Tissot Couturier: Ideal Entry-Level Dress Watch
Tissot's Couturier line is comprised of classic dress watches. The series encompasses everything from simple three-hand models with a date display to chronographs and GMT complications. These models are great for new enthusiasts and collectors.
This page contains information about:
- Inspired by High-Fashion
- Prices: Tissot Couturier
- How much does a Couturier cost?
- The Couturier Design
- Top Models With Automatic Movements
- Quartz Couturier Models
- Couturier Women's Watches
Inspired by the World of Fashion
The Couturier series is part of the T-Classic collection from Tissot. The manufacturer from Le Locle, Switzerland took inspiration from the world of fashion for these watches. The series' name speaks to its origins, as the French word "couturier" means fashion designer. Tissot's goal with this series is captured by the words: high-quality dress watches at affordable prices.
The watches in this series combine classic designs with high levels of functionality. The chronographs are useful for those who'd like a stopwatch function, while versions with a GMT function are practical for those who often travel and want to keep track of two time zones at once. Other versions with day-date displays are, on account of the day of the week being written out in full at 12 o'clock, reminiscent of the infinitely more expensive Rolex Day-Date and make great alternatives to this popular model.
Tissot Couturier models come in four sizes: 32 mm, 39 mm, 41 mm, and 43 mm, making them suitable for both men and women. Their power comes from either quartz movements or automatic mechanical calibers. These movements are made by ETA, which, like Tissot, belongs to the Swatch Group.
Reasons to Buy a Tissot Couturier
- Classic dress watch collection, ideal for formal occasions
- Available with a day-date display, GMT function, and chronograph complication
- Stainless steel case and sapphire crystal
- Suitable for men and women
- Affordable prices starting at approx. 250 USD
Price Overview: Tissot Couturier
Model, reference number | Price (approx.) | Size, features |
Couturier Automatic Chronograph, T035.614.36.051.01 | 1,500 USD | 43 mm, chronograph, day-date display, automatic caliber A05.H21 |
Couturier Lady Quartz, T035.210.66.051.00 | 650 USD | 32 mm, date display, diamonds, quartz caliber F05.115 |
Couturier Automatic Chronograph, T035.627.16.051.01 | 600 USD | 43 mm, chronograph, date display, automatic caliber C01.211 |
Couturier Day-Date Powermatic 80, T035.407.16.051.02 | 460 USD | 39 mm, day-date display, automatic caliber Powermatic 80 |
Couturier Quartz Chronograph, T035.617.11.051.00 | 460 USD | 41 mm, chronograph, date display, quartz caliber G10.211 |
Couturier Quartz GMT, T035.439.16.051.00 | 380 USD | 41 mm, GMT function, chronograph, date display, quartz caliber G10.961 |
Couturier Quartz, T035.410.16.051.00 | 230 USD | 39 mm, date display, quartz caliber F06.161 |
How much does a Tissot Couturier cost?
Prices for simple, three-hand models with a date display, quartz movement, and leather strap start at around 230 USD. If you prefer your watch on a stainless steel bracelet, plan to spend around 300 USD.
When it comes to chronographs with a quartz caliber, prices range from 380 to 460 USD, depending on whether you opt for a leather strap or stainless steel bracelet. The Couturier models with a GMT complication demand similar amounts.
Mechanical timepieces from the Couturier line cost between approximately 420 and 500 USD. This price bracket includes three-hand watches with a day-date display.
This Tissot collection also offers very affordable automatic chronographs, with prices starting at roughly 600 USD. Top models powered by the reputable chronograph caliber Valjoux 7750 and with a rose gold PVD-coated case demand around 1,500 USD.
Couturier Watches: The Design
If you are looking for an affordable dress watch to complement your business attire, Tissot's Couturier collection is a fantastic choice. These watches have a classic, elegant design that is both subtle and high quality. The dials, available in black, silver, burgundy, blue, and mother of pearl, are streamlined and sophisticated. The hour markers are applied, the minute track stands out from the dial center thanks to finely-structured details, and the elegant design is rounded off with classic dauphine hands.
As for the cases, Tissot alternates between polished and satin finishes, lending these timepieces a high-end look. You can choose between models with pure stainless steel cases, gold-plated variants, or two-tone versions. You can also choose between five-link stainless steel bracelets or high-quality leather straps.
The Top Automatic Couturier Models
Automatic calibers from the ébauche manufacturer ETA power the most high-quality Couturier watches. You'll find the caliber 2834-2 in older three-hand models with a day-date display. This movement offers a power reserve of around 42 hours and shows the day of the week written out in fullat 12 o'clock, and the date at 6 o'clock. The heart of the movement, the balance wheel, runs at 28,800 vph, which is typical for modern mechanical watches.
