Tissot · Review

Tissot PR516 Powermatic 80 review

By the Watch Winder team · Updated September 2026 · Based on published reviews and owner reports

The Tissot PR516 Powermatic 80 takes the look of a 1970s racing watch, shrinks nothing that matters, and drops in Tissot's 80-hour automatic. It launched in 2024 as a time-and-date companion to the PR516 chronographs, gained new dials in 2026, and costs $750 to $825. It's compact, characterful and easy to live with. The catch is a fixed bezel that looks like a tool but doesn't work like one.

Specs at a glance

Design and dial

The PR516 name goes back to the 1960s, when Tissot built it around a car-racing theme, and a 1970s version famously turned up on Roger Moore's wrist around the filming of Live and Let Die. The modern three-hander keeps the recipe: a black 60-minute bezel, rectangular retro hands with a colored seconds hand, applied luminous markers and a date at 3 o'clock. It reads as a vintage sports watch without the fake patina that ruins so many reissues.

The 2024 launch brought matte black, blue and silver-white dials, plus a two-tone steel and gold-PVD version. In January 2026 Tissot added a matte white and a gradient blue-green dial, and Gear Patrol called the latter a far more attractive watch than before. The seconds hands in black, red or yellow are a small detail that gives each version its own personality.

The bezel is the talking point. It looks like a timing bezel but it's fixed, so the 60-minute scale is decoration. Monochrome and Two Broke Watch Snobs both flagged this, and the glossy mineral insert divides opinion. If you like the look, it's harmless. If you actually time parking meters and pasta, it's a missed opportunity.

Case, size and wearability

This is where the PR516 shines. At 38mm wide, 11.18mm thick and roughly 44mm lug to lug, it's compact in a way most sports watches at this price are not. The case curves smoothly from lug to lug, with brushed surfaces and polished bevels, and a slim midcase keeps it looking thinner than it is. Tissot's own site lists a much shorter "length" figure, which doesn't match any measured review, so go by the roughly 44mm the reviewers report.

It suits wrists from about 6 to 7 inches especially well, and larger wrists get a neat vintage look rather than an undersized one. Anyone who finds the 40mm PRX or the Gentleman a touch big should try this first. With 100m water resistance and sapphire, it's fine for a swim and everyday knocks.

Movement and power reserve

Inside is the Powermatic 80, the Swatch Group's evolution of the ETA 2824. It runs at 21,600 vibrations per hour instead of 28,800, uses a longer mainspring and a reworked winding system, and delivers 80 hours of reserve. This version has the Nivachron balance spring, a titanium-based alloy that is far less affected by magnetism than a conventional spring. Tissot doesn't publish a daily accuracy spec for the PR516.

The trade-off reviewers mention is the plastic used in parts of the escapement. It works well and keeps costs down, but it means the movement is designed to be serviced by the Swatch Group network, often by module swap, rather than by any independent watchmaker.

In daily life, 80 hours means you can take it off on Friday evening and it will still be running on Monday morning. Check your own routine with the Will my watch stop? calculator. Watch Winder counts down this 80-hour reserve and reminds you before the PR516 stops, so you pick it up with the time and date still right.

Bracelet and strap

The bracelet is a five-link Jubilee-style design with alternating brushed and polished links and a butterfly clasp. It's dressier than the three-link "beans of rice" bracelet on the PR516 chronographs and suits the smaller case. Leather versions come on perforated or embossed straps with a pin buckle, for $75 less.

Every version uses Tissot's quick-release system, and the lugs are a standard 20mm, so strap changes take seconds. The PR516 looks especially good on a rally-style perforated leather or a simple NATO. If you're buying one, the bracelet version gives you the most options, since you can add straps later.

What owners say after months of wear

The three-hander has only been on sale since 2024, so long-term feedback is still thin. What owners in watch forums tend to report is that the size is the main reason they bought it and the main reason they keep wearing it: it disappears under a cuff and doesn't look too small on a T-shirt. The retro dials get compliments, and the long reserve means it survives being rotated with other watches.

The complaints are consistent with the reviews. Some wish the bezel turned, some find the lume merely adequate, and a few would rather have a sapphire or aluminum insert than glossy mineral glass. Powermatic 80 reliability has a good record across the PRX and Gentleman, and nothing suggests the PR516 is different.

Alternatives worth considering

• Tissot PRX Powermatic 80: the same movement in an integrated-bracelet 1970s design. Bolder and more popular, but less strap-friendly.
• Tissot Seastar 1000 Powermatic 80: the same 80-hour engine with a working dive bezel and 300m water resistance, in a much bigger case.
• Hamilton Khaki Field Auto: another 80-hour Swatch Group automatic, in a casual, legible field-watch case.
• PR516 chronographs: if you want the full racing look, Tissot also makes the PR516 Automatic Chronograph (T149.462) on the Valjoux-based A05.H31, and a hand-wound Valjoux mechanical chronograph. Both are larger and cost considerably more.

Who should buy it

Buy the PR516 Powermatic 80 if you want a compact, retro-flavored Swiss sports watch with a long reserve and you don't need a working bezel. It's a great pick for smaller wrists and for anyone who finds the PRX too common. Skip it if you want real tool-watch function, or if a fixed timing scale would bother you every time you look at it.

If it's one of several watches you rotate, Watch Winder suggests which one to wear next so none of them stop, and helps you avoid resetting the date during the date-change danger zone.

FAQ

Sources

• Tissot: PR516 38mm, T149.407.11.041.00 (specifications and price)
• Monochrome: First Look, the Tissot PR516 Powermatic 80
• Monochrome: Tissot adds two new colours to the PR516 38mm Powermatic 80
• Gear Patrol: Tissot PR516 in blue-green
• Two Broke Watch Snobs: Tissot updates its PR516 automatic with two new dial colors