Home » Tissot Watches » Baselworld 2012 Preview – Tissot Heritage PR 516 Watch
Ahead of the upcoming Baselworld 2012 watch event which is going to be held in March, 2012, the Swiss watchmaking company Tissot will show their latest creation, the new Heritage PR 516 watch. This novelty is inspired by the iconic and much-loved Seastar PR 516 GL from the 1960s and 70s. The new Tissot retains the same dial markings as the original and continues to embody the brand’s passion for car racing.
The elegant retro-contemporary timepiece is powered by the Swiss-made automatic movement that can be seen through the transparent sapphire-glass case back that is uniquely segmented by three prongs. These prongs resemble to the steering wheel on a vintage roadster. The impeccable movement provides the traditional functions of hour, minute and second, as well as a day and date functions.
The Watch that Promises Precision, Performance and Style
The Tissot Heritage PR 516 is housed either in a 316L stainless steel case or in a yellow gold PVD treated one. Its masculine case has the diameter of 40 mm and it is protected with scratch-proof sapphire crystals. The case is constructed to resist water pressure up to 100 meters (330 feet) without any trouble for the mechanism.
Beneath the front sapphire glass, there is a silver, black or blue dial. The dial comprises baton-shaped hour markers, as well as day and date displays which are traditionally located at the 3 o’clock position.
As you can see on the photo below, its blue dial surface serves as a perfect background for the luminous hour and minute hands, as well as for the red seconds hand.
The newcomer that brings echo of the past is secured to the wearer’s wrist either with a high quality leather strap or with a steel bracelet whose cut-out circles are a nod to the steering wheel on pioneering racing cars. This theme also reappears in the lightly curved, aerodynamic form of its mid-sized case.
Tissot Heritage PR516 is a fusion of precision, durability and a beautiful style. We still do not have any information about the price tag, but I assume it will be between $500 and $1,000.
The legendary PR 516 GL watch from the late 1960s is one of Tissot’s most favored vintage pieces and it was particularly popular among motor-racing fans. The Tissot PRS516 Quartz Chronograph from 2010 was also inspired by this high-profile model.
To be honest, I don`t see anything interesting on this watch except maybe its bracelet which has an interesting design. I must admit that I`m a slightly disappointed. Instead of a watch with some cool, useful and interesting features, Tissot has made this watch which looks too ordinary. And the price is telling that fact too. This information is informal, but you`ll be able to buy this watch for only $500 to $1000. Is any Tissot watch worth $500? Maybe a watch which isn`t so quality, like this one, but a quality Tissot will cost a lot more than $500.
Roy, you are over reacting. The watch is nothing special, but it is not so bad either. And your statement that there is not a quality Tissot watch for $1000 is very frivolous. My friend had a Tissot and he paid $780 for it. He was delighted with its work and design. I saw that watch, too, and I can say that his watch was really very nice and it still works perfectly.
Instead of discussing the appearance of a watch and its price, maybe we should discus about the mechanism of this watch, because there are a lot of reasons why we should talk about that. Tissot always had the great movement which is very reliable and high quality.
All Tissot wrist watch models are really fantastic. For a long time I’ve been cherishing to own a nice model, but on account of financial constraint I am incapable of buying one. Hope, one day my dream will be fulfilled.