The Luxury Royal Oak Watch Alternative That's A Fraction Of The Price And Nearly Identical

The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak is a watch worth a ton of money, but you do not have to spend thousands of dollars to get a wristwatch with nearly the same look. Wrist Enthusiast, a blog and shopping guide for wristwatches, named the Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 as an affordable "stripped down version" of the Royal Oak, which can be bought directly by Tissot for under $800.

Launched in 2022 on the 50^th anniversary of the original Royal Oak watch, the "Jumbo" Ref. 16202 sells for over $37,000. Audemars Piguet, also known as AP, produced the first Royal Oak model in 1972 to stay competitive with other Swiss watch makers. Designed by Swiss watch designer Gérald Genta, the Ref. 5402 was AP's first luxury steel sports watch. It was 39 mm in size with exposed screws and was more expensive than the luxury Rolex Submariner. As an alternative, the PRX Powermatic 80 sells for under $1,000 but wears like a luxury timepiece. This Tissot watch is not just a clone, but rather a competitor of the Royal Oak "Jumbo" Ref. 16202.

The AP Royal Oak inspired Swiss watch maker Tissot to come out with its first PRX quartz model design in 1978. The model was discontinued after a few years but was then reactivated in 2021 when Tissot released the PRX 40, a 40 mm watch powered by quartz that retails at Tissot for as low as $375. A year later, Tissot unveiled the PRX Powermatic 80, which was also 40 mm, but like the AP Royal Oak, was mechanically powered.

Mechanical-powered watches tend to be expensive because they aren't as easy to make as quartz-powered watches. But Tissot's owner, the Swatch Group, also owns watch movement giant ETA, which created a more efficient and cost-effective mechanical movement, the Powermatic 80.111. This enabled Tissot to enter the "more affordable" mechanical watch market.

Yet could the Tissot PRX Powermatic be a watch worth anything over time? Maybe. Tissot has been making quality timepieces since 1853 and its wristwatches depreciate very slowly. However, because the company strives to make affordable Swiss luxury, they generally do not grow in value. In other words, your Tissot PRX Powermatic will make a nice relic to pass on to family members, and probably could be resold for hundreds of dollars. But do not expect it to rise to the price of a $75,000 vintage Rolex watch.