In today’s article, we will be comparing two budget, entry level Swiss luxury brands: Certina Vs Tissot. Now we already know that Swiss watches are held in the highest esteem among watch collectors. Swiss luxury watches represent the finest standards when it comes to quality.
As such, Swiss luxury watches are notoriously expensive. There are, however lower priced “budget Swiss luxury” brands. These brands’ watches serve as entry level Swiss luxury watches. They are far lower priced, and give people the opportunity to get into Swiss watches without breaking bank.
Both Certina and Tissot are two such entry level brands. They are also both owned by The Swatch Group. So which one is better? Let’s find out! We are going to compare Certina Vs Tissot by looking at the build quality, design, and pricing structure of each brand. At the end, we should know for sure which of these Swiss entry level brands is the better value!
First, however, let’s take a brief introductory look at each of these two brands.
About Certina And Tissot
Certina
Certina was founded in1888. It began as a family owned business, originally consisting of only 3 people. They didn’t start out as a watch manufacturer though. At first, they produced watch parts for other manufacturers, before eventually branching out to become their own watch manufacturer.
They have always focused on producing quality products. This is the reason why they chose the name “Certina”. That name derives its meaning from the Latin word “Certus”, which stands for certainty or assurance. In this same manner, Certina stands by their product quality.
This quality shows in their watches, as this quality is one of the reasons why the company has continued to thrive for so long. Over the years, Certina has proved itself to be a fine example of Swiss watchmaking.
Tissot
Tissot, formed in 1853 also began as a family owned business. They began making watches, but didn’t reach the peak of their popularity until the 1920s and 30s. From there, Tissot was able to grow, and establish themselves as a notable Swiss brand.
They have made significant achievements within the industry. This includes creating the world’s first multifunctional tactile watch, as well as the world’s first anti magnetic watch. Aside from those achievements, Tissot has even gained some cultural appeal.
Tissot is featured as the official timekeeper in numerous sporting championship events such as hockey, cycling, and fencing.
Now that we know a little bit about these brands, it’s time to draw direct comparisons between their watches. we will start by comparing the build quality between these two brands.
Certina Vs Tissot: Build Quality
Certina
They produce quartz, as well as mechanical, automatic watches. The watch cases are made of stainless steel. Dial windows are scratch resistant, anti reflective sapphire crystal. Their bands can be made of stainless steel, leather, or even rubber, depending on the model. For water resistance, you will get between 100 to 200 meters of resistance. Once again, this varies by the model.
Certina takes their build quality one step further by manufacturing their watch cases with what they refer to as “double security”, or “DS” for short. What this means is that they take extra care to make sure that their watches have sufficient water resistance, as well as resistance to impact.
Tissot
Tissot also manufactures both analog and digital quartz, as well as automatic, mechanical watches. Their cases are stainless steel, paired with bands that can be stainless steel or leather most commonly. Although they do have watches with nylon, or even rubber watch bands.
As with Certina, Tissot watches also feature a sapphire crystal dial window. For water resistance, models can range from 30 all the way up to 100 meters of resistance.
Build Quality Verdict
From what we’ve seen here, Certina has the edge when it comes to build quality. Certina places a higher priority on making sure that their watches are durable, therefore increasing the lifespan of the watch and minimizing potential repairs.
Now let’s look at the design and styling of these two brands.
Certina Vs Tissot: Design & Style
Certina
Certina has a wide array of designs, many of which do not adhere to the conventional formula normally found in luxury watches. Yes they do have all of the typical styles you would expect to see, but they also have many that you would not. Having these types of variations in their designs sets them apart from the crowd.
Tissot
Tissot mostly sticks to convention with their style and designs. They have all of the standard styles such as sport, minimalist, chronograph, etc. Regardless of which style you are looking at though, Tissot maintains that premium look and feel on all of their watches.
Design & Style Verdict
Both brands have that luxury look and style, but Certina takes the lead with a more varied approach to design.
Certina Vs Tissot: Pricing
Both of these brands are considered entry level Swiss luxury watches. So while you won’t have to worry about exorbitant pricing, you still need to make room in your budget, as these brands are not super cheap.
Certina and Tissot have mid range pricing structures. They are pretty affordable as far as Swiss luxury watches are concerned. As for which brand is more affordable, the truth is that they both follow pretty much the same pricing structure.
With both brands, you will find watches on the lower end of the mid range pricing, as well as more expensive models. But neither brand really goes overboard with their prices. Certina and Tissot are about even when it comes to pricing.
Check Certina Prices On Amazon
Check Tissot Prices On Amazon
So what is our final conclusion? Which brand is better?
Certina Vs Tissot: Final Conclusion
When you examine the factors we have looked at today, all things considered, Certina would appear to have the best value overall.
They go out of the way to ensure a durable construction, and they have a slightly more varied approach when it comes to the design and style of their watches.
Ultimately though, its up to you the consumer to decide which brand you like better.
That concludes our Certina Vs Tissot comparison! If you enjoyed this comparison, you can find more of our articles just like this one here
