Tissot is well known as the middle range brand of the Swatch Group. But then, they have truly outperform themselves by producing high quality watches, that could easily worth more than what it is selling.
The Tissot PRS 516 T044.430.21.051.00 is a true example of that. This review is dedicated to this beautiful little timekeeping piece.
Tissot PRS 516 T044.430.21.051.00 Specification
Diameter: 42 mm
Thickness: 11.25 mm
Case: Polished stainless steel
Band: 20 mm wide stainless steel bracelet with push button deployment clasp closure
Dial: Black dial
Dial Window: Anti-reflective sapphire crystal
Hour Markers: Rectangular index with luminescent
Hands: Rectangular index with luminescent for hour and minute hands, red needle for seconds hand
Bezel: Minute marking on stationary bezel. Black in color
Movement: Swiss ETA Caliber 2836-2
Movement’s Features: 25 Jewels, 38 hours power reserve, hacking feature, 28,800 vibrations per minute or 8 beats per second, +-15 seconds accuracy per day
Other Features: Exhibition caseback with sapphire crystal, non-screw down crown, day and date display at 3 o’clock
Water Resistance: 100 m / 330 feet / 10 bar
Best Price: On Amazon
A Stylish Sports Watch
Tissot PRS 516 series is made reflecting the brand’s involvement in motorsport a few decades ago. It was a sponsor for many racing teams such as Lotus, Renault and Sauber.
This series is essentially a sports watch. But the thing that make me really love the Tissot PRS 516 T044.430.21.051.00 is that it is very stylish (and less sporty) compared to its siblings in the PRS 516 stable.
If you glance through the Tissot PRS 516 catalogue of offering (you can see it at their website here), most of the watches have chronograph. It is a handy feature for sure, but only if you really use it to time something (sports event, etc.).
For normal watch users like me, chronograph have little value. But don’t get mistaken. I adore the technological prowess of a chronograph in an automatic watch, but it’s just not my cup of tea as I don’t really find the need for it.
The Tissot PRS 516 T044.430.21.051.00 here is another story. Its a totally stylish sports watch, with its clear and fully black dial and bezel. It’s 42 mm diameter and 11.25 mm thickness is just perfect for a normal wrist.
The black dial is simply stunning. It only has index markers and some signatures (Tissot, 1853 established year, water resistance marking, etc) on it.
You will get a gorgeous black dial, coupled with a black bezel. The stationary bezel is flushed with the edge of the watch.
A wonderful review of the Tissot PRS 516 T044.430.21.051.00. You can see how stylish, elegant and well constructed the watch is.
Sapphire Crystal Dial And Exhibition Caseback
On the watch is an anti-reflective sapphire dial window, a much loved feature for all watch lovers. The sapphire is scratch resistant and will undoubtedly lasts very long.
It is something that I really wish Seiko and Invicta will use in their middle range watches, but well, money talks. On the watch’s back, there is an exhibition caseback – also made from sapphire crystal (horray!).
From the back you can see the movement that powers this watch (ETA 2836-2). Tissot also has designed a neat treat for us, the caseback is shaped like a steering wheel (you can see clearly from the video above) – a homage to their racing days.
The band is something that is quite controversial. Tissot has opted for a stainless steel bracelet with deployment clasp closure.
The issue is the bracelet is hard to be adjusted. On a normal bracelet, there is an adjustment holes that we can use. But there is none on this bracelet.
What we have on this watch is a half link that can be taken out to make any adjustment, which is really a bother.
But apart from that, I like the design of this bracelet as it is different from normal. You can see the clasp is made to look just like another link, a really ingenious design.
The Reliable Swiss ETA 2836-2 Movement
Inside Tissot PRS 516 T044.430.21.051.00 is a Swiss ETA 2836-2 movement. Since both ETA and Tissot are under the Swatch Group, ETA movements are always used in Tissot’s watches, and other brands under Swatch.
This movement boasts a 28,800 vibration per hour, or 8 beats per second (4 Hz) and not really considered a hi-beat movement.
But you can definitely see the difference in the smoothness of the sweeping seconds hand compared to a lower 6 beats movement. But a higher beat movement will require servicing more frequently as its internal parts moves lots more.
The ETA 2836-2 movement used 25 jewels in its parts. It has an accuracy of +-15 seconds per day, though I believe constant manual winding (rotating the crown) of the watch will definitely improve on that. It also has hacking feature, meaning you can stop the watch completely including its seconds hand.
The watch also comes with 100 m or 330 feet water resistance. It is a sports watch after all right. With this water resistance rating, you can always bring it out for a swim. Just make sure not to operate the crown.
To conclude, Tissot PRS 516 T044.430.21.051.00 is a very stylish sports watch. You can use it anywhere – go to gym, sports, wear with suits, etc. It will just looks good on any time and occasion.
The fully black dial and bezel just adds on to the elegance of this watch. The build quality of Tissot is very well known, and this watch is not an exception. Rest assured that this watch will never go out of style even after some time.
Where To Get This Tissot PRS Automatic Watch?
If you want to buy this stylish sports watch, you can check out Amazon for the best price of Tissot PRS 516 T044.430.21.051.00. Amazon also lists many Tissot watches on it site, all for attractive discounts, from the original MSRP of $600.
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This model looks really nice, my husband is talking and talking about it. Maybe I will buy him as a gift
Hi,
Mine also runs fast. Very fast close to 30 sec per day. I simply pull crown and wait five minutes every 2 weeks to get it back to the correct date. These watches are not regulated so its hit or miss. If it really bothers you any decent watch maker can regulate it for you, its a basic ETA movement. Otherwise, wait until it needs to be service…starts loosing time or time keeping becomes erratic. I wouldn’t service before.
