Bulova and Tissot are some of the best-known watch brands in the world.
These two brands are known for seamlessly fusing accessibility and precision in their watches.
Which is part of the reason why they’ve risen to the top-tier of affordable watches in the world.
While both these brands are recommended both for newcomers to the watch world and watch enthusiasts looking for a new timepiece, they each have their own differences that have helped form the identity of each brand.
But is one better than the other?
In this article, we see these brands go head to head in this Bulova vs Tissot match-up!
(You can also check my comprehensive review of Bulova watches and my review of TIssot watches for more info)
A Brief History Of Bulova
See some of the best Bulova watches right now
Bulova had its humble beginnings as a simple jewelry shop in New York in 1875 put up by Joseph Bulova.
The company was first named the J Bulova Company and was later changed the Bulova Watch Company in 1923 as the brand began to rise in popularity.
Throughout the years, Bulova has been a testament to innovation in the horological community.
They were the first company to release a line of watches exclusively designed for women, which set the stage for a long history of beautiful women’s watches.
Aside from that, they were also the first company to release a fully electronic watch with the Accutron back in the 1960s, paving the way for quartz watches to become one of the, if not the most popular watch movement available today.
Today, the company has been building on its reputation for innovation and experimentation with their huge collection of unique watches, which would have made Joseph Bulova proud.
See more: Bulova vs Movado
A Brief History Of Tissot
See some of the best Tissot watches here
If you’ve watched just about any sporting event in the past decade, you’ve probably seen the logo on the sidelines at least once.
They’re the official partner for a variety of sporting events, which shows what the company’s main priority is: accuracy.
The company as founded back in 1853 by Charles-Felicien and Charles-Emile Tissot, a father and son team.
Tissot started out as a small family-owned store and has since grown to one of the biggest and most popular watch manufacturers in the entire world.
The company started putting its foot in the watch world when they released their first line of watches, which were designed for women.
However, it wasn’t until the 1920s and 30s that Tissot really began growing in popularity as their timepieces became famous amongst both men and women.
From then on, Tissot hasn’t stopped growing and delivering highly functional and affordable timepieces to the public, and it doesn’t look like they’ll be stopping any time soon.
See more: Bulova vs Citizen
Notable Technologies Of Each Brand
Throughout history, both of these brands have released innovative technologies that helped push the watch world to where it is today, and in this segment, we get into some of these technologies.
Bulova Accutron
This was a technology released in the 1960s, when almost everyone was wearing a watch with a mechanical movement that would lose a lot of time throughout the day, resulting in inaccurate readings.
To counteract this, Bulova developed the first fully-electronic watch.
By using a resonating tuning fork as a timekeeping component instead of a balance wheel used in mechanical movements, Bulova developed a watch that only lost a minute a month, which was groundbreaking for the time.
Because of the incredible accuracy that the quartz movement of the Accutron brought with it, companies all over started producing similar watches.
This allowed for quartz watches to really take over, and nowadays, the majority of the watches worn by people every day are these incredibly accurate quartz timepieces.
See more: Bulova vs Seiko
Tissot T-Touch
This is a technology released by Tissot in 1999 and introduced the world to the first tactile watch.
Watches with this technology integrate a touchscreen in their crystals, which allows users to navigate through the watch’s functions much easier.
For the first time, users were able to control the barometer, calendar, chronograph, and all the other functions Tissot had to offer by touching and interacting with the watch.
This was something incredibly new in the watch world at the time, and ever since Tissot has been adding development upon development on the technology, which presently makes it one of their most popular watch collections available.
Strong And Weak Points Of Each Brand
Each of these watch brands has their own unique strengths, but with that, they also have their own set of weaknesses which we dive into in this section.
Bulova’s Strengths
Ask just about any watch nerd out there and they’ll tell you that Bulova’s biggest strength is their ability to innovate.
This was seen very clearly in the Accutron, which totally changed the watch world, but it’s been seen on so many more Bulova watches throughout the years.
For example, Bulova was able to develop a watch that was worn by astronauts on the Apollo 15 mission, which was a huge highlight in the brand’s timeline.
Aside from innovations with technology, Bulova also isn’t scared to experiment with designs.
They’ve released a bunch of eccentric and unique designs that have been loved by the watch community twice over, but as you’ll see in the next portion of the article, it can also be their weakness.
Bulova’s Weaknesses
When you experiment, it’s almost impossible to be successful 100 percent of the time, and Bulova knows that.
Some watch enthusiasts think of Bulova as a goofy brand with confusing designs, which isn’t exactly an inaccurate description.
While the majority of Bulova’s pieces have really good looking and unique designs, there have been other models that don’t share that reputation.
This could because of unflattering color combinations, or even dial designs that confuse people more than they entice them.
Of course, these watches still have their own special appeal, it’s just that they’re obviously not for everyone.
Tissot’s Strengths
The reason Tissot has partnered with racing events and various other sporting events is because of their commitment to precision.
Tissot watches are known to have superior Swiss-made components in their timepieces that make the watches incredibly accurate.
Tissot is the official partner for FIBA, MotoGP, WNBA, The Fencing World Championships, among many others because of how well their timepieces work and how precise their timekeeping technology is.
Tissot’s Weaknesses
While the brand has released a lot of unique designs throughout the years, the majority of the models they release are very traditional.
Now, this isn’t exactly a bad thing, especially if you’re looking for that classic watch look, but it may be kind of a let down if you’re trying to experiment a little.
Of course, there are still some Tissot models that are out of the box, such as their Rock Watch, but that’s one of the few exceptions that Tissot has.
So if you’re looking for something a bit different from the traditional watch face, then Tissot may not be the brand for you.
Notable Watches
In this section, we take a look at some of the best watches released by each brand.
Tissot T-Race T0484172705700
As Tissot is usually associated with various sporting events and leagues around the world, it’s fitting that this sporty model is what’s featured in the article.
The watch features a tough, sturdy, and sporty design that would be a perfect partner when going for a hike, cycling, camping, or even just heading out and running errands for the day.
The quartz movement keeps the time very accurate, which is what the brand is known for, and the cohesive dial design allows for very easy reading of the time.
The color combinations are subtle, yet allow the markers to really pop out, while the stainless steel case and 330 feet of water resistance allow you to take this watch with you anywhere without worrying about damaging the timepiece.
Bulova Precisionist 98B152
The Precisionist technology was developed by Bulova as a continuation of the Accutron.
By using a three-pronged tuning for, Bulova was able to develop a movement that resonates at a much greater frequency than other quartz watches, resulting in movement three times more accurate than standard quartz.
The watches under the Precisionist line are designed to only lose about a minute a year, which is much better than the couple of minutes a month that other quartz watches lose.
This specific Precisionist model features a combination of rose-gold tones and black details.
The contrast this results in makes the watch look stunning, but the design of the case also gives the watch a rugged and tough look.
This is a piece that will definitely turn heads while also giving you the most accurate time reading possible.
Tissot Video
Official Tissot Video Tissot T-Touch Connect Solar – Functions ACTIVITY – ZHT
Bulova Video
Official Bulova Video Bulova – Precisionist 98B315
Conclusion
All in all, there’s no clear cut winner in this battle.
And that’s simply because watches are subjective in nature.
If the traditional look and incredible accuracy are what you’re looking for, then Tissot is the obvious way to go.
But if you’re looking for a louder design and variety, then Bulova is the safest bet.
But whatever brand you choose, as long as you feel comfortable and love the look of your watch, all other counter-arguments about the watch become a moot point.
Check out this article for a comparison between two other industry giants, Invicta and Rolex.
Further reading:
Notable history milestones of Bulova watches
