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After 170 years in the watchmaking business, Tissot is one of the biggest names in the game, with a well-earned reputation for solidly-made watches at entry-level prices. In addition to a stacked roster of popular designs like the Seastar dive watch, however, the Swiss brand has also been crushing it with vintage re-editions like the 1970s PRX, a sub-$400 banger in the style of grails like the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and Vacheron Constantin 222. Fortunately for anyone who doesn’t have a five-figure budget for their next watch purchase, the best-selling PRX isn’t the only vintage-inspired treasure in Tissot’s lineup. The Tissot Heritage Banana, an early 20th century design with a rectangular case reminiscent of contemporaries like the Cartier Tank and Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso, offers a bunch of style and a surprising origin story for just $299.
According to Tissot, the original Banana—so named for its curved rectangular case—was created in 1916, and (thanks to a twist of fate involving a Russian watch collector and the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917) has resided in the brand’s archive almost ever since. This origin story is significant because it makes the Banana not just one of the first curved watches in the world, but also a year older than Cartier’s famous Tank, which debuted in 1917. Unlike the Cartier, however, which has been the go-to watch for trendsetters from Andy Warhol to Princess Diana, the original Banana was destined to gather dust in the Tissot archive for more than a century before its official relaunch in 2017.
The Banana Heritage isn’t the only other affordable rectangular watch out there, but it comes with enough unique vintage styling to set it apart from its rectangular brethren. With a set of funky Arabic “Breguet” numerals (a nod to Abraham Breguet, a man who was to 19th century watch design what Jay-Z is to 21st century music) a fluted winding crown, and that ergonomically curved case, the Banana Heritage is the perfect way to fill the rectangular hole in your watch wardrobe.
Without the same hype as the PRX, and with an altogether more buttoned-down look, the Heritage Banana hasn’t exactly blown up since its reintroduction in 2017, but that actually might be a good thing. Not only does that mean you can score one on Amazon for a few hundred bucks (or a little more for the rose gold version), you’re unlikely to see anyone else wearing one—for now.