Heading into Baselworld this year, few brands had as many expectations surrounding its novelties, at least among lovers of vintage-style timepieces, as Tissot. After all, it was only one year ago that Tissot released the Heritage 1948 Chronograph to critical acclaim ? with its unique lugs, vintage-style dial, and attractive $1,500 price point. Thus it was natural to expect a bold follow-up to be added to the brand’s lineup.  That follow-up turned out to be the Tissot Antimagnetique Heritage 2018, a new hand-wound piece based on the antimagnetic watches that Tissot produced in the 1930s and ’40s.

These original watches (vintage picture below, via Fratellowatches) tended to be slightly larger than their contemporaries ? between 35- and 40-mm in diameter compared to 34-mm and below ? and are noted for being some of the first antimagnetic watches on the market. Tissot was, in fact, the first watch manufacturer to offer this feature. This style of watch was produced by a number of brands during the period and was known for its clean, almost minimalist dial configuration, steel case, thin hands, quality movement, and price accessibility compared to its more luxurious competitors. On today?s vintage market, these watches have gained some attention in recent years, but have remained relatively inexpensive compared to the brand’s historical chronographs, likely due to their mass production and modern ubiquity.
The new watch (Ref. T119.405.16.037) has a large, 4...