# Powermatic 80 serviceability - why is that an issue?



## olli_tr (Dec 31, 2016)

Hi everyone,

I bought a Tissot and that was my first automatic watch a while ago (since that I've bought a few more). I thought the Powermatic 80 movement was a cool feature in such an inexpensive watch. 80 hours of power reserve on a $500 watch! I've since learned that the pallet fork and the escapement wheel is made out of synthetic material. I suppose this a fancy name for plastic. Also, the oil required for those parts is Moebius TH7 that isn't widely available unless you have Swatch parts account.

This got me a bit worried. Do I need to send my watch back to Tissot everytime when it needs a service? If so, what's the point of buying a cheap watch, if I need to spend about as much as the watch cost for service? Omega service costs about $700 here, just as an example. However, I then stumbled upon Tissot's official service pricing - the service costs 160 EUR ($190) only! That includes replacement of all gaskets and worn out parts. The local independent watchmakers charge me more than that for a service of an automatic 3-hand watch.

I had the expectation that servicing a watch at the manufacturers official service costs about the same regardless of the brand and I had previously only checked the service prices for more pricier brands. Clearly this expectation was way off. So my question is, why should I worry about the availability of the Powermatic 80 specific parts and oils if I can get the watch serviced by the manufacturer's authorized service agent for less money than an independent watchmaker would want for the service?

I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts and opinions on the matter. Thanks!

In general I've been very happy with the movement. The power reserve is indeed more than 3 days and it's been running for an average of +3.2 sec per day for more than a year - and this is my daily beater watch!

... or _How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Movement..._


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## yankeexpress (Apr 7, 2013)

The issue is not the cost of the watch. It is the choice of movement. I would never by a P80 as I don't need a long power reserve. I want an accurate, smooth ticking high beat 2824. 

The P80 is a jacked around, jury rigged, low beat version 2824. No thanks.


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## olli_tr (Dec 31, 2016)

yankeexpress said:


> The issue is not the cost of the watch. It is the choice of movement. I would never by a P80 as I don't need a long power reserve. I want an accurate, smooth ticking high beat 2824.
> 
> The P80 is a jacked around, jury rigged, low beat version 2824. No thanks.


Your affection for high-beat movements has been clear for most of us for some time. I don't want to get into the discussion of low-beat vs high-beat but I can say that my 21600 bph Powermatic 80 is more accurate than any of my 28.8k watches. As smooth-ticking it is not. High-beat does not automatically mean accurate. If you want high-beat, go buy a Grand Seiko or El Primero - they're a bit more expensive than these Tissots though.

What makes you say that it's "jacked around, jury rigged"? Some changes have been made to the base 2824, of course, and it's not that I agree to the use of plastic materials. But if the result is a more accurate watch than their 2824 watches are and the service costs are not bad - why should I worry?


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## lvt (Sep 15, 2009)

With smart watches claiming more and more market shares nowadays, mechanical watches aren't just watches but luxury items and life style. If I ever want an automatic watches but I can't afford higher-end brands, I would stay with real ETA movements like 2824, 2836, 7750, 2893... because of legacy and serviceability.

Sent from my LG-H630 using Tapatalk


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## sticky (Apr 5, 2013)

A service costs what a service costs but it's nice to know that my P80s won't cost me an arm and a leg when the time comes.


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## rfortson (Feb 18, 2012)

Good point, OP. Didn't realize Tissot's service cost was so reasonable. 

To me, the 80 PR is pretty handy, and they make COSC versions of the movement, so accuracy isn't an issue. I like to see choices like this being offered.

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## Deli (Jul 19, 2014)

And from now on, all the (recently sold) Tissot COSC watches are covered with a 3 years warranty.


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## SpaceCadet65 (Oct 12, 2017)

I just ordered a PRC200 with a black face and the Powermatic 80 movement. It hasn't arrived yet. Reading some of the complaints around the serviceability of both the design and the synthetic parts concerns me. I buy automatic watches because I like the idea of having a mechanical timepiece on my wrist rather than a chip. We're up to our ears in chips! And I also like to think that the quality and craftsmanship will last generations. Today I have a 1968 Timex automatic on, and have several manual watches from 1940 up that still keep time as long as I get them serviced every 3-5 years. My Seiko Alpinist is bullet proof. I would hate to think that the Powermatic 80 is a disposable movement. 

Does anyone have concrete experience that this design will not have longevity? You know, something more than "plastic is bad"? $500 for a watch in this day and age is a bit of an investment. I've got 30 days to return the watch...


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## Deli (Jul 19, 2014)

It's been a while there's "synthetic" (plastic) parts in many movements...

7750, L5100, L1873, etc.


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## andreisavescu (Jan 28, 2020)

yankeexpress said:


> The issue is not the cost of the watch. It is the choice of movement. I would never by a P80 as I don't need a long power reserve. I want an accurate, smooth ticking high beat 2824.
> 
> The P80 is a jacked around, jury rigged, low beat version 2824. No thanks.


What about this one? 





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