How much do you know about Tissot? A few years ago, when I just entered the world of watches, I had no idea about this brand, to be honest. And I admit that I made a mistake then, that I didn’t try to delve into it. It wasn’t until about 5 years after I had already built some knowledge about watches that I realized that I had omitted a lot about Tissot.
I found out about Tissot purely by chance, actually. I remember being at a team building with my previous job’s officemates. Without realizing it, we found ourselves discussing watches within the team. During the discussion, terms such as Audemars Piguet, Rolex, and Omega floated in the air. In short, terms that mainly referred to high-profile and very popular watchmaking brands. I remember Richard, a colleague of mine, who for some reason did not really take an active part in the discussion. But, as a rule, he was the person who always ignited the discussions in our team. His attitude seemed strange to me and I asked him “What watch are you wearing, Richard?”. He modestly replied, “It’s not a big deal, it’s just a Tissot”. Immediately after his answer, we were all invited to an activity organized by our CEO and our discussion ended.
My love for Tissot began when…
I got home and searched on Google about his “just a Tissot”. Why had Richard answered so modestly? Was his watch so unimportant that he did not consider it appropriate to highlight it during our discussion? My search on Google was also the moment when I “became friends” with this brand of watches. I was surprised by how carefully Tissot designed them. I was impressed by how skillfully it “draws” design elements on the watch dials. And even if the brand is not on the list of the top most popular Swiss watch brands, Tissot actually has a lot to offer.
Recently, we received a batch of Tissot replica watches in our office. We had never had Tissot watches in our range of replica watches before. But our manager decided to try to expand our horizons and deal with replicas like Tissot, Glass Goutte, and something similar. When I saw the watches, I immediately remembered Richard and his modest attitude towards his Tissot. I never understood why he minimized the value of his watch, when in fact this brand makes some wonderful time-telling accessories. Maybe he wanted a Rolex instead of a Tissot, I don’t know. But what I do know is that Richard probably never understood the value and beauty of the accessory he was wearing.
I could talk about Richard a lot, but it’s time to talk more about his watch, which is a Tradition T063.610.16.038.00. Better said, about the replica version of his watch.
Tradition T063.610.16.038.00 Replica Watch
In general, Tissot stands out for its clean and minimalist aesthetic, but at the same time with refined and “tasty” details. The Tradition collection, especially, is specific for its impeccably round cases and a slight vintage motif in them. The original models have the specifics of being perfectly polished and with impeccable edges. Why do I draw attention to the features of genuine Tradition? Because this is exactly what I will be looking for in the replica model. The T0636101603800 watch itself is not a complicated model per se. For this reason, I am not too interested in its technical aspect. Instead, what interests me is whether the imitation preserves the distinctive characteristics of the original model.
A good replica can convey the “charisma” of the original model down to the smallest details. If the imitation is reproduced without attention to detail, it is doomed to failure, at least for me.
Seasoned connoisseurs of watches know how to discover fine and delicate elements in the most minimalist models. Precisely for this reason, Tissot watches are adored by almost professional connoisseurs and somehow indifferent to people with little “culture” in terms of watches. I’m afraid that Richard was part of the second category, unfortunately.
I am now finishing the introduction of this article, and moving on to its body so that we can discover together how successful or not the Tradition T0636101603800 imitation is.
Design aspects of the replica watch
As you could already conclude, this model does not show much complexity. On the contrary, it is as minimalist as possible. The only inscriptions present on the dial are the name of the brand and the year in which it was founded. Here is where I discovered the first flaw in the replica watch.
If you look at the original watch, you will notice that the space between the 2 inscription lines is very small. In contrast, in the replica version, the space is obviously more noticeable. At the same time, the brand inscription is a little smaller compared to the original version. This detail is quite difficult to notice. I had to use a magnifying glass to detect this difference.
Though, what makes me happy about the inscriptions on the dial is that I can’t find any difference with the printed year. Previously, I found replicas in our store that had a different font of the years on the dial. As a result, the year looked far too different from what it was supposed to be. In this Tissot, this error was omitted.
Further on…
Other elements present on the dial of the imitation are the traditional hour/minute/second hands and the aperture for the date. I did not notice any differences between the replica model and the original one regarding these elements. The manufacturers ideally imitated the length, shape, color, and even elegance of the 3 hands.
As for the hour numerals, they follow a Roman concept that is a little different than in most watches. For the hour markers, classical Roman symbols were used. And for the odd ones, the brand used a baton-shaped symbol that recalls the symbol of the Roman numeral 1. Such an approach makes the watch look even more minimalistic.
