Tissot PRS516 Chrono T044.614.21.051.00
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00440D7EI/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00"]Amazon.com: Tissot Men's T0446142105100 T-Sport PRS516 Automatic Black Day Date Dial Watch: Tissot: Watches@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51V0XnSJNwL.@@AMEPARAM@@51V0XnSJNwL[/ame]
Swiss 7750 Chrono Movement
100m Water Resistance
Sapphire Crystal (flat) with clear AR
Stainless Steel (Brushed) bracelet with butterfly push button deployment
44.5mm case width, 15mm case thickness (!!!), 22mm lug width
The Tissot Story
For more than 150 years, Tissot has embodied the innovation and tradition of Swiss watch-making. Based in the Neuchâtel area of the Jura Mountains, in Le Locle, Switzerland, Charles-Félicien Tissot and his son Charles-Emile created the watch making company Tissot in 1853. Whether in the technology of its movements, in the research for special materials or in the very functions of the watch itself, Tissot's engineers and watchmakers have developed pioneering timepieces over the years.
Some of Tissot's triumphs over the years include the the Idea 2001 (the world's first plastic watch) released in 1971, the Rock watch (which set the timepiece's movement in a stone case made from Swiss Alps granite) in 1985, and the Wood watch from 1988 (with a completely wooden case). Tissot uses the best movements (from ETA SA Manufacture Horlogère Suisse), the highest quality materials (316L steel, 18K gold, titanium) and scratch-proof glasses (sapphire crystal--at least 2500 Vickers).
The company has been involved with high profile sports events since 1974 when they sponsored a racing car in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, France. Since then Tissot's timepieces have been chosen as official timekeepers for world championships in cycling, motorcycling, fencing and ice hockey. And Tissot is currently the the official watch and timekeeper of NASCAR.
Tissot timepieces have been worn by a bevy of celebrities over the years--including Grace Kelly, Elvis Presley and Nelson Mandela--and James Stewart's character L.B. Jefferies wore a Tissot timepiece in Alfred Hitchcock's "Rear Window." Today the company is represented in a variety of sporting fields by English soccer star Michael Owen, IndyCar driver Danica Patrick, and MotoGP world champion Nicky Hayden. Today, Tissot is a member of the Swatch Group, the world's largest watch producer and distributor.
The Tissot PRS516 Chrono was my first big watch purchase, as well as my first foray into mechanical and automatic watches. My sights were actually set on a Tag Carrera, but I couldn't find one in stock that I liked, and Amazon had this watch in it's "Similar Products" link and I immediately fell in love. It was priced at $980 on Amazon only 6 months ago, though I've seen that price constantly rise up to the $1100 it is now. Nonetheless, I "Had" it for under a grand, so I'll review it here.
Although I really liked the look of the brushed stainless steel bracelet with "Racing holes" in them, the bracelet just wasn't comfortable. I don't have an extraordinarily large wrist, but I usually remove one to two links on most watches I buy. This one didn't need any to be removed. In addition, the bracelet seemed to angle too sharply from the lugs, which made it uncomfortable unless you have very narrow wrists. It wasn't painfully uncomfortable, it was just noticeable after a few hours of wear.
I was ecstatic to slap on a Brady strap with red stitching. Although the red stitch really disappears in dim lighting, it really pops in daylight and bright lighting.
Don't steal my serial numbers
The movement is a 7750 chrono, and it's so buttery smooth in every way. Being my first mechanical watch, I didn't know how good I had it until I purchased a few reps and a few Seikos. The rotor spins around extremely well at the slightest movement, yet barely makes a sound. The chrono pushers are just as hard to push as the reps I've tried, in fact, they may even be a bit tougher. But it's not a bad feeling of too much resistance at a certain point, it's more of a tight high quality feeling throughout the push. I've noticed that the rotor spins around without any resistance at all, and then when it stops spinning I hear an extra "winding" sound at the end, which is unlike the one rep 7750 I've played with which seems to wind throughout. The crown movement and time/date setting is extremely smooth as well, although I did experience first hand the reason for not setting the date near midnight. Scared the hell out of me when the date wasn't moving properly.
One of the drawbacks of this watch would have to be it's thickness. In addition to the already hefty 7750 movement, it has a front bezel that is completely flat instead of beveled slightly, as well as a thicker than normal caseback with an additional "Racing Wheel" decoration behind the caseback glass. It's also an extremely heavy watch, even with the leather strap instead of the bracelet.
The wrist presence is great on this watch, and I find it to be even more striking than the Tag Carreras I was shopping for. I've received quite a few compliments on this once I switched it to leather, so I think it'll stay that way for awhile. I don't think this watch is repped, and I don't imagine it would be at the gen's pricepoint.
Although I've gone to the darkside and will probably never spend big money on a gen in the foreseeable future, I'm glad I own this gen (as well as a cheaper gen Hamilton) to round out my collection. The genuine swiss movement compared to asian rep movements is extremely noticeable, even for a first time mechanical watch owner. I doubt I'd ever buy a rep with asian movement again unless it was at an extremely cheap throwaway price.
If you're going to be purchasing a gen watch soon, I'd highly recommend this watch if you're not going for the brand recognition of Tag Heuer. After all, Tag only has a good name with people that don't actually know watches.
