From TAG Heuer’s newly rebooted Formula One sponsorship to Seiko’s decades long association with the World Athletics Championships, it’s no secret that the watch world loves a sports timing brand partnership. But despite the heavy competition, Tissot emerges as a leading light in this sector – enjoying no less than ten formal partnerships in a host of disciplines, spanning the Tour de France, the International Ice Hockey Federation and the National Basketball Association.
The flagship in Tissot’s sporting lineup, the National Basketball Association (NBA) was reported to have comfortably surpassed the $10 billion revenue mark in 2023 and is amongst the world’s most successful and most recognisable sports leagues. With an international cultural reach which, arguably, rivals that of football’s, it’s spawned offshoots including Nike’s Air Jordan lifestyle brand and Netflix’s Screen Actor’s Guild Award nominated movie, Hustle (2022), to name just a couple.
But beyond the expected tie-in watches and marketing billboards – and following ten existing years of successful brand partnership – this January saw Tissot debut a redesigned ‘shot clock’ match timing system, alongside announcement of an extension to its partnership with both the NBA and WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) for at least another ten years. Introduced in 1954 to prevent a team from tactically stalling gameplay, the shot clock is a hoop-mounted countdown timer which tracks the crucial 24-second window during which teams are permitted to possess the ball.
The National Basketball Association (NBA) was reported to have comfortably surpassed the $10 billion revenue mark in 2023
Following a request from the NBA, Tissot’s new shot clock updates the device’s previous design with RGB LED light indicators which, unlike previous iterations, can be illuminated in a full spectrum of colours to indicate a “Coach’s Challenge” and other states of play. On a more whimsical level, the new lighting system means specific hues can also be selected for promotional purposes: to match a winning team’s colours, for instance. Reflecting Tissot’s work with wristwatches, the shape of the clock has also been updated from a simple rectangular shape to a dial-like circle shape.
Naturally, a celebratory limited-edition watch, in the form of the Tissot Supersport NBA Special Edition, to accompany the new clock and partnership renewal has been produced too. It’s a 45.5mm PVD-coated steel, quartz chronograph, whose 1-minute timing bezel features an additional 24-second sub-scale in reference to the new shot clock. In further, more general, reference to basketball, the dial and leather strap bear a granular pattern reminiscent of a basketball ball, whilst the caseback is engraved with the NBA’s logo and a list of the its teams’ respective home cities/states.
New watch aside, the redesigned shot clock brings to the forefront one of Tissot’s (beneath the umbrella of its parent company, Swatch Group) most interesting sister companies, Swiss Timing. Responsible for the technical side of the new shot clock, Swiss Timing is Swatch Group’s dedicated sport timing division. A key part of the Group’s operations. We sit down with Swiss Timing’s CEO, Alan Zobrist, and Tissot boss Sylvain Dolla to find out more…
Alan Seymour: Swiss Timing is a part of Swatch Group that not many people outside the Group know too much about…
Alan Zobrist: We were formed in 1972 as a merger between the timing divisions of Swatch Group brands Omega and Longines. The goal was to create a consolidated company to provide sports timekeeping services, generally in partnership with the Group’s watch brands - like Tissot. I’m happy to say, Swiss Timing is now the market leader for sporting timekeeping, data processing, photo finish, broadcast services and more. We deliver our services to over 500 events per year, from world championships to the Olympics and, of course, to the NBA.
AS: Can you tell more about the technology you use to achieve this?
AZ: It’s a lot more than simple timing… For instance, we have motion sensors and positioning systems which help us determine where an athlete may have gained or lost time or points. We open up new ways of measuring time, because, if you have distance and speed, you have time. We track much more than the pure ‘start/stop’ of a competition, it’s really the whole story of the competition that we track.
It can be a lot of equipment, but for the NBA it’s pretty light: a couple of shot clocks, timing systems and some cables. Actually, we’re focusing on reducing our carbon footprint and as such we’ve managed to make new shot clocks 20% lighter; it all contributes to reducing our overall shipping impact.
It’s a lot more than simple timing… For instance, we have motion sensors and positioning systems which help us determine where an athlete may have gained or lost time or points
AS: Can you share some more detail on your partnership with the NBA, on a tech’ level?
AZ: We first re-worked the NBA’s shot clocks and timing systems about eight years ago. One of the main things we did was to introduce fully transparent shot clocks, which is great for spectators as it doesn't block view of play. It involved the use of patented knowhow, developed by us, to ‘float’ LEDs in the clock. We did a few other things too, for instance, making sure their timing system has a fully synchronised main and a backup fail-safe.
The timing element is fundamental to basketball, with the result of many games decided in the last seconds of a game. The whole NBA deal actually came about because of the need for precision timing technology, with the first Swatch Group/NBA meeting, in fact, happening at Swiss Timing before going on to include Tissot, of course. To paraphrase an Omega partnership: James Bond has Q and, for sports, Swatch Group has Swiss Timing.
AS: Starting at the start, can you tell me about Tissot’s relationship with the NBA and what it mean’s to you and your brand?
Sylvain Dolla: It’s been ten years now and what I love about this relationship is that it’s not just a marketing partnership, it’s much more than that. With the ‘shot clock’, and Swiss Timing, we are also a key supplier of technology to the NBA. It’s not just our logo next to another logo. It’s a far more genuine and authentic partnership, it’s been very fruitful for all parties… Two years ago the NBA told us they wanted to continue and that they needed a redesign of the shot clock. I’m also delighted to say that we’re the official presenter of their European fixtures and, since 2016, the presenter of the ‘buzzer beater’, the ‘Tissot buzzer beater’, one of the most evocative and time sensitive moments of a game.
AS: Tissot is involved with a great number of sports, how important is basketball in your lineup?
SD: Basketball is the most important ‘pillar’ in our sports association strategy. A) because time plays such an important role in a basketball game and B) the NBA’s championship schedule is very long, with a lot of games, so in terms of visibility it’s fantastic.
The NBA is not just a sport, it’s so ingrained into today’s lifestyle… We at Tissot are not manufacturing commodities, we’re manufacturing watches, emotional things - so often they’re given as gifts to mark life moments like weddings and graduations. Basketball is pure emotion, you see how ‘crazy’ the crowd gets! It’s full of emotion. And, on the other hand, we also have clear parallels between the precision and the hard work needed to reach your goal in sport, which I think mirrors both the history and philosophy of our brand. Taking everything into account, it’s really a perfect association for us.
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