The Tissot PRX is one of the few watches that comes without any caveats. Just a fun, well-designed, reasonably priced watch – a breed that sometimes feels in short supply nowadays.
Well, there was one caveat: At 40mm and an effective lug-to-lug around 51mm, the original Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 was too big for some wrists (read: my wrists). With the introduction of a smaller 35mm version, now there’s PRX fun for nearly everyone.
The gold-colored PRX 35mm
In June, Tissot announced it was bringing the Powermatic 80 movement to the 35mm PRX. While the smaller PRX has long been available with a quartz movement and smooth dial, Tissot was giving the midsized PRX the big boy treatment.
The modern Tissot PRX takes its inspiration from the Tissot Seastar, an integrated-bracelet sports watch from the 1970s that rode the groovy vibe of integrated-bracelet sports watches. The modern PRX does the same, offering an affordable alternative to those other integrated bracelet watches.
“Ice blue”
Let’s start with the specs of the PRX Powermatic 35mm. It’s 10.9mm thick and has a lug-to-lug of 39mm, but wears like 44mm long because the first bracelet link is fixed. The case finishing is familiar from the larger PRX: mostly brushed, but with plenty of polished surfaces for contrast, including the bezel, case bevels, and inner flanks of the bracelet.
The bracelet tapers nicely to a butterfly clasp. The clasp feels a bit plastic-y and doesn’t have the satisfying “click” of a more expensive bracelet, but I think such satisfaction costs more than 700 bucks in 2023. There’s no micro-adjust, but the bracelet links are relatively short and I didn’t have a problem finding a nice fit.
There are five dial options in the standard steel case: ice blue, green, black, blue (all $695), and the new–for-35mm white mother of pearl ($750). There’s also a gold-tone version with matching champagne dial ($825). I had the three best ones in for review: ice blue, mother of pearl, and “gold.” Each dial is stamped with a waffle-style pattern. The lume signature is relatively low but functional, with SuperLumiNova on the hands and applied indices.
The mother of pearl is new, and remains exclusive to, the 35mm PRX. Stock images and even still photos sometimes make it look like a flat white, so here’s a video of it.
It’s subtle but very nice, and that extra shimmer will cost you another $55.
When Danny spent a Week On The Wrist with the original PRX 41mm, he said he’d love to see Tissot use a retro-inspired logo at 12 o’clock instead of its standard wordmark. It remains a valid criticism here – just look at how cool that “PRX” logo looks at 6 o’clock!
The same “Powermatic 80” caliber, based on the ETA CO7.111, ticks inside the 35mm PRX, visible through a sapphire caseback. It has an 80-hour power reserve, modifying the standard ETA 2824 to beat at a slower 3 Hz. There’s been some misconception that this movement is both not serviceable and contains “plastic” parts. In fact, the pallet fork and escape wheel are made of a synthetic material, found in this entry-level version of the Powermatic 80 movement.
As watchmaker @thatguy explained in the comments of our Week On The Wrist with the 40mm PRX, the composite used “creates less friction and less impact during the impulse and locking phase of the escapement. This is similar with [the] Silicium escapement system that tries to mitigate the friction in the normal steel vs. ruby jewel on the Swiss lever, avoiding the need to often lubricate and wear and tear in both pallet jewels and escape wheel teeth.”
He further said these C07 movements are “highly serviceable.” Tissot service fees tend to be quite reasonable, and Tissot is transparent about it: you can find a partial fee schedule on its website here. Sometimes the movement will simply be exchanged when sent in for service to speed up turnaround times, while the old movement is sent to Tissot in Switzerland for full servicing before being used again.
The size works well on my 16cm wrist. A touch small, but more comfy and wearable than the 40mm, roughly equivalent to a 36mm round watch. Tissot could probably fill out the collection with a 37mm PRX to satisfy everyone (if it works for the Royal Oak…). The gold in particular had this undeniable pull for me in a coolest-grandpa-in-the-retirement-community sort of way. While the PRX works well as a modern watch, when it’s rendered in a gold color, it’s irrefutably retro. The ice blue in particular feels cool and modern; on trend, but without totally pandering to the whims of the right now. The mother-of-pearl dial is an excellent addition to the PRX for the 35mm. Sure, it’s designed to get more women interested in Tissot and the PRX, but it’s not trying too hard. Guys can MOP too.
Two views of the MOP dial
Indeed, it’s nice to see Tissot has marketed the PRX for both men and women (or neither, depending on how you look at it). I’ve always liked Malaika’s line drawing here; sometimes, it’s nice to have no gender in watch design. Others, intentional design for women makes sense. The PRX, in particular at 35mm, is decidedly unisex. As I said at the start, it’s just a fun, good-looking, reasonably priced watch.
Let me be clear: even if it’s a touch (really, just a touch!) small, I’m a buyer of the 35mm over the 40mm every day of the week. And I’m probably going guac-free on my next few burritos to justify dropping the extra 50 bucks for that shimmering MOP dial.
There’s not a lot of competition in the midsized, under $1,000 integrated bracelet space right now. Christopher Ward’s The Twelve is the most apt comparison, which was also recently downsized, to 36mm. The Nivada Grenchen F77 measures 37mm and provides another close comparison (thanks to commenter OllyW for reminding me of the recently downsized CW). But both of these come in above $1,200, nearly 2X the PRX. Something like the Brew Watches Automatic (limited edition, uses a Seiko movement) is a solid alternative from a smaller brand. However, none of these have the supposed brand prestige associated with sponsoring every NBA shot clock.
If you want that ’70s, sports watch, integrated bracelet look, the Tissot Powermatic 80 at 35mm seems to be in a class of its own. I’ve loved seeing high-end brands like AP and Vacheron Constantin expand into this category, and I hope we see more of the same at this price point. I’m pretty sure there’s a massive market opportunity. I see the PRX literally everywhere and it’s the rare watch that has both broad appeal and enthusiast cachet.
It’s great that the gospel of the PRX will now reach more people with the new 35mm size. Is it too much to ask for a Powermatic 80 at 37mm?