The Tissot PRX Continues Its Winning Streak With New Colours And Straps

The entry-level collection just got even more enticing.

One need not be an avid watch collector to recognise the immense popularity of the Tissot PRX, as it has been popping up in social media feeds since its launch, and its appearances will inevitably spike whenever there’s a new drop. For 2023, the Le Locle watchmaker continues to ride the momentum with a slew of enticing releases that cater to a wide range of consumers, including one ‘icy’ model that caused quite a stir online even before the brand officially announced it.

To understand the popularity of the PRX, perhaps we need to look back at its origin story. Launched in 2021 as an all-quartz collection inspired by the Tissot PRX 40 205 from 1978, the current PRX’s vintage-cool aesthetics, combining a tonneau-shaped case with round dial and integrated bracelet, managed to fit right into the zeitgeist that favours nostalgia and authenticity. Getting a timepiece at around S$500 a pop, even though electronically powered, from a Swiss watch company with more than a century’s history is a value proposition that is too difficult to pass up.
 
Sensing it has a winner on its hands, Tissot quickly followed up with a mechanical PRX model driven by the self-winding Powermatic 80 movement with an 80-hour power reserve, which even watch snobs have a hard time thumbing their noses at, with prices starting at just below S$1,000. Perhaps more irresistible are the chronograph references introduced last year, touting retro-licious panda-style dials and the self-winding Valjoux A05 H31 movement with a 60-hour power reserve.

This year, Tissot continues to build on the success of the three models under the PRX banner with new executions and a few tricks up its sleeves. The aforementioned PRX that set social media abuzz with excitement is the new Powermatic 80 reference with an ice blue dial (S$990), which continues to be the shade du jour in watches. Although the mechanical model remains essentially unchanged, from its embossed, chequered pattern dial to the winning tonneau-shaped 40mm case, Tissot has added a new black rubber strap option to the collection, available with a dark blue or black dial (S$970).

The same black rubber strap is also paired with the new quartz references (S$500), with similarly hued dials that sport sunburst finishing, which is de rigueur for the battery-powered range. We think this is a better fit for the fuss-free watch than the previously released alligator-style leather options, but the true head-turner among the new releases is the one with an off-white dial and rubber strap. The seemingly unassuming piece literally glows up in the dark as its entire dial is coated with Super-LumiNova.

Finally, the PRX Chronograph Valjoux welcomes a new member to the fold. After the ‘reverse panda’ blue dial from the debut collection, it is perhaps no surprise that a ‘panda’ version with blue sub-dials will follow (S$2,650), this time with a silver vertical brushed dial. The workhorse chronograph movement, 42mm steel case, and matching integrated movement remain, but we are certain that more strap options for the range are already in the pipeline.

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