n 1936, Anna May Wong (1905–1961) set foot in China for the first time. Born in Los Angeles, California, to Chinese parents, she had never had the opportunity to visit her country of origin before. When she landed in Shanghai, the ‘Dragon Lady’ had already achieved fame in Hollywood, mostly playing stereotypical parts.

Starring alongside renowned actors of her time – such as Marlene Dietrich (1901–1992) in Shanghai Express (1932) – she was nonetheless considered not suitable by American motion picture bosses to take on leading roles. Deeply dissatisfied with her lot and aged just 30, Anna May decided it was time for her to leave the United States and try to launch a new career in Shanghai. By the 1930s, Hollywood and the Chinese metropolis had already formed close bonds through the film industry.

Anna May Wong (1905–1961), a fabulous Hollywood film star. Portrait from 1933 by Paul Tanqueray (1905–1991). Private collection.

It is said that, in China, the first screenings took place in Shanghainese teahouses in as early as 1896. This new entertainment was quickly named ‘dianying’– or ‘electrical shadows’ – seemingly in contrast to the old shadow puppet theatre. While the first shows featured foreign playlets (mainly by the French Lumière brothers, Auguste 1862–1954 and Louis 1864–1948, and the American Thomas Edison 1847–1931), a local industry more relevant to the Chinese audience soon emerged.

Important street gatherings (1909), the opening of a first tramway line (1908) and everyday life ongoing turmoil (1911) were topical source of inspiration. In no time, cinema became popular – likely because it fit Shanghai’s vibrant atmosphere and new urban lifestyle so well!

Old Shanghai’s vibrant atmosphere on Honan Road. Tissot Museum Collection.

By the 1920s, crowds were already rushing to the dark rooms, eager to discover the latest productions, ranging from comedies to dramas, romances, musicals, martial arts and horror stories. Going to the cinema was like being invited to a unique experience, and Art Deco theatres soon scattered all over the city.

Cathay Movie Theatre, built on Huaihai Road in Shanghai, in 1932, by Hungarian architect Charles Henry Gonda (1889–1969). An Art Deco building with 1,080 seats on one main floor. Once part of Victor Sassoon’s holding. Photograph by Thierry van Osselt.

While Hollywood initially contributed to many of the screenings, a domestic film industry began to boom. A vast number of studios emerged and new stars rose. Chinese actors gained popularity on screen and in film magazines where photographs, interviews, story after story turned them into genuine fashion icons. The Golden Age of Chinese cinema took place in the 1930s, along with the advent of talking pictures. At the same time, Shanghai became the hub of pop culture and modernity – a pacesetter for the rest of the country.

This lively atmosphere attracted people from all over the world, among them fearless entrepreneurs such as members of the Beraha family whose complex migration story began on the Mediterranean Sea (travelling through Eastern Levant and various European and American cities before reaching Asia).

Matheo Beraha (1893–1960) was the first to land in China at the age of around 23. In 1919, he founded a luxury venture, selling ‘exotic’ goods, from gems to fashion, to the Chinese people. Shortly after, two of his nephews – Dario (1899–1979) and Albert (1907–1977) – came to join the newly established firm, turning it into a true family business. In 1925, Messrs M. Beraha Company was registered as “Diamonds, Pearls, Watches and General Import and Export”. Evidently, the expertise in precious stone and pearl valuation also encompassed watches which would soon become its core business line.

Marc Paul Croset (1889–1968). Private collection.

In the 1920s, the Berahas also met with Marc Paul Croset (1891–1968), from Ollon, Switzerland, who was tirelessly travelling back and forth between China and his homeland for business purposes. The young man had been appointed “voyageur” for the Tissot watch brand – a kind of travelling agent – representing the Maison in Asia. While the company (founded in 1853 in Le Locle, Switzerland) had already built a strong worldwide reputation in high-precision timekeepers, it was nonetheless constantly seeking new markets. At the time, China – Shanghai in particular – stood out as the perfect opportunity.

