In a market where it seems like overpopularized watch designs are repeated, again and again, it’s refreshing to see Tissot come out with a new and daring design in the Tissot PRX Powermatic 80… Except the new design is actually an old design.
The PRX is undoubtedly based on those from the ’70s, such as earlier, Tissot Seastar PRX models, and closely resembling some of the most well-known, integrated bracelet, stainless-steel sports watches from luxury brands, like the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and Patek Philippe Nautilus. While the Tissot PRX Powermatic is much more affordable, coming in at just $650 MSRP, it still packs a punch with its 80-hour power reserve Powermatic movement and a sporty, geometric design that breaks the mold and catches the eye.
In this Tissot PRX review, we’ll be taking a look at the blue dial Powermatic 80 variation, a watch I couldn’t help but add to my personal collection.
Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 Specifications
- Reference: T1374071104100
- Dimensions
- Diameter: 40mm
- Thickness: 10.9mm
- Lug-to-lug: 44.6mm
- Lug width: 11mm (Integrated bracelet)
- Weight: 141g
- Water Resistance: 10 bar (100 m / 330 ft)
- Crystal: Scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with antireflective coating
- Caseback: See-through caseback
- Movement: Swiss automatic Powermatic 80.111
- Power-Reserve: Up to 80 hours
- Bracelet: Stainless steel integrated bracelet
What does PRX Stand For?
Tissot’s PRX stands for Precise, Robust, and X, referring to the watch’s 10 ATM, an atmospheric pressure rating that equates to a water resistance of 100 meters. This is the benchmark for PRX watches, and the Powermatic 80 fits these criteria wholly.
Dial & Design: A Unique Waffle Dial That Steals The Show
One of the absolute standout features of the PRX Powermatic that grabbed my attention is its distinct waffle dial. There’s no doubt that great attention has been paid to the manufacturing of this waffle dial, as its groves are deep and precise. It leans into the vintage, sporty, and elevated look of the watch in a way that the plainer, sunburst dial of the quartz PRX models can’t.
I own the blue version of this watch, which appears navy blue under most typical lighting conditions, opening up to a subtle royal blue when the light hits it directly. With that said, the dial color is a bit intentionally muted, contrasted completely by the more dynamic quartz sunburst models. I believe this was a (well-thought) intentional design choice allowing the texture of the waffle dial allowing to attract most of the visual weight, rather than the shifting colors of the dial itself.
Similarly, Tissot made an excellent design choice in keeping the hour markers and handsets rather thin and unpronounced, as to let the waffle dial do most of the talking. The hands and hour markers are boxy and rectangular, geometric in a way that matches the case well. They both feature superluminova, however, as they are both rather thin, their effective surface area, and thus, their overall effectiveness is rather limited.
At 12:00 we have the Tissot logo painted above ‘1853’; denoting the year Tissot was founded. At 6:00, we have ‘PRX’ painted above ‘Powermatic 80’ denoting the movement housed inside. These elements are painted, instead of applied, which is done precisely and lays flat on the dial, adding a bit of layering and 3-dimensionality.
Finally, the date wheel at 3:00 is steel-framed and juts into the 3:00 hour marker so as not to throw off the balance of the watch too much. Still, I’m sure some would prefer a model without a date wheel at all.
’70s Style Case With Precise Fit and Finish
This is where things start to get interesting, as the case of the Tissot PRX Powermatic is one of its boldest statements. It doesn’t simply take inspiration from watches from the ’70s, it looks like it could be one. Its sharp and geometric case has distinct edges and angles that are precise and transition toward the raised, polished bezel. The sides and top of the case sandwich thin polished chamfers that add a bit of reflectiveness, the perfect contrast to the brushed finish throughout the lugs and bracelet. Speaking of which, the brushing and polishing are done impeccably well, surprisingly so for the price, an almost essential detail considering the rather visually simple design of the case shape itself.
The crown at 3:00 is fine-toothed, though a bit undersized, and seated into the case. This makes pulling the crown out to set the time or date a bit more difficult than I’d like, although not a huge dealbreaker. The crown is signed with a T for Tissot and machined rather precisely. Handwinding the watch feels neither smooth nor gritty, about what I’d expect out of a movement that prides itself primarily on its longevity through a substantial power reserve, rather than the smoothness of the second hand sweep.
