#TBT The Rolex Submariner Vs. The Underrated Bond Tissot PR-516 Watch

I never really cared about wearing the Tissot PR-516. I bought it because I just liked the look of it. It was only after I started looking into the background of this watch for this #TBT article that I discovered it was connected to Roger Moore and the Bond movies. How exciting to see a Tissot worth a few hundred  Euros next to the legendary Rolex Submariner reference 5513!

I have a lot of brochures, print ads, and catalog shots that I have downloaded over the years in my archive. As part of my standard #TBT preparation routine, I googled the Tissot PR-516, browsing for all relevant information. If you want to emulate my experience from a few weeks ago, click on this thread I found on OmegaFormus.net. This was supposed to be a standard #TBT piece in whcih I try to explain my personal affection for the Tissot PR-516. I really didn’t expect this decent three-hander to turn into a highly immersive celebrity story.

Tissot PR-516 in the Bond movie

Long story short: Live and Let Die (1973) is the eighth in the James Bond series and the first to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent. To be completely honest, Roger Moore was my least favorite James Bond actor. And yet, intrigued by his connection to the Tissot PR-516, I watched Live and Let Die again. I watched several old Bond movies with Sean Connery over Christmas with my wife, but it was watching this one that really made me understand why I like them so much.

No karate-taekwondo moves, just a good old lame punch. Bond, the real hero.

Some find old Bond movies too simple, almost boring. The thing is, if you met James Bond in a bar today, you might recognize him. He would ooze the aura of someone who knows how special they are. Roger Moore on the contrary looks like a man. Like you. He doesn’t look like he possesses 23 different superpowers. He throws punches as comically as I would if I had to. No karate-taekwondo moves, just a good old lame punch. He doesn’t jump from death-defying heights or run through a hail of bullets unscathed. He is just a resourceful guy that doesn’t need to plug in special-effect-kind-of-stunts to escape danger. Things like this make the movie credible and relatable. Cue the alligator escape scene.

Pulsar, Rolex and Tissot PR-516

From a watch collector’s perspective, the Live and Let Die Bond movie is quite interesting. There is not one, but three watches featured in the movie. The opening scene shows a Hamilton Pulsar on Bond’s wrist. The hero watch is a Rolex modified by designer Syd Cain. It features a razor-edge bezel that worked as a chainsaw or as a strong magnet. This Rolex Submariner 5513 is not a watch anymore. As it has no movement inside, it’s a pure prop. Despite that, it was auctioned for a stellar CHF 365,000. The third and last watch that pops up in all Louisiana-location scenes is the Tissot PR-516.

Details on screen

If you’re wondering why most people only connect the Live and Let Die movie to the Submariner, it’s due to the way the watches are presented. The Submariner gets a lot of attention and some dedicated screen time. And by a lot I mean, a lot. Today’s product placement agencies would be green with envy if they saw the detailed shots of the Submariner. And what strikes me most is the fact it doesn’t feel like a hard-sell at all.

Now things get funny

Collectors don‘t speak much about the Tissot. I guess that’s because it never got a clear detailed still shot. But if you compare their screen time, my wild estimate is that the Tissot PR-516 had comparable exposure to the Rolex Submariner. The airport, boarding the train at the end, and obviously, the epic boat chase. These are all scenes in which you can see the Tissot PR-516 quite clearly. But how did the Tissot make it into a Bond movie? That’s actually a good question.

Tissot as Moore’s personal watch theory

There are many pictures showing Roger Moore on set wearing the Tissot PR-516, both on and off-camera. Was the crew protecting the Rolex movie prop or did Moore just like the Tissot more? One of the running theories is that the Tissot PR-516 could be Roger Moore’s personal watch. I found pictures taken after 1973 in which Moore is wearing it, but could not find a clear image of him wearing one before the movie was shot. I guess, sooner or later we will find out.

