Baselworld 2017 Tissot Heritage 1948 Chronograph

In this edition of Back to the Future, we take the DeLorean to 1948 where we visit Tissot and one of the best value Baselworld 2017 vintage re-issues yet. Measuring just under 40mm, the Baselworld 2017 Tissot Heritage 1948 Chronograph is expected to be a quiet hit with watch collectors; that said, there’s also a lovely COSC-certified version of the chronograph in limited edition and not going to be part of the main collection.

Baselworld 2017 Tissot Heritage 1948 Chronograph

Not a grand complication, not exactly avant garde design either but the Tissot Heritage 1948 Chronograph is sure to evoke fond memories of a bygone era and a classical age of watchmaking which many brands at Baselworld appear to be embracing this year.

The 39.5mm Tissot Heritage 1948 Chronograph is driven by the workhorse automatic ETA 2894-2 which operates the three subdials and quick set date. Available on milanese mesh bracelet or leather strap, the vintage aesthetics extend to the materials used to build the Tissot Heritage 1948 Chronograph including a period authentic domed acrylic crystal and design features like flat pushers.

You should give major kudos to Tissot for not only keeping the Tissot Heritage 1948 Chronograph to classical proportions but also eschewing use of a hardy sapphire crystal and embracing the use another old-school design element – twisted lugs, it’s completely forgivable that they slipped the date complication in there – but at this point, it’s a minor nitpick.

In terms of finishing, Tissot has kept the Tissot Heritage 1948 Chronograph attractively polished though truth be told, we would have prefered either a straight on sapphire case back or a solid caseback, the odd half-and-half windows with a myriad of engraving detailing the provenance of the watch feels a bit odd and anachronistic to the era they are trying to embody. That said, the attractive opaline silver dial is enough to keep your attention focused on its countenance, the large applied Roman numeral XII is an acquired taste but personally we enjoy it as it adds visual balance to the large-ish heritage Tissot signature. The applied dot markers add a distinctive layer of elegant nostalgia and thanks to the choice to eschew a typical tachymetre scale, the Tissot Heritage 1948 Chronograph is super dressy.

The Tissot Heritage 1948 Chronograph will retail for US$1450 on steel mesh bracelet and US$1400 on leather band and there is a COSC-certified version of the same chronograph not part of the main collection, available to 8888 pieces, not exactly strictly “limited” but at those kind of price points, we would be surprised if they’re all snapped up in a matter of time.