Tessé Watches

Tessé Watches was founded by Thomas in 2024 with the vision of crafting a meticulously designed, vintage-inspired timepiece as a tribute to his grandfather, Michel. His aspiration was to produce a distinctive watch that embodied the essence of timeless craftsmanship while delivering exceptional value to customers — a founding act that laid the foundation for the brand and set the stage for its continuous growth and the development of new models since. As a modest, independent company fuelled by a genuine passion for horology, Tessé's stated commitment centres on meticulous attention to detail, captivating design, and the creation of truly individual timepieces. The brand states its design philosophy in direct opposition to a common pattern in the microbrand space: 'We reject the notion of merely replicating well-known watch designs. Instead we strive to infuse our creations with personal depth and individuality in a saturated market of micro-brands.' Tessé's inaugural series reimagines classic design language for daily wear, aiming for an aesthetic the brand believes will resonate across generations rather than chase a passing trend. From early on, Thomas chose to partner directly with Swiss manufacturers, scrutinising every aspect of the watches from conceptualisation through to manufacturing to ensure the best possible value; the brand has embraced a direct-to-consumer model from the outset, deliberately controlling costs that don't directly translate into value for the customer.

The collection is built around two core lines. The Michel GMT — named directly for the grandfather who inspired the brand's founding — is a true GMT watch offered across an unusually broad palette of colourways, including Azure Signal, Electric Teal, Neon Blush, Silverstone, Grey, Crimson Drive, Orangina Rose, Orangina Blue, Rose Gold, and Silver White, priced between CAD 2,105 and CAD 2,155 depending on finish. The Architect collection takes a more restrained, structurally-minded design approach, complemented by the newer Architect Monochrome line — a tonal, single-colour reinterpretation of the same case architecture. Tessé also maintains a Nearly New Sale collection offering prototype and archive pieces at reduced pricing, alongside a dedicated accessories range and a free downloadable ebook exploring the brand's horological interests. Watches now ship DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) to the United States, simplifying import costs and duties for American customers ordering direct from the brand's own site.

Founder Thomas Brissiaud's full design philosophy comes into sharper focus with the Architect collection, launched as a more restrained counterpoint to the Michel GMT's vivid 1970s-inspired palette, itself drawn directly from Brissiaud's own book researching that decade's watchmaking innovations. The Architect's three-hand, no-date dial is built from twenty-one individually machined and finished components, including thirteen sculpted lume blocks, assembled with a rejection rate Brissiaud has compared to haute horlogerie production standards rather than typical microbrand practice. Both lines are assembled in La Chaux-de-Fonds, the historic heart of Swiss horology, and share an élaboré-grade ETA 2892-A2 automatic movement, a 1200 HV anti-scratch case coating, and a custom-engraved movement holder visible through the caseback — specification and finishing intention that reviewers have repeatedly noted punches well above the brand's roughly CAD 2,100–2,200 price point, with some comparing the dial construction favourably to watches costing three to five times as much. A companion bracelet, developed to the same standard as the case and dial rather than sourced as a generic add-on, has been in development for some time as Brissiaud continues refining every component in-house rather than compromising on off-the-shelf parts. From a personal tribute to his grandfather Michel, Tessé has grown in barely two years into one of the more technically respected Canadian microbrands, built on the same uncompromising instinct that shaped its very first watch.