I picked up a nice little Tissot at the weekend which I think is a little gem and also turns out to be a little intriguing. The watch appears to have a Cal.27 movement and I think it dates from the early Fifties, with a chrome plate case with drilled lugs. The intriguing part is the case which turns out to be a Dennison Aquatite. I knew nothing about these until today but from what I've read, this case has a bit of history and the Aquatite case was used on the Smiths watches worn by Sir Edmund Hillary on his 1953 Everest Expedition.

Having Searched for similar Tissots, I can't find any reference to any other Tissots in Aquatite cases from a web search and all from the Fifties seem to be housed in Tissot stamped cases. So, I have either found an uncommon example of a non-Tissot cased watch, or it's been re-cased at some stage. My gut feeling is its all original, but it wouldn't necessarily be obvious in any way. If you have any info on the subject I'd be very grateful and of course, it's a good excuse to share some pics of your vintage Tissots.

 

I think your instinct is correct: it's a recased watch.
Nonetheless, your example has a nice original dial and correct hands and it likely looks great on your wrist. At the end of the day, that's what counts.

 

I'm inclined to agree.

If the notch in the movement holder is correctly over the stem, I would expect the cutout arc over the regulator to be more centrally aligned if it was original to the watch.

It's still a nice watch though so who cares.

 

Thanks gents, It's a shame really because the dial is in great condition for its age. At least the case is one of interest. Another eBay mission in the making, I need to find a decent case, and a JW Benson tropical to drop into the Aquatite case. Would still like to see some vintage Tissots if you have any to show.

 

For your viewing pleasure: https://omegaforums.net/threads/do-you-like-tissot-many-pics.58233/

 

I disagree. I think it's right. Lots of movements were cased in the UK in the list-war period as a means to avoid punitive taxes. You'll find Rolexes, Omegas, Longines, etc., all in Dennison and other cases from that period. I'm sure I've seen Dennison Tissots too.

 

Plenty of 9ct gold Dennison-cased Tissot. Here's one:


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It's the use of the aftermarket movement holder and that ill-fitted steel case in the OP that gives me the willies.