Hands-on: Tissot PRX Quartz Chronograph – a lot of watch for the money

Tissot continues to develop its successful PRX family and this time it is about a chronograph with a quartz movement. We have taken a closer look at the blue version – a watch that above all impresses with a really successful dial and a price that is hard to argue against. 

Text & Photo: Andreas Johansson Weber

There is hardly any doubt that the PRX has been one of Tissot's most important launches in recent years. When the model was reintroduced in 2021, the Swiss manufacturer managed to hit exactly right with the combination of 1970s design, integrated bracelet and a price that made the model accessible to a broad audience.

Since then the family has grown considerably. Automatic models, smaller cases and chronographs have followed, and now Tissot takes yet another step with the PRX Quartz Chronograph.

On paper a quartz-driven chronograph may perhaps sound like the less exciting option in a world where enthusiasts happily talk about mechanical movements. On the wrist it is considerably harder to dismiss. For 5 795 kronor Tissot offers an unusually complete watch and above all a model that looks considerably more expensive than the price tag suggests.

A PRX you recognise immediately

The basic recipe is familiar. The case is made in 316L steel and measures 41 millimetres in diameter. The shape is typical PRX with the wide, integrated feeling between case and bracelet that has become perhaps the model family's foremost hallmark.

Despite the chronograph function, Tissot has managed to keep the thickness to 11,65 millimetres. That is important. Chronographs can quickly become both large and clumsy, but here the model retains much of the relatively slim profile that has made the PRX so popular.

On the wrist 41 millimetres feels sporty rather than oversized. The integrated bracelet naturally gives the watch a certain presence, but the proportions work well and above all the case sits nicely against the wrist.

The chronograph pushers are also well integrated into the case design. Instead of feeling like two components added afterwards, they follow the lines of the case and help preserve the PRX model's clean design language.

The dial is the great reward

It is however when you come to the dial that this version really starts to convince.

We have taken a closer look at the model with the blue dial, and it is without doubt one of the watch's foremost strengths. Tissot has chosen a vertically brushed finish that makes the blue colour change depending on the light. At certain angles the dial is relatively dark and discreet, while in direct light it gets considerably more life and depth.

It works particularly well together with the chronograph's round registers. The combination of the straight brushed lines and the circular counters creates a contrast that makes the dial considerably more interesting than you might perhaps expect in this price class. And precisely here we think Tissot has succeeded very well.

The PRX has always been a design-oriented watch, but the chronograph gives the model more character. The dial is considerably more complex than on the ordinary three-hand model without becoming messy. The applied indexes, the hands and the chronograph registers give several levels and details to discover as the light changes.

The date is placed at four o'clock and is perhaps the detail that will divide enthusiasts the most. Personally we could have lived without the date, but at the same time the placement disturbs the whole less in reality than in product photos.

Hands and indexes are fitted with Super-LumiNova, which means the sporty character is also backed up by functionality.

Quartz is actually entirely logical here

Inside the watch we find Tissot's G10.212 PowerDrive, a Swiss quartz movement with chronograph function. Here there is a central chronograph seconds, a 30-minute counter and the possibility to measure tenths of a second. The movement also offers ADD and SPLIT functions.

For anyone who is above all interested in mechanical movements this will naturally not be the most tempting part of the watch. But if you look at the PRX Quartz Chronograph as a whole, the choice is really quite logical. The quartz movement makes it possible for Tissot to offer a chronograph function, a relatively thin case and high precision while the price is kept down considerably. The result is also a watch that is very easy to live with. Put it on and go.

And perhaps that is exactly how this model should be seen. It does not try to be a cheap version of an advanced mechanical chronograph. Instead it is a good-looking, well-built and practical sports watch where the design gets to be at the centre.

The integrated bracelet is still a strength

A large part of the PRX model's success is of course about the bracelet. The wide integrated construction and the brushed surfaces catch the light in a way that contributes strongly to the feeling that the watch costs more than it actually does. It is still one of the PRX family's strongest cards.

The bracelet uses a butterfly clasp with push buttons and is also fitted with Tissot's quick-release system. That means it can be changed without tools, something that makes the model considerably more flexible for anyone who wants to vary the look.

The watch is equipped with sapphire crystal and offers 100 metres water resistance. Together with the quartz movement this makes the PRX Chronograph a fairly carefree everyday watch.

Hard to beat for 5 795 kronor

The most interesting thing about the new Tissot PRX Quartz Chronograph is in the end still the price.

5 795 kronor.

For that sum you get a Swiss-made chronograph in steel, sapphire crystal, 100 metres water resistance, an integrated steel bracelet and above all a design that feels thought through from case to dial.

That is a lot of watch for the money.

Sure, there are details you can discuss. 41 millimetres means it will not work on all wrists and the placement of the date window is not our favourite. Anyone who demands a mechanical movement will of course also move on to other parts of the PRX family.

But that is at the same time to miss a bit of the point.

The PRX Quartz Chronograph is above all about design, function and accessibility. And seen from that perspective it is very successful.

Above all the blue dial is really nice. It has enough structure and depth to feel special, while the watch still keeps the easy-wearing and fairly uncomplicated character that has made the PRX such a success. issot hardly needs to prove that the PRX concept works any more. The question is rather how far the brand can continue to develop it without losing the original model's identity.

The PRX Quartz Chronograph shows that there is still room left.

The chronograph function gives the model a sportier and more technical expression, but the basic design is still immediately recognisable. The blue vertically brushed dial is moreover really successful and is for us the big highlight. here are plenty of cheap quartz chronographs. There are also plenty of good-looking sports watches with an integrated bracelet. But getting design, finish, sapphire crystal, Swiss manufacture and an established name on the dial together in such a convincing package for under 6 000 kronor is considerably harder.

The Tissot PRX Quartz Chronograph is quite simply a very good-looking watch at a very good price and sometimes it actually does not have to be more complicated than that.

Facts – Tissot PRX Quartz Chronograph

Reference: T137.417.11.041.00
Case: Stainless steel, 316L
Diameter: 41 mm
Thickness: 11,65 mm
Crystal: Sapphire crystal
Movement: Tissot G10.212 PowerDrive Quartz Chronograph
Functions: Time, date, chronograph, 30-minute counter, 1/10 second, ADD and SPLIT
Water resistance: 100 metres
Bracelet: Integrated steel bracelet with quick-release
Weight: 151 grams
Price: 5 795 kronor