian consumers with the iconic Song Hy symbol etched in the dial’s center, right on its traditional Guilloche texture. The Song Hy symbol, located in a circular and harmonious frame, means “good luck and celebration” in Chinese. So, lets’ get into the nooks and crannies of the Tissot Le Locle Double Happiness review!
This model includes both men’s and women-sized watches. Meaning, that you can demonstrate love for couples with this same model (thus the name double happiness). To stay true to the Tissot core, it has the combination of the Roman numbers and indexes and a date window right beside the 3 o’clock. It is an adorable combination of East and West – a blending of two cultural lines. The watch itself is a great gift choice for all the couples, for their marriage and other romantic occasions.
The watch weighs 63g while offering water resistance capability up to a 3 bar (30 m / 100 ft) pressure. The case is only 8.4mm thick and has a width of 25.30mm. The round-shaped case is made of 316L stainless steel and has a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal display. This automatic watch is powered by Tissot’s Swiss ETA 2671 movement and has a 7 ¾’” caliber. Meaning, that it has a power reserve capability of 38 hours. The dials and strap are silver-toned as the strap is also made of stainless steel. The strap works with a butterfly clasp with push buttons. Tissot offers a 2-year warranty on this model.
Which Le Locle Watch Is Good For Me?
If you are still scratching your head about which one will suit your wrist every day, we have readied a brief summary for you. Please do note that, our recommendation here is based on extensive market research and cross-examinations from the qualified Tissot Le Locle reviews.
Our top recommendation is the Powermatic 80 model. The watch is top to bottom and oozes absolute class. Then it’s on the better side of the favorable price range too! This automatic watch has more than twice the amount of power reserve capability. Other Le Locle watches have 38 hours of power reserve and Powermatic has 80 hours of power reserve.
Powermatic smartly focuses on doing the key things right – Design, simple externals, manageable price, and suitable for all-day wear.
- Case size: 39.30 millimeter; Band width: 19 millimeter; Case thickness: 9.75 millimeter
- Swiss automatic movement, 316L stainless steel case, Roman dial type, date
- Leather bracelet, butterfly clasp closure
- Water-resistant up to a pressure of 3 bar (30 meter / 100 feet): Suitable for short periods of recreational swimming and showering, but no diving or snorkeling.
FAQs
What Movement Does Tissot Le Locle Use?
It uses the Elabore grade automatic winding and hacking movement. It’s accurate to within 20 seconds per day with an average loss of 3 seconds per day.
What Does Le Locle Mean?
Le Locle is a Swiss municipality situated in the Canton of Neuchâtel. The Neuchâtel is famous for being one of the hotbeds of watch-making cantons in the Jura Mountains.
When Was Tissot Locle Launched?
It was founded in 1853 by the local father-son duo of Charles-Félicien Tissot and Charles-Émile Tissot.
Is The Powermatic 80 A Good Watch?
Light and comfortable, the Powermatic 80 is perhaps one of the best watch novelties ever. It is also well-priced, aesthetically pleasing, and compact in terms of built quality.
Conclusion
In conclusion of our Tissot review, we believe the Le Locle watches are excellent and practical choices. Le Locle watches aren’t instant attention grabbers and that’s the beauty of these pieces. The subdued elegance and simplicity can only be appreciated in the eyes of true watch connoisseurs. Each watch brings that classical piece of jewelry feels to your wardrobe while also bound to serve you for decades. Tissot’s remarkable craftsmanship, along with the value-for-money aspect makes up these watches and puts them in close comparison with its higher-priced competitors. Bit of an understated appearance, timeless, classy, and definitely worth your money!
