Tissot Brings Quartz Timing to the Modern PRX Chronograph

The PRX has always made the most sense when Tissot keeps it sharp, wearable and attainable.

With the PRX Quartz Chronograph, the brand adds a version that feels especially true to the collection’s late-1970s roots, while giving today’s range its first quartz-powered chronograph.

It’s also a practical move, because the mechanical PRX chronograph remains one of the more expensive watches in the family.

At a glance

A lower-barrier PRX chronograph

The modern PRX collection has already carried a chronograph, but until now that role belonged to the automatic model.

This new quartz edition takes the same broad idea and brings it much closer to the price point that made the PRX such a successful everyday sports watch in the first place.

At £430, the PRX Quartz Chronograph costs roughly a quarter of the 42mm automatic chronograph, which sits at £1,695.

That difference will matter to buyers who like the angular case, integrated bracelet and motorsport-adjacent dial energy, but don’t need the romance or extra cost of a mechanical calibre.

The case is also slightly smaller at 41mm, down from the automatic chronograph’s 42mm diameter.

At 11.65mm thick, it should be easier to live with than the chunkier mechanical version, though the steel case and bracelet still keep it feeling like a substantial sports watch.

Three dials with a cleaner chronograph look

Tissot is launching the PRX Quartz Chronograph in silver, black and blue, each fitted with matching sub-dials.

The silver version is the most decorative of the three, using yellow-gold coloured accents for the hands, indices and fine rings around the counters.

It gives the dial warmth without pushing it into full dress-watch territory, and the gold outlining helps the chronograph registers stay readable against the brushed surface.

The black and blue versions follow the same layout but use cooler silver-toned details instead.

All three dials are vertically brushed rather than finished with the waffle texture found on the mechanical PRX chronograph.

That plainer surface suits the watch’s more accessible positioning, and it also gives the chronograph furniture room to breathe.

The layout places a 1/10th-second counter at 3 o’clock, running seconds at 6 o’clock and a 30-minute timer at 9 o’clock.

A date window sits at 4 o’clock, tucked into the dial rather than placed at the more conventional 3 or 6.

The automatic model’s 12-hour counter isn’t carried over, so timing longer events requires a little more attention from the wearer.

For most everyday uses, though, the 30-minute chronograph and 1/10th-second readout are likely to be more relevant than extended elapsed-hours tracking.

Quartz changes the character

Inside the watch is the ETA calibre G10.212 PowerDrive, a quartz chronograph movement with an end-of-life indicator for the battery.

That movement is the point of the watch and also the line that will separate its audience.

You don’t get the sweep, weight of tradition or visible mechanical appeal associated with the automatic Valjoux-powered version.

In return, you get quartz accuracy, lower ownership fuss and a 1/10th-second timing function that the mechanical PRX chronograph doesn’t offer.

The rest of the specification remains reassuringly PRX.

The stainless steel case is water resistant to 100 metres, the front is protected by sapphire crystal and the shaped pushers follow the case architecture rather than looking like bolt-on hardware.

The integrated stainless steel bracelet also uses Tissot’s quick-release system, allowing tool-free strap changes.

That’s a useful detail on a watch whose appeal depends heavily on wearability, especially for buyers who may want to switch between the bracelet and alternative straps over time.

Details & Specifications

The PRX Quartz Chronograph is unlikely to convert someone who specifically wants a mechanical movement, and it doesn’t try to.

Its strength is simpler than that, giving the PRX chronograph shape a more attainable, accurate and easygoing form.

For anyone drawn first to the design, bracelet and everyday sports-watch practicality, this may be the most sensible chronograph in the collection.