“SOTTSASS” STYLE
In its Heritage collection which brings together iconic pieces, the brand from Le Locle reissues a model imagined by the Italian designer and architect Ettore Sottsass Jr. at the end of the 1980s proposed in four limited editions.
In the 1980s, Tissot created new highly-unusual watches including one imagined by the Italian designer Ettore Sottsass Jr. (1917-2007), founder of the Memphis Group which is in keeping with the Pop Art movement and geared to colors and to stacking geometric shapes. Virtually 40 years on, the firm from Le Locle has delved into its archives to reissue this iconic model proposed as four exclusive references known as the Heritage Memphis Limited Edition collection.
This new line of timepieces is divided into two groups based on the size of the steel cases, a small 34 mm-diameter model and a large 41 mm one. The first is available in two versions, entirely in steel or two-tone with a bezel coated with yellow-gold PVD, each limited to 1,700 pieces per reference. The second also boasts two variations, one a silvered and gold-hued blend (2,500 pieces) and the other totally adorned in black with a few dashes of white on the dial (3,000 pieces).
The dials feature thick geometrical indexes whilst the centre retains the original hands which display the hours, minutes and seconds and all time data is driven by the ETA PreciDrive caliber powered by a Renata battery with a lifetime of 3 to 4 years.
With its construction based on an interlocking or nesting concept, the case is free from traditional lugs and instead features two large curved black mounts. These hold the synthetic vegan leather strap which can be interchanged with the extra strap which comes in fun colors: red, pink, tawny and blue.
Price: CHF365 www.tissotwatches.com
By Sharmila Bertin