On the back of the case, we have a see-through display case back revealing the rather undecorated Powermatic 80 movement. It would be interesting to see if a stainless steel caseback could further reduce the watch’s already slim 11mm thickness.
An Integrated Bracelet You Won’t Want to Replace
On most sports watches, the strap or bracelet is easily removable and interchangeable. With an integrated bracelet like we have on the PRX Powermatic 80, however, this is less true. While you’d have no trouble removing the integrated bracelet, the difficulty would be in finding a suitable replacement that fits the odd notched lug width. As a result, the integrated bracelet is a core piece of the watch itself and needs to be scrutinized a bit more heavily than straps or bracelets that can easily be replaced. Thankfully, I have many good things to say about the quality, fit, and finish of the bracelet itself.
The integrated stainless steel bracelet transitions seamlessly from the case, draping effortlessly around the wrist thanks to its many, smaller-than-usual links. These thin links allow you to get a more precise fit when sizing the bracelet. This is necessary, as the butterfly deployment clasp doesn’t include any micro adjustments, one of the few minor gripes I have with the bracelet itself. The bracelet can quickly be removed by utilizing the quick-release spring bars and is held together by friction-based pushpins that were effortless to resize. Otherwise, the construction is solid, without being overly heavy, allowing it to wear comfortably and balance on the wrist well.
The bracelet has a brushed finish consistent with that of the top and sides of the case, however, between each link is polished, excellent attention to detail that allows light to reflect off of different parts of the bracelet as your wrist moves. It’s minor embellishments like this that separate a design with good execution to a great one – kudos, Tissot.
The included butterfly deployment clasp is polished and machined well. It closes with a satisfying tactile click that confidently demonstrates its security, and the deployment button operation is smooth. The clasp is curved so as to hug the wrist well when closed, and its edges are smoothed so as not to bite into the wrist.
Ultimately, the integrated bracelet is designed and executed very well, you’ll be hard-pressed to find better automatic stainless steel sports watch with an integrated bracelet at this price point.
Sapphire Crystal… AR Coating, Please!
The flat crystal that protrudes just above the watch’s bezel is a sapphire crystal that seemingly lacks any anti-reflective coating; a minor annoyance I have with this watch. The combination of a flat crystal with the darker navy dial creates many glares and reflections under direct lighting. Often, a lighter dial will help cut through the reflections just a bit, but really that’s a band-aid for a problem that could more easily be solved with just a bit of AR coating. Please, Tissot?
Powermatic 80.111 Movement
Housed inside of the automatic version of the Tissot PRX is the self-winding Powermatic 80 movement, specifically the Powermatic 80.111, based on the Swiss ETA 2824. The Powermatic 80 is a swiss movement with 23 jewels and an impressive power reserve of up to 80 hours.
An 80-hour power reserve is enough to continue powering the watch for just over three days, an entire weekend, when not on the wrist and almost doubles that of the average, 40-hour power reserve on other entry to mid-level automatic watches.
The movement has a beat rate of 21,600 BPH. Had they increased the beat rate, the power-reserve likely would have taken a bit of a hit as a result. Personally, I’ll take a large, 80-hour power reserve over a slightly smoother sweeping second hand, any day.
One minor flaw of the Powermatic 80 movement for consideration, however, is the difficulty of regulating such a movement. The watch has what is marketed as a “high-tech escapement” which essentially means the watch is regulated precisely at the factory. The free-sprung balance wheel the movement uses, however, may make regulation a bit difficult, even for intermediate watch tinkerers; it’d be best to take this movement to a practiced watchmaker.
Dimensions, Wearability & On Wrist
Thanks to its rather geometric design, the Tissot Powermatic 80 wears a bit deceivingly larger than its dimensions, on paper, would suggest. The first link of the integrated stainless steel bracelet is fixed and doesn’t flex as the other links do. This makes the watch wear a bit more like a traditional 41mm on the wrist. With a thickness under 11mm, and a flat case that only protrudes at the raised bezel and crystal, it’s a relatively slim watch that easily fits under the cuff of a shirt.
As the PRX has an integrated bracelet, the 11mm lug width is untraditional and much smaller than usual. Of course, you’re not expected to wear this watch on an 11mm strap, rather one that fits the 11mm notch and fills the rest of the width of the bracelet, like the integrated bracelet the watch comes on.
