What Does 'Autolub' Mean on a Vintage Tissot Watch?
If you have come across a vintage Tissot marked Autolub, you may well have wondered what it means. It is one of those intriguing pieces of dial or movement text that puzzles many owners - and it points to a genuinely interesting piece of Tissot engineering. Here is everything you need to know.
What Does Autolub Mean?
Autolub is the name of a self-lubricating system developed by Tissot for its watch movements, who were known for manufacturing their movements in house. The name is a contraction of automatic lubrication, or self-lubrication, and it refers to a technology designed to reduce the friction within the movement and lessen its reliance on traditional oiling.
So when you see Autolub on a vintage Tissot watch, it indicates that the watch features this self-lubricating movement technology - a genuine mark of Tissot's engineering innovation, as we explore in our complete guide to vintage Tissot watches. It is a sign of a thoughtfully made watch from one of the great Swiss names.
Why Lubrication Matters in a Watch
To understand why Autolub was significant, it helps to know why lubrication matters so much in a watch. A mechanical watch movement is full of tiny moving parts, and wherever these parts move against one another, there is friction. To reduce this friction and allow the movement to run smoothly and wear slowly, watch movements are carefully lubricated with tiny amounts of oil at key points.
The challenge is that this oil degrades, dries out, and spreads over time, which is a major reason a mechanical watch needs periodic servicing, as we discuss in our guide to vintage watch servicing. As the lubrication deteriorates, friction increases, and the watch runs less well. Anything that could reduce a movement's reliance on traditional oiling was therefore a genuinely useful innovation - and this is exactly what Tissot's Autolub set out to do.
The Idea Behind Autolub
The idea behind Autolub was to incorporate self-lubricating properties into the movement, reducing the need for conventional oiling and the friction within the watch. By building a degree of self-lubrication into the movement, Tissot aimed to create a watch that ran smoothly with less reliance on traditional lubricants, and potentially with longer intervals between the attention a movement would otherwise need.
It was a characteristically innovative piece of engineering from Tissot, a brand with a genuine history of technical innovation, and it reflects the forward-thinking spirit of Tissot watchmaking in the period. For the collector, an Autolub movement is an interesting and distinctive piece of Tissot's engineering story.
What It Means for Owning the Watch
For the owner of a vintage Tissot Autolub, there are a couple of practical points worth knowing. The Autolub system was a genuine innovation, and these are perfectly good, well-made Tissot watches - the marking is a positive, not a concern.
That said, an Autolub watch is still a vintage mechanical watch, now decades old, and like any vintage watch it will still benefit from proper care and periodic servicing by a competent watchmaker, as we discuss in our guide to finding a good watchmaker. Whatever clever engineering went into it when new, time affects every vintage movement, so an Autolub Tissot should be cared for just like any other cherished vintage piece.
A Genuine Vintage Tissot From Our Collection
The Tissot Seastar - Vintage 1970's Men's Automatic Date Gold Dress Watch - Reference 44543 is a lovely example of a genuine vintage Tissot watch from this era of innovative Swiss watchmaking - a handsome, well-made automatic from one of the great accessible names, with exactly the quality and character that make vintage Tissot such a rewarding thing to own, as we explore in our guide to what to know before buying a vintage Tissot.
Check out our full vintage watch collection here!
A Final Thought
So, what does Autolub mean on a vintage Tissot? It is the name of Tissot's self-lubricating movement technology - a genuinely innovative system designed to reduce friction and the movement's reliance on traditional oiling. Far from a cause for concern, it is a mark of Tissot's engineering ingenuity and a distinctive, interesting feature of these vintage watches. It is one more reason vintage Tissot, with its blend of quality, innovation, and accessibility, is such a rewarding corner of collecting.
At AR Collectables, vintage Tissot watches are a genuine favourite, and every piece in our collection is handpicked, cleaned, and tested. If you would like to know more, or are looking to buy a vintage Tissot watch, just drop me a message - we would love to help. 🤝
