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A Rare ‘70s Chrono from an Underdog Manufacturer

This Mathey-Tissot “exotic dial” chrono checks all of the boxes for ‘70s cool, but there’s so much more to its pedigree!

Watch collecting has an absurdly powerful way of drawing us past the shallows of a hobby into the depths of obsession, and while there are many factors that contribute to the horological space’s addictive nature, we think the most potent ingredient in the bitch’s brew might well be the infinite variety it offers. You could collect and study vintage wristwatches for a lifetime and if there’s one thing the social media age of horology has shown us, it’s that there’s always going to be something you haven’t seen out there! It still happens to all of us. For those of us that express our personality through the unique choices that get our wrist time, things like this rare, historically relevant, and painfully cool Mathey-Tissot Chronograph from 1970 are impossible to resist. It’s a watch that exists off the beaten path of the major brands, but has an incredible insider appeal that makes it even more interesting to us. 

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In this episode of our series What Is On My Wrist, Craft + Tailored’s CEO (that’s Chief Executive Obsessive btw) Cam Barr walks us through this “exotic dial” chrono’s fantastic details and provides some interesting background history on the Mathey-Tissot marque and explains why you may not have heard of them, but it’s very possible that you’ve seen a watch they’ve played a part in manufacturing – like the many they produced for both the United States and British military under contract during both World War I and World War II! It’s also believed by many watch collecting aficionados that Mathey-Tissot manufactured the famous Breguet Type XX military pilot chronograph.

 From its robust case (which is undeniably reminiscent of many of our favorite popular ‘70s chronos) to its Valjoux cal. 726 powerplant and “exotic” dial, this Mathey-Tissot is something special and a bit weird, but not so weird that it’s unwearable. And while it’s available to purchase now, we (especially Cam) don’t mind it hanging around the showroom a bit longer!

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