Tissot RockWatch Marks 40 Years of Swiss Stonecraft
The story of Tissot’s RockWatch is intimately connected to Switzerland’s famed mountain range. Originally launched in 1985, it featured an entire case manufactured from a material that probably had never appeared in the realm of watches until then: Alpine granite from the cantons of Grisons, Ticino, and Valais. In various case sizes, 33mm or smaller, and fitted with red and yellow hands, the RockWatch was a quartz-powered timepiece that delighted collectors with the intricate details and characteristics of its stone.
And now, in tribute to the RockWatch and its 40th anniversary, Tissot launched a limited run of 999 pieces, a near-faithful reproduction of the original that is available only at selected points of sale, at SGD 1,550. Now in 38mm, with silvery nickel-plated hands, the 2025 RockWatch also runs on a quartz movement, in a true homage to its forebear. Here, its case is crafted out of granite boulders that were recovered during tunnel maintenance and repair work in the Jungfrau Railway tunnels.
Tissot RockWatch
To solidify the link between the RockWatch reissue and its source material, Tissot organised its launch event right in the heart of Switzerland’s Bernese Alps, which is renowned for its three main summits: Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. The journey comprised a drive from the resort town of Interlaken up to Grindelwald terminal, then a transfer to the Eiger Express cable car and then to the Jungfrau Railway, which passes through a tunnel bored into the interior of the mountains.
The cavernous Eigerwand rail station, disused since late 2016, served as the stage for the product unveiling, led by Tissot CEO Sylvain Dolla. Set up among the archival RockWatches from the 1980s and 1990s and the raw granite cylinders and specimens from each stage of the contemporary production process was the piece de resistance, displayed in vitrines and in the exclusive box specially designed to resemble a block of granite. To complete the launch experience, a walking tour of the 3,475m-high glacier saddle Jungfraujoch, with views of the 20km-long Aletsch Glacier, and through the Ice Palace, a network of passages carved into the glacier itself, cemented the profound connection between the RockWatch and the natural legacy of Switzerland.
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