Upon his arrival in the port city, Marc Croset wasted no time finding local distributors with whom to collaborate, while creating his own retail company: The Croset Agencies. In 1932, he decided to merge with the Berahas and the Stetten brothers (little is known about their personal history other than the fact that they hailed from Paris, France, and had business relations with watchmakers from La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland) in the Crobest Limited Company (CRO-BE-ST for Croset-Beraha-Stetten).

Consequently, a high-end store opened in one of the most affluent quarters of the metropolis, on the corner of Kiangse (Jiangxi) and Nanking (Nanjing) Roads. Fine jewellery and Swiss watches were lavishly displayed on the sales counters, arranged side by side. This is no surprise as the Swiss had always considered their watches to be like refined pieces of jewellery! Pictures of another related shop close by reveal that it was an elegant boutique with modern furniture and a refined decor.

An elegant Beraha boutique in Shanghai. Omtis Ltd-private collection.

The business became so successful – developing a vast network throughout the city and country – that Crobest (or ‘Baoxin’ in Chinese) became the sole Tissot agent for the whole of China. In fact, they did so well that Marc Croset left China in Beraha hands. The latter had moved his family to the United States, where he would continue to trade Swiss watches in China with the Berahas. By the 1930s, Tissot had clearly found its way onto the Chinese market thanks to the hard work of the Crobest association.

The Film Industry by Liu Yi, published in the early 1960s.

Caught up in the whirlwind of Shanghai life and its growing thirst for entertainment, the Berahas also became involved in the film industry. They could not miss the business opportunities generated by this world and the potential connections to be made with the luxury brands they represented. The members of the clan gradually became the owners and managers of the Hongkew, Chekiang, Lafayette and Broadway theatres.

Albert and Helen Beraha’s wedding portrait. Omtis Ltd-private collection.

Albert and his wife Helen (1912–2000) even lived above the Chekiang (also spelt Zhejiang or Zekiang) cinema for a while, soon after they were married. The latter was built by the famous Hungarian architect Laszlo Hudec (1893–1958), one of the city’s Art Deco masters. This residence was extremely convenient as the newlyweds ran the theatre while working in the family boutiques at the same time.

Chekiang cinema by Laszlo Hudec. Photograph by Thierry van Osselt

Closely involved as they were in both industries, the Berahas soon understood how the glamour of local cinema productions and actors could be used to promote their brands. As did their Swiss associate Marc Croset whose daughter – born Jeanne Paule Croset in 1920 (d. 1992) – began an acting career in Hollywood under the stage name of Rita Corday (sometimes also credited as Paula Corday or Paule Croset).

Their connections extended to the most renowned Shanghai stars of the time – all women: Butterfly Wu (or Hu Die, 1908–1989), Ruan Lingyu (aka the ‘Chinese Greta Garbo’, 1910-1935), Liang Saizhen (active between 1926 and 1935) and her two younger sisters Liang Saizhu (active in the 1920s and 1930s) and Liang Saishan (active in the 1920s and 1930s), Wang Renmei (or the ‘Wildcat of Shanghai’, 1914–1987), Tong Yuejuan (1914–2003) and Chen Yunchang (1919–2016), as well as the actor/singer Yuan Meiyun (1917–1999) and the ‘Queen of Beijing Opera’, Yan Huizhu (1919–1966).

Famous Shanghai film star, Tong Yuejuan (1914–2003), wearing a Tissot watch. Tissot Museum Collection.

Tissot gold, cord-mounted wristwatch for women, dated 1943. This piece looks very similar to the one worn by Tong Yuejuan in her portrait. Tissot Museum Collection. E00012444.

Each agreed to pose for pictures wearing or promoting Swiss watches; these photographs were then widely published in popular magazines. Such endorsers led to massive growth for the brand. What better trendsetter than beautiful ladies? It is said that it was so simple then. There was no need for a contract. The celebrities were just thrilled to receive the watch they wore as a gift! And so, in the 1930s, and for the first time in its history, Tissot wove close bonds with Chinese film stars.

