Watch Accessories: PR516 Chrono Bracelets

From the vintage Tissot series, the PR516 is my favorite, mostly because of its sturdy design—"PR" stands for Particularly Robust—but also for the different dial variations that make them special. This series was produced for approximately three decades, and in the second millennium has evolved into the PRS-series—Particularly Robust and Sporty, that is! Among the watches from this series, hand-wind and automatic-wind versions were produced as well as alarm watches (the "Sonorous") and chronographs. These last ones, chronographs, are featured in this post because many straps and bracelets were available for them.

Tissot PR516 series catalogs and straps

Above is a photo of two catalogs displaying the PR516 series from the late 1960's. Leather and steel straps are shown. Rallye straps and bracelets (with large steering wheel-like holes) are becoming a signature feature of the PR516 range. In the middle is a genuine Tissot strap with original Tissot buckle, also with holes. Also displayed are three Tissot bracelets made from aluminum anodized in blue, brown and gold. At the top right, the chronographs can be seen in the catalog photo but on steel bracelets alone.

In my collection, I happen to have two of the greatest chronographs from the series. These have three-register dials and feature legendary Lemania movements, derivations of what Omega calls its Caliber 861. Until today, I never had them on straps from the PR516 series, but I am now sure this was the way they were meant to be worn.

Tissot PR516 Chronographs on PRS516 straps

I was trying to decide if I would sell one and if so, which one. I have had the one on the left the longest, but the red version is more rare. I thought it might be just the combination of black strap and black dial that truly appeals to me. That started the big strap and bracelet carousel that you will find documented in photos below.

Straps the other way around.

After the strap change, it was time to try fitting the original bracelets. Tissot PR516 chronographs came with these bracelets and both bracelets are 19mm wide, so they fit perfectly. Naturally, the clasps are signed with the Tissot-logo, "-T-".

Another one of this blog's contributors has the two-dial version of the red PR516 on a vintage Kreisler Stellux bracelet, also with signed Tissot buckle. The Kreisler bracelet was designed specifically for the large-case PR516 series and features end-pieces that fit perfectly.

At the time, it was common for high-end strap and bracelet manufacturers to produce special accessories for specific high-quality watches.

While going through my Tissot stuff I also discovered two advertisements showing the exact same PR516 models the way they were sold when new. Take a look. On the left is my black-white bezel PR516 on a steel bracelet. On the right is a red-white bezel version but with white dial. I think it has a gold-plated case and a brown rallye strap.

As to which is the best combination, I think I now have the answer. Do you? I think I was right the first time: The black-white bezel belongs with the black rallye strap. The red-white bezel deserves something else. I picked the bracelet without racing holes, and that combination makes it seem to stick out best!

Watch Writing: Incabloc, Shockresistant

The biggest problem with the first pocket watches and early (1930-40's) wristwatches was the fact that bumping them into something or hard knocks could damage the balance assembly. One could say these timepieces were not resistant to shock. This was an area for much development during the late 1930's and through the early 1950's. Most watches produced after the 1950's came with some sort of shock absorption: The most famous was (and still is) called Incabloc.

Another lesser-known shock-absorption system is the KIF system (used by Rolex amongst others), Parashock (Pierce), or the Diashock system by Seiko. The incabloc system can be seen close-up here: Incabloc on YouTube

Incabloc systems can be found inside watches: We will now focus on the outside. Below are two photos of Indus watches from the 1970's. The first has "Shockresistant" on the dial, the other one has "Incabloc" written on the dial.

Reputable manufacturers could not write anything on the watch or the dial that was not correct. If there is not an incabloc absorption setting in the movement, the company could not print it on the dial. The first watch has a generic Swiss movement with a generic shock absorption system for its balance. The second watch (with alarm feature) was bought from the A.Shield factory: They used the incabloc system as standard in their movements. Various engravings can be found on case backs or dials that indicate there is some type of shock protection inside: "Antishock," "Antichoc," "Shockproof," and "Shock-Protected" are common indications of balance protection.