For the hour markers of the replica watch, the shape is slightly more pronounced and reminds of a slight 3D effect. This aspect is missing in the original version, in which the surface of the dial including the hour markers is flat.
Actually, I find this slight 3D effect pretty cute. It looks pretty good and it even makes the imitation look more luxurious. The only disadvantage is that because of this difference, the imitation is half a millimeter thicker than the original model. The good part is that the original model itself is quite thin. Accordingly, the additional half millimeter does not prejudice much the suppleness of the replica watch.
Additional details
The more I analyze this imitation, the more I discover it to be an extremely worthy dress watch. Everything you need from an elegant watch is included in its case: basic time-telling functions, a fabulous guilloche pattern, and a thin bezel in which you can see yourself.
The crown of the watch is as modest as the entire case, forming a refined and tasteful whole.
As a rule, most dress watches are either gold with a tan leather strap or stainless steel with a black leather strap. This is the basic rule for a formal watch. This model, though, comes in a different formula. The case of the replica is made of 316l stainless steel and the leather strap is brown. The combination seems unconventional to me, to be honest. And if you ask me if I like it, yes – it looks somewhat interesting, different and very attractive.
The stainless steel case goes perfectly with the dauphine hands, which I told you are very elegant.
However, as elegant as the imitation looks, I don’t see why it wouldn’t be suitable for less formal occasions. Due to the attractive pattern of the watch, I think it would go perfectly with a jumper or sweater with a similar pattern.
Technical aspects
The watch works on the basis of a quartz mechanism. This is good news for lovers of simple mechanisms. Many of you know that the quartz mechanisms are the most preferred, namely for the simplicity of operation and their longevity. It will only be necessary to change the battery from time to time when you notice that the watch mechanism is not working properly. The original model, by the way, also works on a quartz base. This is because Tissot usually creates much more affordable models in comparison to the big Swiss giants.
The watch mechanism is compact and ergonomically covered with a stainless steel caseback. On it, you will find the same engravings and inscriptions as on the original model.
Regarding the water resistance aspect, the first thing you need to know is that the watch was not designed to withstand water-related conditions. Even the original model has a resistance of up to 30 meters. The replica version comes with a resistance profile of 5 meters. At least, in this release. I don’t exclude that in subsequent releases, manufacturers will improve the water-resistance profile. But that only depends on how the sales of this model will go, and how necessary the improvement will be for end consumers.
The shortcomings of this replica watch
Apart from the small aesthetic differences that I mentioned before, this replica has another shortcoming. For me at least, it is an obvious one and a bit unpleasant. It’s about the strap. On the one hand, the color of the strap is an intense and attractive brown. Also, I like that the seams on the edges are quite carefully processed.
On the other hand, what I don’t like is the shape of the strap itself. In my opinion, or at least on my wrist, the strap looks somehow convex. Unfortunately, I don’t know what the original model is like in reality, to make a comparison with it. But in the replica version at least, it seems to me that it is too “bloated” in relation to the suppleness of the watch case. So, when the watch is on the wrist, the strap stands out too much. And I would like it to be a little more supple and flat so that it looks more balanced in relation to the watch case.
Conclusions regarding this replica watch
In my opinion, watch lovers who do not yet know anything about Tissot could consider this model as a good start to discovering the majesty of this brand. The imitation has some shortcomings. But I think they are not very critical. At the same time, I have the impression that on a suitable wrist, the strap will sit much nicer than on mine.
It should be mentioned that the imitation’s advantages outshine substantially its shortcomings. Some of them include but are limited to, the dial that looks phenomenally attractive, the bezel with an immaculate finish, and the quartz mechanism that promises flawless and long-lasting operation. In the same context, you should know that the replica comes at an extraordinarily good price.
Most of the time, I am against cheap imitations because cheap means poor quality. But not in the case of the Tissot T0636101603800 Tradition replica. Its fabulous price is due to the affordable mechanism and the rather simple construction of the watch, and by no means to the inferior quality.
For this reason, I recommend this imitation, especially for those who are looking for an affordable but also qualitative imitation.
Why should you opt for a Tissot watch?
If you didn’t know much about Tissot, just like me a few years ago, know that it’s time to broaden your horizons. Tissot has existed in the world of watches for more than 150 years. During this time, it proved its ability to create surprising time-telling accessories, all within the limits of Swiss quality standards. This brand may not be as resounding as Omega, Rolex, or Audemars Piguet. But Tissot time-telling treasures are certainly attractive for those who know how a Swiss watch should look and function. The brand has a wide range of collections of different styles. The most outstanding collections include, but are not limited to Tissot Seastar, Tissot Belissima, Tissot Le Locle, and obviously, Tradition.