What better trendsetter than beautiful women? An advertisement for Tissot watches in Shanghai (probably actor Tong Yuejuan). Tissot Museum Collection.

Tissot gold wristwatch for ladies with leather strap, dated 1927. This piece looks very similar to the one featured in the advertisement. Tissot Museum Collection. E00012339.

Ladies had always been highly regarded at Tissot. Since the very beginning, in 1853, the Swiss watchmaker had produced the premium timekeepers for both men and women. As the so-called ‘pocket’ watches were not well suited to female attire – long corseted dresses featuring no pockets – the Maison proposed elegant pendant watches instead.

An example of a gold Tissot pendant watch for ladies with colourful enamel and precious stones, dated 1878. Tissot Museum collection. E00016539.

The pieces, mainly in gold, were embellished with colourful enamel and precious stones, intended to be hung around the neck from a long chain necklace. It was not very practical on an everyday basis, but quite well suited to the indoor lifestyle of ladies in the 19^th century.

Tissot silver wristwatch for ladies, with panther skin motif, dated 1917. Tissot Museum Collection. E00012319.

At the turn of the 20^th century and with the advent of emancipation, came the first wristwatches. This new offering soon won favour among women, meeting their demands for movement and freedom. Their lives and aspirations changed and so did their needs. That is likely why they were quicker than men to adopt these specific watch models. By the 1950s a Tissot advertisement targeted this tendency: “A Young Lady, Three Watches”.

The sale’s pitch addressed the fact that different strap materials match different activities: cord or ribbon for work, leather for exercise and metal (gold, silver or platinum, sometimes even set with jewels) for evening outings. A note found in Tissot’s records mentions that, with no regards to these conventions, Chinese women generally preferred to wear watches with cords or ribbon. They also appeared to buy more square- or rectangular-shaped pieces, as confirmed by numerous images and pictures from the period.

A fashionable Chinese lady wearing a wristwatch for a cigarette advertisement, 1930s. (Detail) Commercial picture, Shanghai.

A ‘baguette’ platinum watch for ladies, set with diamonds and mounted on a cord, dated 1925. Tissot Museum Collection. E00012337.

Women’s evolving social status also happened to be one of the main themes of 1930s Chinese films, where the various fates of so-called ‘new’ or ‘modern’ women were explored in detail. There were three types of storyline, based on the character’s personality and life’s choices. First, there was ‘the woman in love’, madly devoted to her man. Then, there was ‘the ‘femme fatale’ directly inspired by Hollywood movies. Finally, ‘the hard-working and dedicated woman’ who put the love for her nation and family before her own destiny.

A fashionable Chinese lady wearing a wristwatch, 1930s. (Detail) Commercial picture, Shanghai.

Perhaps because she could not fit in, Anna May Wong – a true ‘femme fatale’ made in Hollywood – never found success on the Shanghai film scene. She finally headed back to the US where she continued to work as an actor until her death at the age of just 56. Her whole life had been torn apart by two opposite worlds where she never fully belonged. As for Tissot, it has always created all kinds of watches for all kinds of women, as will be revealed.

A gold, diamond-set wristwatch for ladies, dated 1939. Tissot Museum Collection. E00012424.

The outbreak of the Second World War slowly brought film production to a halt, ending Chinese cinema’s first golden era. The majority of Shanghai superstars and motion picture studios fled to Hong Kong where they started over, as did many traders and other people from the community. The southern port’s unique position and historical background transformed the city into a cultural haven and powerful international hub as well as a stronghold for watch sales. And so, in the expert hands of the Berahas and Marc Croset, Tissot adventures would continue there…

A fashionable Chinese lady wearing a wristwatch, for a textile advertisement, 1930s. (Detail) Calendar picture known as the “happy lady” (快乐小姐), Shanghai.