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Tissot PR516 Mechanical Chronograph 41mm Mens Watch Black
Ref. T1494592105100
Sits in Tissot’s upper tier here — more premium than three quarters of the Tissot watches we list, which start at £245.
Price range £245 to £1,875 across 310 Tissot watches in stock.The original PR516 landed in 1970 as a slender 36mm manual-wind oddity — unusual enough for Tissot that the Ref. 40528 remains genuinely rare. The 2024 relaunch grows the case to 41mm and shifts it into the automatic era, but the more interesting story is what happened to the movement. Tissot took a Valjoux 7753 and deleted the automatic winding mechanism entirely, replacing the rotor bridge with a decorated plate engraved "TISSOT 1853" and fitting a fixed mainspring bridle in place of the original sliding one. The result, calibre A05.291, is a hand-wound chronograph with 68 hours of reserve and a Nivachron balance spring that resists magnetism without a Faraday cage. It is the first watch to carry it. The three-register layout — subdials at 3, 6, and 9 — marks this immediately as the mechanical variant and reads more cleanly than the asymmetric arrangement on the quartz siblings. Orange accents on the seconds hand and counter hands cut against the blacked-out case without turning the dial busy. At 160 grams on the bracelet the watch has presence, and the domed crystal adds enough height at the sides to be visible from across a table. The tapered case and matching three-link bracelet are lifted directly from the period references, and the fit across a range of wrist sizes is one of the things reviewers consistently note.
- Reference
- T1494592105100
- Brand
- Tissot
- Case size
- 41mm
- Case thickness
- 14mm
- Case material
- Black PVD
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Black
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Bezel
- Fixed tachymeter
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- A05.291
- Functions
- Chronograph, Tachymeter
- Water resistance
- 100m
- Bracelet / strap
- Stainless steel bracelet
- Strap colour
- Black
- Clasp
- Deployant clasp
- Lume
- Super-LumiNova
- Retailer
- Mappin & Webb
Additional specifications
- Lug-to-lug
- 49mm
- Power reserve
- 60 hours
Learn more about Tissot
Charles-Félicien Tissot and his son Charles-Émile founded the company in Le Locle in 1853, assembling gold pocket watches and, unusually for the time, exporting aggressively — Russia became a major market within a decade.
Tissot's history is a sequence of firsts achieved through willingness to try materials and ideas the establishment considered unserious. The first mass-produced pocket watch with two time zones came in 1853. The first anti-magnetic wristwatch in 1930. The Astrolon of 1971 was the first watch with a movement made largely of injection-moulded plastic, and it worked. The RockWatch of 1985 used Alpine granite for the case, followed by watches in wood and mother-of-pearl.
The T-Touch of 1999 was the most significant: a tactile sapphire crystal allowing the wearer to access altimeter, barometer, compass, thermometer, and chronograph by touching the glass, years before touchscreens were commonplace.
Tissot merged with Omega in 1930 and both became founding members of what is now the Swatch Group. Its position in the group is volume and accessibility — Swiss mechanical and quartz watches at prices most people can reach, with the Powermatic 80 movement offering an eighty-hour reserve at entry level.
The company has held timekeeping roles across cycling, basketball, motorsport, and fencing.
- 1853
- Founded in Le Locle by Charles-Félicien and Charles-Émile Tissot.
- 1930
- Merges with Omega; releases the first anti-magnetic wristwatch.
- 1971
- The Astrolon uses a plastic movement.
- 1985
- The RockWatch is cased in Alpine granite.
- 1999
- The T-Touch introduces a tactile sapphire crystal.
Also in 5 collections
This watch appears in Back in Stock (4,007), Stainless Steel Watches (2,833), Automatic Watches (1,417), Chronograph Watches (1,131) and All Black Watches (292).
Manufacturer’s guarantee
Best of 2 retailers
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch for everyday wear.
Strengths
- 100m water resistance covers swimming and watersports
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
- One of Tissot's more premium watches
Worth knowing
- 14mm thick, so it will not disappear under a cuff
Tissot PR516 Mechanical alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | T1494592105100 | L38304929 | 01 733 7805 4164-07 8 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £1,720 | £1,800 | £1,950 |
| Case size | 41mm | 41mm | 41mm |
| Water resistance | 100m | 100m | 100m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Rubber strap | Stainless steel bracelet |
| Power reserve | 60 hours | 72 hours | 41 hours |
| This watch | Closely matched |
|
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
Yes. At 100m it is rated for swimming and snorkelling, though not for diving.
Water resistance explainedWill the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Sapphire, mineral and acrylic comparedDoes it need a battery?
No. It is automatic — the motion of your wrist winds it, and there is no cell to replace.
Quartz, automatic and solar comparedHow long does it run for when it's not worn?
About 60 hours fully wound — enough to survive a night off the wrist, but not a full weekend.
Will it fit my wrist?
Lug-to-lug is 49mm, which suits wrists from roughly 16.5cm (6½ inches) upward.
Lug-to-lug decides fit more than case diameter does.
How to size a watch to your wristIs it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's.
Cheapest place to buy
Both Goldsmiths and Mappin & Webb list it at £1,720, so choose on delivery and warranty rather than price.
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