About Le Locle | The Swiss Clock Tower Behind Tissot

SWISS WATCHMAKING HERITAGE / EST. 1853

The clock tower behind Tissot Le Locle.

A Swiss mountain town. A church clock. A 150-year anniversary. Discover how Tissot transformed the history of its birthplace into one of its most recognisable dress-watch collections.

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Historic Protestant church clock tower in Le Locle, Switzerland
LE LOCLE, SWITZERLAND — HISTORIC CLOCK TOWER
1853
Tissot founded
2003
Le Locle collection
2009
UNESCO inscription

THE LE LOCLE PHOTO JOURNAL

A closer look at a timeless design.

Every Roman numeral, textured dial and elegant case recalls the language of classic Swiss watchmaking. Explore three distinctive views of the Le Locle aesthetic.

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View the Le Locle models offered by BV WATCHSTORE

01 / WHERE THE STORY BEGINS

A town built around time.

In the Swiss Jura Mountains, Le Locle developed an extraordinary relationship with watchmaking. Workshops and homes grew side by side as the town became a centre of horological craftsmanship. It was here, in 1853, that Charles-Félicien Tissot and his son Charles-Émile established the business that would become Tissot.

The heritage runs so deep that Le Locle and neighbouring La Chaux-de-Fonds were recognised by UNESCO in 2009 for their watchmaking-related town planning. The town's buildings and streets are part of its story of time.

Historic clock tower at Le Locle with traditional clock face and spire

02 / THE MOST FASCINATING DETAIL

The church clock that became a wristwatch.

Tissot introduced Le Locle in 2003 to mark its 150th anniversary. The brand identifies the town’s emblematic church clock as a direct inspiration for the collection’s design. Its graceful Roman numerals and classically restrained appearance connect the watch to its place of origin.

What was once read from a town square becomes a personal expression of that same horological tradition.

03 / THE DESIGN DETAILS

Three signatures of traditional Swiss elegance.

An elegant dial can tell a story before a single word is spoken.

XII · VI

Roman numerals

A classical feature that echoes the visual language of historic clocks.

✧

Clous de Paris

The delicate guilloché-style pyramid texture brings light and depth to the dial.

Le Locle

A name from home

The elegant italic script connects the collection directly to its Swiss birthplace.

04 / TRADITION MEETS MECHANICS

A classic face. A modern mechanical heart.

Le Locle Powermatic 80 models combine heritage-inspired watch design with an automatic Swiss mechanical movement, offering up to 80 hours of power reserve. Exact specifications depend on the particular reference.

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Tissot Le Locle Powermatic 80 Black Dial watch

05 / PORTRAITS OF THE COLLECTION

The same story. Four distinct characters.

A closer look at actual Le Locle models featured in the BV WATCHSTORE collection. Each photograph links to the corresponding watch.

BV WATCHSTORE / DISCOVER THE COLLECTION

Le Locle. Four interpretations.

Explore the classic dial designs currently listed in the BV WATCHSTORE catalogue.

CONTINUE YOUR JOURNEY

Every remarkable watch has a story worth discovering.

Explore more histories, details and discoveries from the world of watches.

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Research: Tissot — A Story That Starts in Le Locle · UNESCO — Le Locle Watchmaking Town Planning.

Clock tower photo: Schleppyca / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0; cropped and colour-adjusted for layout. Editorial published by BV WATCHSTORE, independently of Tissot.