Weighing just 141g including the integrated bracelet, the Powermatic 80 weighs less (with a bracelet) than some stainless steel watches weigh without one. That’s to say it’s quite comfortable and lightweight on the wrist while feeling relatively balanced between the watch head and bracelet itself.
On my 7″ wrist, the watch fits beautifully. In true 70’s fashion, the watch feels elongated from one end of the wrist to the other, and from above almost looks like a sporty metal bracelet that has a cool watch head on it, instead of a watch that comes with a bracelet. Thi makes it wear just as much as a piece of jewelry as it does a watch itself, thus the nature of a sports watch. It fits comfortably and balanced, largely thanks to the significant bracelet taper, allowing freedom of movement of the wrist without any part of the watch digging into my skin.
Other Tissot PRX Models
The Tissot PRX comes in a few variations, and, likely thanks to the success of these models, more are already confirmed on the way.
Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 Variations
The PRX Powermatic 80 currently comes in a few different variations.
TISSOT PRX POWERMATIC 80 T137.407.11.051.00
This is the black dial variation of the PRX we’ve reviewed today. The dial color is the only difference.
TISSOT PRX POWERMATIC 80 T137.407.21.031.00
This version of the Powermatic 80 features a silver waffle dial and rose-gold hands and indices.
TISSOT PRX POWERMATIC 80 STEEL & 18K GOLD T931.407.41.291.00
This limited edition Powermatic features a brown sunburst dial and unique fluted bezel, similar to a Rolex Datejust. To be honest, I don’t think this version is a great value for the price given the precious metals used that raise the cost to $1,850 but it’s clearly not meant to be an affordable automatic piece, and I’ll certainly be passing on adding this one to my collection.
TISSOT PRX POWERMATIC 80 18K GOLD BEZEL T931.407.41.041.00
This variation features a unique fluted 18k gold bezel, hands, and hour markers. It also comes in at a much more expensive $1,850.
TISSOT PRX POWERMATIC 80 Green (Ref. T137.407.11.091.00)
One of the newest PRX Pwermatic 80 variations; the green emerald dial demonstrates that Tissot is willing to break apart from their initial lineup, and we may see a variety of newer colors to come.
Tissot PRX Quartz
Originally, the Tissot PRX was released as a quartz watch with a sunburst dial. The movement housed inside is a quartz EOL ETA F06.115. Because of the slightly thinner quartz movement, the overall thickness is a reduced 10.6mm, but all of the other dimensions are the same. Further, the dials have a sunburst effect instead of a waffle dial on the Powermatic.
Tissot PRX T137.410.11.031.00
The Tissot PRX T137.410.11.031.00 comes with a silver, brushed dial, and rose-gold hands and indices.
Tissot PRX T137.410.11.041.00
The Tissot PRX T137.410.11.041.00 comes with a blue sunburst dial.
Tissot PRX T137.410.11.051.00
The Tissot PRX T137.410.11.051.00 comes with a black sunburst dial.
Tissot PRX T137.410.16.041.0
The Tissot T137.410.16.041.00 features a blue sunburst dial but includes a blue leather, faux alligator strap, instead of the typical integrated stainless steel bracelet. The strap is fitted to the case and adds a unique element that few of the PRX variations have.
Tissot PRX Chronographs
Following the success of the initially released PRX models, Tissot is set to release a PRX Chronograph featuring a Valjoux-based movement.
Tissot PRX 35mm
Tissot has also introduced five new 35mm quartz PRX models, in various color options, including silver (with rose-gold hands and indices), blue, ice blue, and green dials, as well as an all-gold dial and case variation. Bling bling!
Conclusion
The Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 is a fantastic-looking sports watch with an impressive build quality, fit, and finish. It’s simply one of, if not the best sports watch with an integrated bracelet one can pick up for the price; only rivaled in value by the Tissot PRX quartz version. Personally, I’d take the $650 automatic PRX variation over the quartz model any day thanks to its impressive Powermatic 80 movement, and frankly, its well-executed waffle dial over that of the more typical sunburst dial quartz PRX. The Tissot PRX can be found here on Amazon.
How many links did you take off from each side?
I can’t recall exactly as it was quite a while ago, apologies.