With 168 years of watchmaking to its name, Tissot has quite the archive to delve into when its design team is in search of inspiration. But for its latest piece, it has looked quite deliberately to the 1970s. Back then, the company made a watch called the PRX, which came on the kind of integrated bracelet that has become characteristic of the era. And it’s bringing that watch back. Because, right now, 1970s-style integrated bracelets are hotter than hell.
Launched in 1978, the PRX reached the market at the height of the quartz crisis that had thrown much of the Swiss watch industry into disarray. The watch itself ran on a quartz movement, making its engine no less cutting edge than its design. Not long after release, Tissot trademarked the “PRX” name. The PR stands for “Precise and Robust”, while the X is a reference to the “ten” atmospheres of pressure the watch could withstand underwater – equivalent to 100m water-resistance.
Tissot’s reissue has been given the reference PRX 40 205 and its three colour variants offer a “contemporary interpretation” of the original. The core idea remains unchanged: it’s quartz, it’s no-nonsense, it’s simple enough to go with anything – yet it still has a keen sense of style. Just look at it. It’s unarguably cool.
Tissot has made a few subtle tweaks for this new edition. The three luminescent hands have been stacked very tightly on top of one another, and the dial has been brought forward, very close to the glass, giving the visual effect of a watch that is slimmer than it really is. And if you have hang-ups about quartz, fear not: an automatic version is set to be released in the summer offering a generous 80-hour power reserve.
At 40mm across, with its date display and sunburst or brushed-steel dial options, the new PRX is an affordable yet credible way to tap into the current vogue for 1970s wristwear. And that’s not just about the bracelet – check out that super-1970s rose-gold-on-silver colour combo. But here’s a bet: you’ll be wearing it long after the trend dissipates.
£295. tissotwatches.com
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