True enough David. Usually lower end automatic watches can be a hit or miss in terms of accuracy – you can either get great COSC-like accuracy (4-6 sec/day) or borderline-but-still-within-spec accuracy. It’s times like this that I wish I were a watchmaker and can just regulate the watches by myself LOL!
Hi! I just bought this watch new from a seller on EBay. The issue I’m having is that it is very difficult for me to grip the crown to be able to pull it out. Granted I don’t have fingernails (I bite them!!) but I never struggle to pull the crown out on any of my other watches. Have you ever heard of anyone else having this issue with this watch? Could it be because it is new that is it hard to pull out and will get easier with time? Thanks for your help!
Hi Daniel. For non-screw down crowns, I usually need to pull it using my fingernail from the back of the case. You can use your finger but I never tried it (because I have my nails on them LOL!). Perhaps you can use some plastic ruler or any hard and small plastic items to pull it?
Hi,
I see you are still answering questions out here! I own this watch, purchased it used from someone that just wasn’t into it anymore, hard to believe. Anyway, not sure when it was serviced last but I noticed that I am gaining 24 seconds a day. I do not wear it every day, and when I don’t it resides in a bi-directional winder at 900 TPD. Is this typical? Is it time for service? Any quick remedies? Thanks for your response in advance.
Hi Cal. Thanks for visiting my site. I always make it a priority to answer all questions – if I have the time LOL!
Back to your question then. If it were me, I’d try to do a full manual winding of the watch. The manual wind will help with keeping the spring fully wound which helps in accuracy. I’ll then put the watch stationary on a table, face up, for a day and record its accuracy. Most automatic watches at affordable price points are usually only accurate at a few positions, usually face up. So by doing this, we can test its accuracy at its best condition.
If the accuracy test shows the watch to be quite accurate, then it means the winder might and the lack of manual wind might have caused the inaccuracy. But if the accuracy test shows the watch still gaining 24 seconds a day, then I’d suggest for a service to be done.
Hope this helps. Let me know how it works out ya!
Cheers!
Hi Isaac,
Did as you said, still 24 seconds fast. Do I need to send to Tissot or can I use my local and trusted watch repair person? Thanks for your help! — Cal
Hi Cal. Yep it’s highly likely you need to send it for repair. On who to send it too will depend on you buddy. Sending it to Tissot is the ideal solution but might not be the cheapest or fastest. A watch shop might be better for your case since the watch is second hand and the movement is a typical ETA movement.
Regards.
Hi Cal, your watch is probably magnetized. There are easy ways to demagnetize it. Google will help.
How long does it take for the watch to gain 24 secs? Is it after a day or few hours? If it is after a few hours,after setting the correct time, I am sure that it is magnetized. Hope this helps, John
Hi i am rashed from bangladesh . I bought this automatic watch and used last two years. My watch is blue dial and looking very decent. Recently the watch full servicing by authentic tissot servicing point. My Point of view the watch gaining second day after day different. Presently gain 10 second /day but some time only gain 4second/day. I always wear this watch but my question is why this watch gain second different.
Hi Rashed. If it were me, I’ll try to manually wind the watch at least once a week to ensure the hairspring is tighten fully, which make the power reserve of the watch at full capacity. I found that keeping the watch occasionally in full power makes it having a better accuracy. Try it and let me know =)
(Click here to read my guide on how to manually wind an automatic watch)
Hi, I bought this watch 3 years ago and I really love it! It felt a bit big and heavy at first, but I got used to it fairly quickly.
I have a question and I hope you can help me.
How often should I service this watch? I am in India and I am not really confident if the watch will come out better after a servicing or worse, even if given to the official Tissot dealer.
Is preventive maintenance really required or can I wait till the watch shows signs of losing a lot of time or the crown becomes tight/loose?
Hi Anoop. Glad to know you love the watch.
As for the servicing, Tissot recommends that their watches to be serviced every 4-5 years (LINK). Generally, servicing is needed on an automatic watch to replace worn parts, grease, and re-calibrate the movement for accuracy.
It totally depends on you if you want to follow Tissot’s guideline or wait for the watch to not be as accurate anymore. If you’re using the watch in a normal usage condition (no extreme temperatures, not used during activities like swimming, jogging, etc.) I believe it should go longer than the 5 years before you’ll need a service.
Hope this helps Anoop. Let me know if you have further questions.
Cheers
Beautiful watch! I love the day date complication and smoothness of the second hand. It was the first thing I’ve noticed compared to my SKX007.
I also like the bracelet, even if it is harder to adjust. You don’t do it, everyday after all:) But I would probably replace it with leather strap with red stitching for everyday use and use the bracelet to wear it with suit.
Thanks for the review;)
Hi Marek. Yes a leather strap can also work with this stylish wrist watch. The smoothness of the second hand is a given – this Tissot PRS 516 is powered by ETA movement with 8 beats per second, compared to Seiko SKX007‘s 6 beat per second movement. The extra 2 beats per second will make for a smoother sweeping second hand.
I appreciate your kind words. If you need any questions on the watch, feel free to ask =)
This is such a beautiful watch! I especially love the fact that Tissot PRS 156 is a stylish sports watch, since I do like what I wear to look somewhat presentable and stylish, even if I’m in sports gear. I don’t mind the clasp either, it looks good although I probably would take one or two practice attempts to adjust it before I get the hang of it, haha!
All in all, a great and detailed review. Thank you for it!
Hi Chiqui! Thanks for reading and glad you like it =)
The issue of the clasp is a complicated thing though.. but luckily, you can always buy a replacement band for as less as $20 at Amazon if you can’t get it to fit. It used to cost more a few years ago but now watch bands are becoming cheaper and cheaper.
Cheers!