This Affordable Automatic Chronograph Will Scratch Your Daytona Itch

And there’s no waiting list!

a closeup of an affordable tissot automatic chronograph

Published January 11, 2025

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For a number of years now, arguably the most desirable watch in the world has been the modern Rolex Cosmograph Daytona.

With its iconic status, impressive pedigree and stellar contemporary looks, the “entry-level” stainless steel version of The Crown’s chronograph continues to generate enormous levels of hype, with crazy-long waiting lists fueling secondary market prices that are well over twice the SRP.

As a result of the Daytona’s unobtanium status, many prospective buyers have no choice but to look elsewhere to get their Daytona fix in chronographs from other brands with similar looks and functionality.

rolex daytona watch on wrist — If you want one of these, better get in line (and get out your wallet).

Watches like the Zenith Chronomaster Sport, Tudor Black Bay Chrono and Longines Conquest Chronograph tend to be the most popular options when it comes to more attainable automatic alternatives, but now a new, considerably more affordable option has entered the fray.

And it has arguably the strongest Daytona vibes of them all.

Panda Feeling Blue

Rolex currently offers two colorways of the Daytona in Oystersteel, both with the reference number 126500LN. There’s a blacked-out version with a black tachymeter bezel, dial and subdials with silver counter rings. Then there’s a panda version with a black bezel, white dial and black counter rings for its subdials.

The panda is easily the more popular version of the two, and you can expect to pay a few more thousand dollars for one on the secondary market. So it’s unsurprising that this uber-popular model appears to have provided some aesthetic inspiration for the latest chronograph from Tissot.

a tissot automatic chronograph over a sky and mountains — Tissot’s latest chronograph bears a strong resemblance to the modern Daytona panda.

The Le Locle brand has launched the brand-new PR516 Automatic Chronograph, and it looks like it could be the blue panda sibling to the Daytona panda.

The watch features a white dial with blue counter rings on its three subdials and a blue bezel that features not only a tachymeter but also a pulsometer, allowing the wearer to calculate both speed and heart rates (not at the same time, please). Tissot went with mineral glass for the bezel insert, which offers a similar glossy effect to the ceramic bezel insert of the Rolex but is more susceptible to scratches.

Like the Rolex, the new Tissot chrono has 100m of water resistance, applied indices and a slab-sided case (though it’s brushed, not polished). But there are also plenty of differences that allow the Tissot to stand on its own as more than just a Rolex homage.

a tissot automatic chronograph — The watch manages to set itself apart from the Rolex with features like a boxed sapphire crystal, contrasting minute track and Jubilee-style bracelet.

Not a Knockoff

The pushers don’t screw down like on the Rolex, and the bracelet is vastly different. As a Jubilee-style bracelet, it’s still Rolex-inspired, but you’ll never see a Jubilee on a Daytona.

What’s more, the dial is a bit more colorful than on the Daytona, with its T-shaped central seconds hand and all subdial hands sporting a blue finish. There’s also a contrasting minute track, similar to what you’ll see on vintage Paul Newman Daytonas, that’s also in blue.

The watch also has a box-style sapphire crystal for more of a retro vibe, another thing you’ll never see on a modern Rolex. Speaking of things you’ll never see on a Rolex, at least not one made of steel, is a display caseback. This Tissot has one, allowing you to view the Valjoux A05 automatic chronograph calibre that powers the watch.

the automatic movement of a tissot automatic chronograph seen through a display caseback — Inside the watch is the Valjoux A05 automatic, a movement that has appeared in a handful of other Tissots and chronographs from other Swatch Group brands like Certina.

Pricing and Availability

Tissot has quietly been putting together a pretty stellar roster of affordable mechanical and automatic chronographs, including the PRX Chrono integrated sports watch, the dressy Telemeter 1938, and the ’70s motorsports-inspired PR516 Mechanical and Heritage 1973.

For my money, the new PR516 Automatic Chronograph is the best of the bunch. It’s well-sized at 41mm, practical with its sapphire crystal and high water resistance, and best of all, it looks the business.

a tissot chronograph watch on a mans wrist — Admit it, if you spied this across the room, you’d think Rolex released a blue panda Daytona on a Jubilee.

Yes, it looks a lot like a modern Rolex Daytona, but that’s a good thing. The Daytona is gorgeous but unobtainable for most people, so I have no issue with a far more affordable watch from a reputable brand taking some stylistic cues from it. I love the choice of blue instead of black for the panda scheme, too, as I’m more of a blue panda guy — I think it’s a very attractive and massively underutilized color scheme in the industry.

Now, let’s talk price, which should please most people. This watch costs $2,050. That is a damn good bargain, placing it a full $1,700 below the blue panda Longines Conquest Chronograph, which is arguably the next rung up on the ladder of more affordable Daytona alternatives.

I think Tissot has a hit on its hands with the PR516 Automatic Chronograph. We’ll see if I’m right when the watch goes on sale at the end of the month.

Tissot PR516 Automatic Chronograph

Tissot expanded its PR516 collection with this automatic chronograph, a handsome, Valjoux-powered tri-compax with a blue panda color scheme and styling reminiscent of the modern Rolex Daytona.