Watch manufactures—as a rule of thumb—indicate their latest improvements on the dial (Omega does this now with their co-axial escape) until the next great innovation is ready. The word "Incabloc" became a sign of extra quality until the end of the 1970's. It is only seldom found on dials any more because the system has become ubiquitous. This also goes for mid- and low-end brands. Large, well-known brands display technical features mostly to advertise their own innovations, but these displays last only for a short period. Less is more. A buyer knows he is buying quality, so extra writing does not need to be on the dial. If you find anything other than "Incabloc" on the dial of a 1950's-1970's watch, you almost certainly are looking at a low-grade watch.

What-a-watch: Fortis Cushion shaped Chronograph

Here is something I just ran into. I am attracted to the "blue" in watches. I like chronographs and they must be made from steel. The Valjoux 7734 movement is not my cup of tea, but this Fortis does have Heuer-like chrono registers. In short, I simply needed to buy this.

I like how it is colourfull, with red, silver, white and blue brightly displayed. I especially like the blue tachymeter chapter ring. Of course, the hands with red accents are also special. Even the date is in red! Additionally, the case is not only made from solid stainless steel, it also has a satin brushed finish from crystal to side, and on the back there is the proud Fortis insignia.

While doing some research, I came across some interesting details. I found Fortis' brother from another mother! It is the exact same watch, only in a different colour scheme! i am not sure which I like better or even if I like one of them less!

This Fortis has a dark blue dial and the strap is original. The tachymeter bezel is white, not silver as it might appear. I do miss the Heuer-style seconds register with its red five-minute increment bars. The original strap (with tag) is always great to have when looking for a collector's item!

Cushion-shaped chronographs are not very common. This one has a steady Valjoux 7734 movement which, in combination with a good brand name and the solid steel case makes it stand out from other 1970's-era Valjoux 7733/7734 chronos. What a watch indeed!

What-a-Watch: Breitling Spatiographe

FOR SALE AT: www.watchbrokerage.com 


Here is one of my all time favorites. I was lucky to buy it complete with box and paperwork and in great condition. I really love this watch. The Montbrillant models are great, but the Spatiographe version is even better because the movement was specially adapted for Breitling to display a digital ten-minute counter.

The ten-minute counter can be found at the 9 o'clock position. It displays elapsed time in whole -and half-minute increments: First, 1/2 minute shows up, and then 1 minute, 1 1/2 and so on, up to 10 minutes. After ten minutes, it starts over again and continues counting ten-minute increments for up to 3 hours. At the 3 o'clock position, there is a running-seconds register.

The Spatiographe was produced between 1997 and 2002. Only one case number was used, reference 36030. Before the case number is a letter: A for steel or H for the solid gold case. Later case numbers are followed by a ".1" suffix. It is unsure why the extra digit was added—perhaps Breitling ran out of serial numbers and started over.

The Spatiographe is clearly from the Navitimer series. It measures 41,5mm in diameter and has a mineral crystal. The best part is, of course, the movement. Breitling developed the Cal. 36 automatic movement specifically for this model. It is based on the ETA 2892-A2 with a special module that no other brand was permitted to use.

There only a few variations of the Spatiographe. The first run consisted of two different dial colors, a black dial (see previous photo) with steel hands and a white dial with gold hands. In 2002, a different dial was introduced. This second dial style was also black with steel hands and white with gold hands: Both came in steel cases. There were, however, a few exceptions for this second version: Fifty limited-edition Spatiographes were sold with solid gold cases.

The earlier version seems nicer. Interestingly, though Breitling is well-known for their chronometer-grade chronographs, the Caliber 36 was never COSC certified. This movement did share the Navitimer calculator disc, though. The outer bezel can be rotated to make calculations in combination with the inner bezel. Breitling's included instruction booklets show how it is done. This watch is nonetheless probably more interesting for collectors than use in navigation!