Model reference storm

There are more very similar PR-516 models, so be careful when choosing one. The Ref 44544 could have emerged in 1965. With the help of @vitezi we found it first in a 1968 catalog. It had a Visodate sign right under the TISSOT logo and no PR-516 marking. A slightly later version has a small PR 516 written in white above the 6 o‘clock. Most importantly, this version comes with a (probably) aluminum bezel. My featured example is a ref. 44622 and has a SWISS sign instead of the Visodate sign. The PR-516 is higher, thinner and the numbers 516 are printed in red. The greatest difference is the bakelite bezel, which feels much thicker.

A quick summary. Don’t get scared if you find a 44622 with an aluminum bezel. In the 1969 catalog, we can see almost identical 44544 and 44622 offered together at the same time. Our assumption is that my ref 44622 with a bakelite bezel was not available before 1970.

Which Tissot PR-516 ref is in the movie?

I can’t say for sure when exactly this version was introduced, but I believe my 44622 is the one Bond wore. As there is no detailed shot in the movie, I had to look at other pictures of Moore. If you look more closely at the picture above and focus on the bezel reflections, you may recognize the shiny bakelite bezel. This one is also characterized by the thicker minute indexes and shorter and more playful numbers. I’ve always had a sweet spot for bakelite bezels as they feel more deep and lively. Unfortunately, they are prone to breakage. In the PR-516’s defense, I have to say on this particular model the bezel sits quite deep in the case and is well protected. If you buy a Tissot  PR-516 without it, get ready to hunt for quite some time. And it won’t come cheap.

Baby El Primero

I am a huge fan of the PR-516 case and I know why. It feels like a baby El Primero. It is so simple and it feels almost flat, yet it’s the opposite of boring. Although it’s only 36mm in diameter, once you put it on the wrist it’s quite present. The bezel and dial design are striking and harmonious at the same time. It’s one of the smaller watches that you will wear proudly. Also, notice the drilled through lugs and the huge T-signed crown. The Tissot brochure from 1969/1970 declares a 100m resistance. The Tissot history book by Estelle Fallet says that PR stands for “Particularly Robust”. If I would have lived in the 1970s, I would be like Moore and get one too. That is if I had 210 German Marks…

The dial show

Saving the best for last: the dial. If you are thinking about getting a PR-516, I recommend more than anytime before to look for a pristine piece. Only untouched examples can really showcase the real beauty of the glass-perfect dial. You can find collectors referring to it as a blue or green color, but it’s quite a unique deep mix of both. The hour indexes are sandy yellow and contrast nicely.

The hour and the minute hands are so strikingly white, that you will struggle to believe they are 50 years old. The syringe tip of the minute hand is amusingly contrasting to the quite dull hour hand. It only underlines the tool purpose of the watch. Note also the length of the minute hand and how precisely it copies the end of the hour indexes, right at the edge of the minute track. By the way, the steeply sloping minute track sits in the second visual layer and adds more depth and intrigue to the display.

Shotgun notes

The central seconds hand makes me smile every time I see it. With no counterbalancing tail, it sits there confidently like a femme-fatale in a red satin dress with all eyes on her. Inside there is an automatic movement signed CHs Tissot & Fils and marked 786-4. It runs as reliably as you would expect it to. I fitted my Bond Tissot with a soft leather strap, but looking at the catalog shots, a Tropic-style or racing style strap seems to have been standard attire for this piece.

Final thoughts on Tissot PR-516

Even without Moore and Bond, I would love this piece just as much. Truth! I bought this piece long before I knew about the Bond connection. I believe vintage Tissot watches are still very underrated. The Tissot PR-516 gives me great pleasure, as it always strikes me as an original and very playful “three-hander”. I rotate many watches, often without any comments from my colleague or friends. I remember this one attracted many eyes, even those of hard-core fans of big Seiko dive watches. Forget the €10,000 plus Rolex Submariner. You can have a considerable amount of fun for a fragment of the price. Get the Tissot PR-516 while they still only cost a few hundred Euros. Happy hunting.