Tissot PRC200 Chronograph: For Active Men and Women who Want to Be Seen at Their Best

Swiss watches have held onto their reputation for quality over the decades and Tissot has stood out as one of the more highly-regarded manufacturers.

For over 150 years, this company founded by Charles-Felicien and Charles-Emile Tissot has provided accurate and durable timepieces with admirers throughout the world.

Among their offerings are men’s chronograph watches like the Tissot PRC200.

This model possesses a ruggedness and functionality comparable to the best analog watch along with luxurious style.

Tissot Men’s PRC200: For Active Sportsmen who Demand Aesthetic Perfection

Few Key Highlights

Starting with the technical aspects of the watch, the body consists of a 42mm diameter case, roughly 12mm thick, and joined to a 19mm wide wristband.

The whole thing’s built of stainless steel. As you’d expect from a chronograph, besides the analog watch hands, the PRC200 also provides a 30-minute timer, 60-second timer, and a tenth-of-a-second timer.

It even includes a tachymeter for making your own calculations.

Making all the parts precisely work in unison is a Swiss quartz movement.

An additional feature that tells me this is a pretty serious sports chronograph is its water resistance that’s rated down to 660 feet or 200 meters, ideal for scuba diving.

The best tough watch in this category couldn’t perform any better.

Keeping the water out under such high pressure is the job a sapphire crystal.

This synthetic material resists scratching, which is handy when exploring coral reefs.

An In-depth Look

The PRC200 has a style that perfectly blends outdoors strength with formal elegance.

It’s at home at both a race track or an ornate restaurant.

The first thing that struck me about its appearance is the relatively thin bezel surrounding the face.

This feature allows for a larger face with more easily-read dials.

As with many sports models created by Tissot, what appears to be the second hand is actually the 60-second timer.

The everyday seconds are measured by a separate dial located above the six-o’clock position.

Up near the 12-o’clock position sit the 30-minute timer and tenths-of-a-second timer dials, respectively.

Controlling the dial operations is done through the two buttons on the right-hand side of the watch.

These buttons let you do a basic event timing, continuously time consecutive events, and even time a sub-event within a larger competition.

Just below the tenths dial, a numerical day-of-the-month readout is visible.

Finally, surrounding the inside rim of the bezel is the tachymeter.

This stationary feature lets you figure speeds when the distance is known and distances when the speed is known for any racing event imaginable.

Where It Letdowns

My examination of various customer comments indicates the actual watch is quite solid.

There have been a very few complaints concerning the watch losing time.

One buyer thought it was undersized for a man’s sports watch.

I might also point out that displaying the day without the month is a bit annoying.

The main problem many purchasers have, though, isn’t with the genuine watch, it’s with the not-so-genuine versions.

Tissot watches are very popular in China, making them prime targets for counterfeiters.

There’s apparently enough fakes going around that they turn up in seemingly reputable markets.

Suffice to say, none of the imitations are going to be considered the best tough watch. You’ll need to be careful.

Designed primarily as a sports chronograph, the Tissot PRC200 has all the components necessary for timing any kind of athletic meet.

Its 660 feet water tolerance is a nice extra to have around.

Since it’s not aimed to go neck-and-neck with the ritziest Omegas or Rolexes, it can make an affordable alternative.

If this sounds like what you’re looking for, just be sure it’s the legitimate variety.