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00440D7EI/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00"]Amazon.com: Tissot Men's T0446142105100 T-Sport PRS516 Automatic Black Day Date Dial Watch: Tissot: Watches@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51V0XnSJNwL.@@AMEPARAM@@51V0XnSJNwL[/ame]
Swiss 7750 Chrono Movement
100m Water Resistance
Sapphire Crystal (flat) with clear AR
Stainless Steel (Brushed) bracelet with butterfly push button deployment
44.5mm case width, 15mm case thickness (!!!), 22mm lug width
The Tissot Story
For more than 150 years, Tissot has embodied the innovation and tradition of Swiss watch-making. Based in the Neuchâtel area of the Jura Mountains, in Le Locle, Switzerland, Charles-Félicien Tissot and his son Charles-Emile created the watch making company Tissot in 1853. Whether in the technology of its movements, in the research for special materials or in the very functions of the watch itself, Tissot's engineers and watchmakers have developed pioneering timepieces over the years.
Some of Tissot's triumphs over the years include the the Idea 2001 (the world's first plastic watch) released in 1971, the Rock watch (which set the timepiece's movement in a stone case made from Swiss Alps granite) in 1985, and the Wood watch from 1988 (with a completely wooden case). Tissot uses the best movements (from ETA SA Manufacture Horlogère Suisse), the highest quality materials (316L steel, 18K gold, titanium) and scratch-proof glasses (sapphire crystal--at least 2500 Vickers).
The company has been involved with high profile sports events since 1974 when they sponsored a racing car in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, France. Since then Tissot's timepieces have been chosen as official timekeepers for world championships in cycling, motorcycling, fencing and ice hockey. And Tissot is currently the the official watch and timekeeper of NASCAR.
Tissot timepieces have been worn by a bevy of celebrities over the years--including Grace Kelly, Elvis Presley and Nelson Mandela--and James Stewart's character L.B. Jefferies wore a Tissot timepiece in Alfred Hitchcock's "Rear Window." Today the company is represented in a variety of sporting fields by English soccer star Michael Owen, IndyCar driver Danica Patrick, and MotoGP world champion Nicky Hayden. Today, Tissot is a member of the Swatch Group, the world's largest watch producer and distributor.
The Tissot PRS516 Chrono was my first big watch purchase, as well as my first foray into mechanical and automatic watches. My sights were actually set on a Tag Carrera, but I couldn't find one in stock that I liked, and Amazon had this watch in it's "Similar Products" link and I immediately fell in love. It was priced at $980 on Amazon only 6 months ago, though I've seen that price constantly rise up to the $1100 it is now. Nonetheless, I "Had" it for under a grand, so I'll review it here.
Although I really liked the look of the brushed stainless steel bracelet with "Racing holes" in them, the bracelet just wasn't comfortable. I don't have an extraordinarily large wrist, but I usually remove one to two links on most watches I buy. This one didn't need any to be removed. In addition, the bracelet seemed to angle too sharply from the lugs, which made it uncomfortable unless you have very narrow wrists. It wasn't painfully uncomfortable, it was just noticeable after a few hours of wear.
I was ecstatic to slap on a Brady strap with red stitching. Although the red stitch really disappears in dim lighting, it really pops in daylight and bright lighting.
Don't steal my serial numbers
The movement is a 7750 chrono, and it's so buttery smooth in every way. Being my first mechanical watch, I didn't know how good I had it until I purchased a few reps and a few Seikos. The rotor spins around extremely well at the slightest movement, yet barely makes a sound. The chrono pushers are just as hard to push as the reps I've tried, in fact, they may even be a bit tougher. But it's not a bad feeling of too much resistance at a certain point, it's more of a tight high quality feeling throughout the push. I've noticed that the rotor spins around without any resistance at all, and then when it stops spinning I hear an extra "winding" sound at the end, which is unlike the one rep 7750 I've played with which seems to wind throughout. The crown movement and time/date setting is extremely smooth as well, although I did experience first hand the reason for not setting the date near midnight. Scared the hell out of me when the date wasn't moving properly.
One of the drawbacks of this watch would have to be it's thickness. In addition to the already hefty 7750 movement, it has a front bezel that is completely flat instead of beveled slightly, as well as a thicker than normal caseback with an additional "Racing Wheel" decoration behind the caseback glass. It's also an extremely heavy watch, even with the leather strap instead of the bracelet.
The wrist presence is great on this watch, and I find it to be even more striking than the Tag Carreras I was shopping for. I've received quite a few compliments on this once I switched it to leather, so I think it'll stay that way for awhile. I don't think this watch is repped, and I don't imagine it would be at the gen's pricepoint.
Although I've gone to the darkside and will probably never spend big money on a gen in the foreseeable future, I'm glad I own this gen (as well as a cheaper gen Hamilton) to round out my collection. The genuine swiss movement compared to asian rep movements is extremely noticeable, even for a first time mechanical watch owner. I doubt I'd ever buy a rep with asian movement again unless it was at an extremely cheap throwaway price.
If you're going to be purchasing a gen watch soon, I'd highly recommend this watch if you're not going for the brand recognition of Tag Heuer. After all, Tag only has a good name with people that don't actually know watches.