49

With the road to the 2025 NBA playoffs approaching, Tissot have elected to further consolidate their partnership with the home of basketball. While this means a great many things, including a new shot clock and timing system, it’s Tissot’s newest NBA watch that’s bound to be a slam dunk for the fans.

If you’ve ever watched a game of NBA in the past ten years, then you may have noticed that all the shot clocks in every single game bear just one name: Tissot. Since 2015, the Swiss watch brand has served the league as both business partner and official timekeeper, bringing accuracy and unparalleled precision to the sport. From Kobe Bryant’s last game, to LeBron’s epic fast-break rejection of Andre Iguodala, to Kawhi Leonard’s nail-biting buzzer-beater, the Swatch Group brand has been present for some of the greatest history-making moments of modern basketball. 

With the ten-year anniversary of their partnership coming up, both Tissot and the NBA have decided to remain together for the foreseeable future, expanding on a multi-year partnership that extends through the 2025-26 NBA season and beyond. The grand expansion began in Paris, with Tissot CEO Sylvain Dolla, NBA President of Global Partnerships Salvatore LaRocca and Tissot Ambassadors, NBA legend Tony Parker and 2024 WNBA Champion Sabrina Ionescu. They debuted a brand-new shot clock and timing system, which would be provided to all NBA arenas as part of a nationwide makeover for the league. The basketball hype only increased further, with the Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs playing two of their regular-season games outside the United States at Accor Arena. This, in effect, was just a taste of what the next 10 years have in store, as Tissot has also become the official presenting partner of the NBA any time they play in Europe until 2035. 

Now, with all this talk of precision timing, doesn’t it make sense that the Le Locle-based brand also releases a new NBA-themed watch to boot? Well, of course it does! Continuing to celebrate their integral partnership with the NBA, Tissot has released an all-new rendition of their quartz Supersport model. While the Supersport collection is a younger part of the Tissot lineup, debuting in 2020, they’ve made a significant impact as a recognisable, bold, and affordable timepiece for all to enjoy. This time around, instead of paying tribute to the sport itself or individual ambassadors like Damian Lillard, Tissot’s focus lies solely on paying tribute to the biggest basketball league in the world.

Standing at a monstrous 45.5mm case diameter with a 54mm lug-to-lug, the Tissot NBA Supersport Special Edition is not built for the faint of wrist – myself included! By contrast, however, the stainless steel case is relatively thin, measuring in at 11.92mm and covered in a black PVD coating. The thinness is largely thanks to the quartz ETA G10.212 that powers the internal functions of the watch. While not the most stunning horological revelation out there, the ETA G10.212 is technically in-house. Swatch Group, the parent company of Tissot, owns the ETA manufacture, and typically leans on them to make reliable and – in this case – cost-effective movements for the brand.

Of course, what would be a tribute to the NBA without a unique set of aesthetics? The NBA Supersport Special Edition sports a textured black dial inspired by the texture of a basketball, and accompanied by red/white/blue accents in the colour of the NBA logo. Speaking of, you can also find the logo on the counterbalance of the second hand. The silhouette of Jerry West ticks once per second with the push of the chronograph, which you can time in sync with Tissot’s 24-second shot clock used in the NBA thanks to a timing scale on the bezel.

Turning the watch around, the finer details continue as Tissot has placed yet another NBA logo on the solid case back – just in case you forgot who they were partnering with. My favourite detail, however, are the names of each city and state of the 30 NBA teams. They surround the NBA logo, with Western Conference teams on the left and Eastern Conference teams on the right.  

My Thoughts

I used to be a major basketball tragic in school. Lob City, for example, were like gods to me. I even tried out for basketball teams in an attempt to get closer to the sport – I didn’t get in, but mostly because I forgot when trials were on. However, my interest eventually faded, and the players that I recognised (except LeBron James) eventually all retired. As time went on, getting back into the NBA felt more like a chore than a passion.

With my new fascination in watches and all things timing-based, however, I found myself with a renewed attentiveness to the sport. Noticing that Tissot had been an official partner with the NBA also piqued my interest, and soon enough I found myself thrust back into loving the league I had once forgotten about. This is largely in part thanks to the world of horology and basketball colliding, and with releases like the new Tissot NBA Supersport Special Edition, I don’t think that interest is fading away any time soon. For a basketball fan on a budget, who may also trying to be getting into the wonderful world of watches, I highly advise you check this out for yourself – if you’ve got the wrist to handle it.

Reference: T125.617.37.067.00

Specifications:

• Dimensions: 45.5mm diameter x 54mm lug-to-lug x 11.92mm thickness
• Case Material: Stainless steel with black PVD coating
• Dial: Black with red/white/blue accents
• Movement: Quartz ETA G10.212 movement with chronograph (30 min, 1/10th sec registers) & End of Life (EOL) indicator
• Water Resistance: 100m (10bar)
• Strap: Black leather with quick release and black PVD steel buckle 

Australian RRP: AU$760.00

Availability: Available now via Tissot.com, and at authorised retailers from March 2025.