The Swiss watch brand sets its watches to Alpine time by announcing a partnership with Switzerland’s largest Alpine sports association from 1st January 2015.
They have decided to team up to conquer the highest summits! Tissot and the Swiss Alpine Club SAC are partners from 1st January 2015. “It is an honour for Tissot to become the official watch of the Swiss Alpine Club,” notes with enthusiasm François Thiébaud, President of the Swiss watch manufacturer. Their association follows a certain logic, a fact underlined by François Thiébaud: “The watch preferred by Swiss people is purchased from generation to generation, it’s almost like a tradition. And when the phrase Swiss tradition is mentioned, mountains spring inevitably to mind. Hence the many partnerships we have developed with great names of Swiss Alpine tourism, for example with Zermatt at the foot of the Matterhorn; with the 100th anniversary of the Jungfrau cog railway; with the Tissot Glacier 3000 Peak Walk in Les Diablerets and the first suspension bridge in the world linking two summits; or with festivities celebrating the 150th anniversary of the first ascent of the Matterhorn. The Alpine dimension is without doubt part of our DNA and our image.”
The T-Touch Solar in mountain refuges
A marketing trajectory which logically follows the high-altitude paths taken by mountain lovers. “This environment conveys our brand values: the quest for precision and performance, but without being overly competitive,” notes François Thiébaud. “In mountain sports, the further you stray from base camp the closer you get to others, and to yourself – a humbling experience.”
This partnership, which will run for several years, is also of course welcomed by the Swiss Alpine Club: “We’ve been thinking of teaming up with a watch brand for a long time, but have waited for the right candidate who shares our values. Today the search is over,” says Pit Meyer, head of marketing at SAC. Tissot thus joins outdoor equipment supplier Salewa, and energy producer Axpo in the very select circle of SAC’s main partners. “Tissot and SAC were made for each other, particularly since the new T-Touch Solar watch is very popular with our members,” continues Pit Meyer. “What’s more, it’s a model which will be displayed in all the mountain refuges of the Swiss Alpine Club in a giant version. But over and above the gain in visibility benefiting both parties, this partnership marks a similar vision of the world, focusing our gaze once and for all on the highest summits!”
About Tissot
It’s the Swissness at the very heart of Tissot that makes the brand such a distinguished one. The + in the Tissot logo is the same as the Swiss flag, symbolising the quality and the reliability that watchmakers have proudly demonstrated since 1853. The innovative brand remains in its home in Le Locle in the Swiss Jura Mountains, keeping its Swiss identity at its core. Tissot watches are authentic and accessible, using special materials, advanced functionality and meticulous design detail to create pieces that are both precise and stylish. The high calibre of the brand has been repeatedly recognised, as in its illustrious history Tissot has been named Official Timekeeper and Partner of MotoGPTM, FIM World Superbike, FIBA, AFL, RBS 6 Nations Rugby and the World Championships of cycling, fencing and ice hockey. Tissot, which sells its timepieces in more than 160 countries round the world, is a member of the Swatch Group, the world’s largest watch producer and distributor of Swiss watches. As it continues to create pioneering creations, Tissot stands by its signature, “Innovators by Tradition.”
www.tissot.ch
About the Swiss Alpine Club SAC
With more than 145,000 members, the Swiss Alpine Club SAC, founded in 1863, is the fourth largest sports association in Switzerland. The SAC works to promote mountain sports such as traditional mountaineering, but also more modern disciplines such as ice climbing and bouldering. Its 152 mountain refuges situated in the Swiss Alps are the jewel in the crown of the SAC. Moreover, the club is involved in mountain rescue activities in conjunction with Secours Alpin and Rega, and now works to protect the environment by actively supporting preservation of the Alpine space, while at the same time defending free access to climbers to these areas.
In terms of figures, the SAC also represents 350,000 overnight stays a year, 50,000 books sold each year, as well as 9,500 accommodation options and 200 training courses per year.
www.sac-cas.ch