Several years ago, Tissot replaced the 2834-2 with the Powermatic 80 caliber. This new movement is based on the ETA caliber C07.111, an updated version of the ETA 2824-2. The Powermatic 80 has an 80-hour power reserve, an impressive achievement for this price range. The day and date display are still positioned at 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock, respectively.
The Couturier Day-Date Powermatic 80 has a diameter of 39 mm and is thus suitable for slender wrists. The most affordable version is the two-tone variant, whose bezel, crown, and part of the stainless steel bracelet are coated with yellow gold. Plan to spend about 420 USD for one of these timepieces. Stainless steel watches are slightly more expensive at about 460 USD, and models with a rose gold coating cost about 500 USD.
Automatic Chronographs
The chronograph versions combine the classic design of the Couturier series with the functionality of a sports watch. Similar to the three-hand watches, Couturier chronographs are made of stainless steel. Top models also boast a rose gold coating. As for the dial, you can choose between black or white; both versions feature a tachymeter scale around their edge. Three subdials serve as the small seconds, minute counter, and hour counter. The cases measure 43 mm in diameter.
Tissot offers two editions of the Couturier Automatic Chronograph. The more affordable version is powered by the ETA caliber C01.211. This movement is based on the Lemania 5100 and has a 45-hour power reserve. You can recognize these Couturier chronograph models by their date display at 3 o'clock and the hour counter at 6 o'clock, which you can use to time periods of up to 6 hours.
The Couturier Automatic Chronograph with the caliber A05.H21 is slightly more expensive. This movement is based on the widely-used Valjoux 7750 and offers a longer power reserve of 60 hours. This timepiece sports a day of the week display at 3 o'clock, and the hour counter can time up to 12 hours.
If you are interested in the Couturier Automatic Chronograph with the caliber C01.211, expect to pay around 600 USD for this watch on a leather strap, and closer to 700 USD for a stainless steel bracelet. You can call the version with the caliber A05.H21 your own for around 1,500 USD.
Couturier Quartz with GMT and Chronograph Functions
Alongside watches with automatic movements, the Couturier series also offers a selection of great quartz watches. The three-hand Couturier Quartz is an affordable alternative to the automatic Day-Date Powermatic 80. Although the quartz watch only features a date display at the 3 o'clock position, this lends the model a more streamlined look. Case dimensions and dial details are otherwise mostly the same as those on the automatic variant. Depending on whether you want to mount the Couturier Quartz on a leather strap or stainless steel bracelet, you can expect prices between 230 and 300 USD.
Among the quartz models in the Couturier series, there are several timepieces with a stopwatch and GMT function. For example, the subdial at 10 o'clock on the Couturier Quartz GMT keeps track of a second time zone, while the usual hour and minute hands tell the local time. The large, central second hand serves as the chronograph's stopwatch second hand. To accommodate this, the running second hand is positioned on a subdial at the 6 o'clock position. This watch can time periods of up to 12 hours, which you can read from the subdial at 2 o'clock. If you use the tachymeter scale on the rehaut (the edge of the dial), you can determine your speed as well. The date is indicated at the 4 o'clock position. For the dial itself, you can choose between black and silver. As for the band, you have the choice between a stainless steel bracelet or leather strap. Depending on the exact configuration, the Couturier Quartz GMT costs between 380 and 450 USD.
The pure chronographs are easy to confuse with their GMT siblings. However, small details distinguish them from one another. On the chronographs, the subdial for the small seconds is larger, the 30-minute counter is located at 10 o'clock, and the subdial for measuring 1/10ths of a second is located at 2 o'clock. This is an impressive feat, seeing as the automatic stopwatch function provided by the caliber A05.H21 "only" measures 1/8ths of a second. Both Couturier Quartz chronographs are 41 mm in diameter and cost roughly 460 USD.
Couturier Lady: The Classic Women's Watch
Tissot also offers a diverse range of wristwatches for women in their Couturier line. Visually, they resemble the men's watches in the series. However, they're noticeably smaller, with a diameter of only 32 mm. When choosing a dial, you have the choice between white, black, blue, and burgundy. The flagship pieces in the women's collection are embellished with mother-of-pearl dials or feature diamond-encrusted bezels.
The Couturier Lady is available with a quartz or automatic caliber, and you have the choice between a stainless steel bracelet or a black, white, red, or blue leather strap. Two-tone versions with a yellow gold coating are also available.
The most affordable watch in this line is the Couturier Lady Quartz, which you can buy for around 230 USD. If you would like your timepiece to have diamonds, expect the price to rise to around 650 USD. An automatic Couturier Lady costs around 550 USD.