Before I start, guess what H2 Hub has dragged in? Nope, not a United Airlines passenger (sorry, couldn’t resist). Instead, H2 Hub brings you a watch series review this week, so you get an idea of what you may want to splurge your latest paycheque on. The series is none other than the Tissot Ballade – now available in H2 Hub outlets at NEX and Bedok Mall.

So here’s the lowdown on Tissot. A Swiss watchmaker, the company was founded in Switzerland by Charles-Félicien Tissot and his son Charles-Émile Tissot in 1853. They’ve since gone on to be recognised as a worldwide brand, producing quality, antimagnetic Swiss watches at a relatively affordable price range, as compared to their competitors. I say relatively affordable here because instead of Japanese movements, they utilise hand-assembled Swiss movements, and those don’t come cheap. For a clearer analogy, let’s take an orange and a kiwi, both packed with beneficial Vitamin C. The orange is relatively affordable when placed alongside the kiwi, making it good value for an overall great product.

Moving on to what makes the Tissot Ballade series unique: a silicon spring balance which gives it a power reserve of up to 80 hours. For benchmarking, the usual Swiss movements provide only 48 hours or less of power reserve. How this is achieved, is through the use of silicon in place of metal for the spring balance, and is commonly seen only in much more expensive timepieces. Meanwhile, a distinctive Clous de Paris hobnail pattern is visualised on the bezels and dials for a nice 1930s aesthetic cue.

All in all, the Tissot Ballade range is great for daily wear and a piece you may want to consider as the next addition to your wardrobe. Get them now at any H2HUB outlet. And if it’s not your kind of thing, simply hit up the NFW online shop, because we’ll have more of what fits you best.

-The Watchman