To celebrate the recent launch of the Tissot Heritage Limited Edition, the re-edition of a classic model from 1944, Tissot presented an exclusive "Tissot Heritage Back to the 40' s Connoisseurs' Banquet" in the evening of 12 th May 2009 at famous heritage building, The Helena May, to glorify the brand's 156-year history in the watchmaking industry. Prestigious VIP guests, connoisseurs and collectors were invited to enjoy a spectacular evening, to experience the pleasure of appreciating and collecting luxury timepieces, as well as to witness Tissot's outstanding expertise in traditional watchmaking.

The Helena May, a declared monument in Hong Kong , had been chosen as the venue for the gathering to manifest the historical verve of the 156-year-old brand and the timeless beauty of the Tissot Heritage Limited Edition . Situated in Central, The Helena May was built in a classic Victorian and Edwardian architectural style, featuring highly elegant decorations and fixtures. To pay further tribute to Tissot's history and traditional craftsmanship, a distinctive "time tunnel" had been set up in the building, displaying important brand stories and representative past creations by Tissot in a regressive order from the 21 st century back to the early 20 th century, including the modern T-Touch, 1950s' T-idea and Navigator, 1930s' Chrono Janeiro, 1919' s Porto Chrono and 1904' s Tsar Watch. Walking through the "time tunnel", guests were invited to travel back over one century together with Tissot.

At the end of the tunnel was the door to the main hall, which was also decorated in a reminiscent 1940' s style. Guests were invited to enjoy pleasant food and wine under the elegant ambiance of the heritage building. Mr. Noel Wong, famous watch critic, columnist and connoisseur, who is the Consultant of the Watches Department of Sotheby's Hong Kong and the Vice President of Shanghai Xin Yu Watch & Clock Group, Ltd., was invited to give a seminar on collecting and appreciating timepieces. He shared interesting stories as an experienced connoisseur, and revealed the secret ways of maintaining the eternal values of a luxury timepiece.

The homage to history and traditions continued later on during the exclusive catwalk show, where a pair of models dressed in 1940' s style demonstrated the Tissot Heritage, and another pair in contemporary outfit demonstrated the T-Touch series - another highlight of the evening which unveiled the immeasurable and eternal power of history and traditions on the creations of Tissot.

Ms Lenna Wan, Vice President of Tissot, Hong Kong and Macau , said, "The popularity of the T-Touch series in recent years has created an image of 'advanced technology and supreme innovation' for Tissot, but we must not forget the fact that the brand was actually founded in 1853. With its 156 years of history, it can in fact be one of the oldest Swiss watch brands in the world. Our past collections prove that while the brand never ceases to improve and innovate, we also try our very best to retain the traditions we have inherited from our rich past. Just like what our brand's philosophy - 'Innovators by Tradition' - suggests, we do glorify our tradition in every piece of our creations, such as the newly-launched Tissot Heritage watch. Through the ' Tissot Heritage Back to the 40' s Connoisseurs' Banquet ', we hope all watch-lovers will be able to understand more about our splendid history in the watchmaking industry during the past 156 years, and to truly savor our persistence and admiration towards traditional craftsmanship."

About heritage building The Helena May
Situated at 35 Garden Road in Central, The Helena May was set up by Lady May, the wife of Sir Henry May, Governor of Hong Kong at the time, in 1912 and was inaugurated in 1916. It was originally known as The Helena May Institute, and was renamed as The Helena May in 1974. Originally used as a hostel for single working women of European origin, the building features elegant and graceful decorations which follow the classic Victorian and Edwardian architectural style. From the bird's eye view, the building, with three levels and a basement, forms a big U-shaped block facing Garden Road . Two beautiful columns in the neo-classic Ioric style stand on both sides of the entrance staircase which was built in distinctive Baroque and Rococo styles, while the front aisles on the ground and second floors are flourished with dome-shaped doors. During the Second World War, Japanese forces requisitioned the building, and at the end of the war, it was requisitioned by the Royal Air Force until 1947. It was listed a declared monument in Hong Kong in 1993.