Tissot Le Locle 20th Anniversary: The Beauty Of Simplicity In A Genuinely Elegant Timepiece

The dress watch presents a formidable challenge for any watchmaker. It must embody simplicity, eschew complications - perhaps allowing for a seconds hand at most - and maintain a diminutive size, particularly in thickness. These stringent requirements offer scant room for imperfection, leaving the quality of craftsmanship as the sole spokesperson for the timepiece. One can deduce that the scrutiny of a brand’s dress watches gives the ideal measure of its true prowess. The subtle aesthetic highlights the very essentials of the core craftsmanship underlines in a timepiece that one can deftly be a judge of.

Hence, the scope of critique remains elevated as there is very little for the watchmaker to hide behind.

When Fine Dress Watch Codes Can Be Had at A Bargain
In classic watchmaking terms, quality always equates to a premium. For a machine tasked to do the simple, the artisanal flourishes get hallmarked for an instant and everlasting amusement. The demands for a heftier cash automatically exalt when the manufacture packs a legacy.

For a classic dress watch with highly appreciable aesthetic subtleties, a refined and efficient 80-hour autonomous caliber and a brand heritage almost matching that of Patek Philippe, one could easily guess a retail with at least four ciphers. But our showstopper doesn’t even get close to three. This is the entice of the Tissot Le Locle Powermatic 80 20th Anniversary.

The Tissot Le Locle 20th Anniversary Edition, much like its standard counterparts, boasts a design of balanced dimensions. With a diameter of approximately 39mm, it comfortably accommodates most larger wrists, however Tissot has also introduced a 29mm model tailored for smaller wrists, offering a contemporary aesthetic without the bulkiness often associated with dress watches exceeding 40mm. Its sub-10mm thickness adds to its appeal, making it slender enough to slide seamlessly under a shirt cuff. These proportions make it well-suited for business attire, embodying a harmonious blend of style and functionality.

Conservative Looks with Sharp Attention to Detail
Like with every other dress watch, the Tissot Le Locle Powermatic 80 20th Anniversary is a purist expression of timekeeping refinement. At every glance from any angle, the timepiece serves an endearing impression of highly traditional details packed in a modest envelope. Originally introduced back in 2003 as a celebration of Tissot’s 150th Anniversary, the Le Locle lineup has evolved over a period of two decades. It has culminated into an aesthetic that is in every way emblematic of the original, but with subtle yet significant refinements.

The dial is very three-dimensional and gets layers of segmented finishing. It bears a very classical reverse clous de Paris pattern, although embossed, at its middle. The chapter ring with deep blue applied Roman numerals features a sunray brushed finish and the periphery again gets the faux-guilloche treatment. The conservative details continue with the classic central leaf-shaped hands that are exceptionally slender and delicate. The lettering too marks a substantial influence on the forward façade of the timepiece as the printing is done within dedicated cartouches. A dainty window at 3 o’clock reveals the date neatly.

Aesthetically Reserved but Technically Tuned Up
The very conservative looking Tissot Le Locle Powermatic 80 20th Anniversary packs a very contemporary caliber. The antiqueness of its looks doesn’t translate into the movement and it shouldn’t. Despite a classy aesthetic charm, it is a modern timepiece in all its fairness and hence it should work like one.

Tissot has done some monumental fine-tuning with its Powermatic 80 caliber and even elevated it to the status of an ‘Officially Certified Chronometer’ in some iterations. That’s a significant upgrade to what’s essentially an ETA 2824 architecture. Here in the Le Locle 20th Anniversary, an improved kinetic chain and slightly relaxed frequency amp up the power reserve to 80-hours, that’s more than double what you would get with a standard ETA 2824.

As a very reminiscent tribute to what would appear like an ancient architectural aperture, the complex case back gets a split see-through window. Here is the only excessive thing with the watch - the already lacking space on the case back is engraved with lettering, logos and specs (a bit too much for a classic watch case back).

The Purity of Modest Timekeeping
The ‘dress watch’ showcases infinite variety and more versatility than we think. In the Tissot Le Locle Powermatic 80 20th Anniversary, its simplicity is so immaculate that the distinct personality of the watchmaker radiates with unblemished clarity and authenticity. Hence, the simpler the better!