ReviewThe Gateway Drug: Tissot’s PRX Quartz Timepieces In New Colors And Sizes

First launched in the 1970s, the Tissot PRX Quartz timepieces were born from the trend of the time: steel sport watches with integrated bracelets. It’s the sort of silhouette that catches the attention of those looking for their first-ever watches, those who know the significance of the design, and everyone in between.

Over the years, the collection has accrued its own precise and robust identity, with an added X-factor. Let’s take a look at why these timepieces have more than meets the eye and what makes the part that meets the eye as good as it is.

The Integrated History Of The PRX Quartz With The 70s

The 70s were an important time in the world of watchmaking. The onset of Gerald Genta’s designs took over the world of sport watches, especially with the octagonal case shape and the integrated bracelet design of many heavy hitters being the highlights of the era. In those days, it was difficult to find a brand without some form of an integrated-bracelet steel sport watch in their portfolio.

Following suit were Tissot—a brand that, at the time, was going through significant changes. In the advent of the quartz crisis and the design influences of the time, the PRX Quartz emerged, though it was officially called the Seastar back then. It didn’t take long for Tissot to give the watch its own identity, with an acronym of sorts, where the P stands for precise, R for robust, and X—10 in Roman numerals—signifying the 10 ATM of water resistance (100m).

After a long hiatus, the steel sports timepieces with integrated bracelets were re-introduced (much like Girard-Perregaux’s Laureato, another steel sports watch with an integrated bracelet introduced in the 70s). The PRX Quartz watches promised a few things right off the bat: a bang for your buck, a clean, timeless design, and a very comfortable wearing experience.

In the advent of the quartz crisis and the design influences of the 1970s, the PRX Quartz emerged, though it was officially called the Seastar back then. It didn’t take long for Tissot to give the watch its own identity, with an acronym of sorts, where the P stands for precise, R for robust, and X—10 in Roman numerals—signifying the 10 ATM of water resistance (100m)

₹37,000

Check Our Selling Price

After a long hiatus, the PRX Quartz watches made a comeback in 2021, and immediately flew off the shelves

₹37,000

Check Our Selling Price

The PRX Quartz watches promised a few things right off the bat: a bang for your buck, a clean, timeless design, and a very comfortable wearing experience

₹37,000

Check Our Selling Price

The integrated case and bracelet, the beautiful contrast of polished and brushed surfaces on the case and bezel, the minimalistic dial design all add to the timeless allure of the PRX Quartz

₹37,000

Check Our Selling Price

01

The Pedigree Of The PRX Quartz

Back in 2020, when Tissot needed a marquee watch to make a splash, they looked into their archives. The 1978 PRX was what struck Sylvain Dolla, Tissot’s one-week-old CEO at the time. The subsequent launch of the PRX Quartz was an instant success, with pieces being sold out quicker than the brand could make them.

With a 40mm case size, 10.5mm thickness, a barrel-shaped silhouette with the bracelet expertly integrated with the case, and a large and flat case, the watch offers an incredibly comfortable wearing experience. What strikes most about the PRX Quartz watches is, of course, the integrated bracelet look, which does wonders for wrist presence.

Tissot PRX SHOP THE COLLECTION

The vertically brushed finish on the case and bracelet, combined with the polished bezel, creates a beautiful contrast that holds attention, leaving you in disbelief at the price the watch retails for. A useful bevelled date window at three pulls together the overall sophistication of the watch, acting as the perfect finishing touch.

Within the collection, the blue sunburst dial is by far the most famous of the lot, with its delightful change of contrast visible when viewed from different angles. Its slender hour markers, like the hands, are luminescent.

The popularity of this watch warranted a play on dial colours, and Tissot didn’t hold back. The timepiece comes in black, silver, green, light blue, and white (which also boasts an entirely luminescent dial) colours.

Another immensely popular offering, the gold PVD-coated PRX Quartz hit the shelves, and it wasn’t long before it became another crowd favourite. The brand released 35mm timepieces of the PRX Quartz, which drew in a larger audience for the timepieces—as if that were possible—with those preferring smaller sizes. The 35mm PRX Quartz carries the same aesthetic detailed above, but in a much sleeker, slimmer appearance.

In all honesty, the popularity of the PRX Quartz is very clearly an indication of how good of a product it is. In fact, Esquire just wrote an article about how the watch has blown up on TikTok. Tissot seems to be taking all the right steps, listening to the fan-base, and implementing at a rapid pace. For example, the PRX Powermatic 80 series offers the whole shebang, with the added pull of a fantastic mechanical movement, along with a new and quite successful dial pattern.

A Swiss-made watch with design and details that scream quality and a timeless style makes the PRX Quartz timepieces a considerable choice for most, regardless of where they are in their watch-buying journey.