Looks like it’s in the basket for Swiss brand Tissot who have slam dunked their way to an extension of their worldwide tie up with the International Basketball Federation (FIBA).
This particular four year deal sees the luxury watchmaker act as their official timekeeper where time may literally stand still on the court.
They will also be seen across all major competitions until at least 2016 which for the first time includes the FIBA Basketball World Cup that’s set to launch next year in Spain.
This global contest defines outright who the best male basketball team on the planet is. Similar to the FIFA World Cup, it takes place in a four year cycle where teams compete for the prestigious Naismith Trophy.
Formed way back in June 1932, the FIBA is considered to be the cornerstone of modern basketball. It lays out the rules and sets out all the guidelines such as the selection of referees.
Currently, there are a whopping 213 countries that form part of the actual federation across all five continents.
In addition to this, the collaboration will feature Tissot being represented as a global partner for a host of tournaments as well as being responsible for vital statistics.
But wait, there is more on the horizon as the Swiss brand will present the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award not to mention a variety of other accolades at every FIBA related contest.
Yet Tissot have certainly stood the test of time. They have had a long relationship with the International Basketball Federation which stretches back to 2008.
Tony Parker
In fact they have another star on their roster, namely Tony Parker from the San Antonio Spurs who is currently one of their product ambassadors.
“I am very pleased to see that Tissot continues to support the development of basketball at an international level. Playing for the national team has a very special dimension and the FIBA competitions give a huge boost to the growth of basketball across the globe.” Parker said.
Meanwhile, Patrick Baumann, FIBA General Secretary added he was looking forward to continuing their close association with the Swiss brand;
“The partnership with Tissot has delivered great benefits for FIBA in the past and we look forward to jointly making a next step in the new cycle.” He added.
Yet sport and watches are a perfect partnership as Tissot President François Thiébaud observed;
“We look forward to continuing our longstanding relationship with FIBA. Being associated with such an international sport as basketball underlines our dynamic nature and our values of precision and performance. We will keep rising to the challenge of ensuring that success and victory at that level are firmly rooted in precision and fairness. Offering exclusive timekeeping services and unique designed watches also gives our passionate customers an additional reason to be proud of their commitment to Tissot.”
Tissot’s sporting ambassadors
This harmonious connection has seen The Swatch Group bring in several other high profile names to represent their marque from legendary goal scorer and current Stoke City striker Michael Owen to US motor sport racer Danica Patrick.
