1972 Tissot Sideral Chronograph Bullhead, manual winding movement cal. Lemania 872, Corfam integrated strap, 39mm. fiber glass case.

Many Swiss brands had similar models like Breitling, Sicura and Tissot not to mention those brands that disappeared in the last 50 years. Not only Swiss but Japanese companies like Citizen and Seiko had bullheads among their line of watches of the time.

The word bullhead is the term used for chronograph watches that have their crown and chronograph pushers on top of the case (in some cases the crown is at the bottom of the case) rather than on the side – hence resembling the look of the head of a bull with its horns. These cases are usually larger and thicker than the average chronographs. Most of the time their cases are not even-shaped, meaning that the top of it where the pushers and the crown is located is wider and thicker and the bottom of the case is thinner. This way the dial is tilted towards 6 o’clock. This allows the wearer to check the time on the watch much more easily hence the oddity of the case. They are particularly special for no reason other than in most cases they were produced in relatively small numbers.

Tissot was founded in 1853 in Switzerland offering the first mass-produced pocket watch in that year. They went on to introduce a number of firsts: first anti-magnetic watch, first watch made of stone, wood and plastic.

Interestingly, Tissot merged with Omega back in 1930. Lemania, the movement maker joined the group 2 years later and became the chronograph movement maker for the brands. Having a captive chronograph maker enabled both Omega and Tissot to become official timing partners for many events such as the Olympics, Formula 1 and other sporting events. Tissot and Omega used a lot of similar or even same movements over the years. At times, Omega used a slightly more advanced version or one with more decoration – think of it like VW and Audi. Omega, Longines and Lemania have been under the Swatch Group since 1983.