NBA strikes timely deal with Swiss watch company

The National Basketball Association and Tissot have embarked on a new multi-year global partnership that makes the Swiss watch brand the first official timekeeper of the NBA, the Women's National Basketball Association and the NBA Development League.

The deal marks the first official timekeeping partnership for Tissot with a North American sports league and the largest partnership in the company's 160-year history.

With the agreement, Tissot adds to an already robust portfolio of international sports and event partnerships.

The No 1 Swiss traditional watchmaker in terms of volume and a member of the Swatch Group, Tissot will work with the NBA to develop a state-of-the-art integrated timing system.

The new precision time-keeping system, inclusive of Tissot-branded shot clocks, will be implemented across all 29 NBA arenas beginning with the 2016-17 season.

"Tissot is very proud to join the NBA and to be able to create a bond with the players and the fans," said company president Francois Thiebaud.

"The emotions and the spirit behind the sport will further translate into our products. Our daily work is to dress time. We create pieces of beauty and accuracy but above all of emotionality and that is what sport, and more particularly the NBA, is all about."

NBA commissioner Adam Silver echoed that sentiment, saying: "In basketball every second - or even a 10th of a second - can be critical, and this new partnership with Tissot will bring state-of-the-art timing technology to every NBA arena.

"We are proud to partner with Tissot, a world-class brand with a long history of developing innovative and dependable timekeeping systems."

Additionally, the company will receive global league licensing rights for timepieces, watches, clocks and watch accessories for all NBA teams.

The partnership tipped off during this week's NBA Global Games, featuring six teams playing in six countries.

Tissot will also become the official timekeeper and official watch of several marquee league events, including the NBA All-Star Game, the NBA Draft, presented by State Farm, the Samsung NBA Summer League and the Global Games.

The NBA is a global sports and media business built around three professional sports leagues: the National Basketball Association, the WNBA and the NBA Development League.

The league has established a major international presence with offices in 13 markets worldwide, games and programming in 215 countries and territories in 47 languages and NBA merchandise for sale in 100 countries on six continents.