Tissot Unveils New Line of NBA Watches
Baseball season is over for another year and now the spotlight turns to basketball, especially the kind played by the NBA. Swiss watchmaker Tissot picked this most opportune time to introduce a partnership with five NBA teams and a new line of watches.
Tissot has a major interest in the NBA since the watch brand has inked a reported six-year $200 million deal that includes being the official timekeeper for the NBA, WNBA and NBA Development League. The Tissot name will appear on the 24-second shot clock in the 29 NBA arenas and the company will be running the clock at several NBA events like the NBA Draft, All-Star Game and NBA Global Games. This week Tissot also is announcing partnership deals with the Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs.
The watchmaker is making the most of the affiliation by creating a line of six NBA timepieces that Tissot says range from “sporty to trendy to classic.” The team watches will be in stores in time for this year’s holiday shopping season and will carry price tags of $400 to $500. Tissot also has a special NBA watch collection selling for up to $1,000 each.
At this week’s game between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs in NYC, Tissot’s president Francois Thiebaud gave the crowd the first look at the new line of NBA watches and told FOXBusiness.com, “We want to create and associate new products (with the NBA) to show we are a partner, not just a sponsor.”
Big sports sponsorships don’t come cheap, but Thiebaud thinks that this one is worth the cost. “The NBA is a unique partner,” he stated. “There’s no doubt this NBA exposure is worldwide. The games are televised in Europe and Asia. There’s lots of visibility. It’s a good partnership for both sides.”
