Tissot PRX Quartz Chronograph: The PRX Chronograph Gets Seriously More Affordable
The Tissot PRX has become one of the biggest success stories in modern Swiss watchmaking, and now the collection is getting another complication. Meet the new Tissot PRX Quartz Chronograph, arriving in three new colourways and offering the familiar integrated-bracelet sports-watch design with a quartz-powered chronograph.
And while this isn't the first PRX Chronograph – that honour belongs to the considerably more expensive PRX Automatic Chronograph – the new quartz version changes the proposition considerably. With a UK price of £430, Tissot has effectively taken the PRX Chronograph and made it accessible to a much wider audience.
The PRX, With More Going On
The basic recipe remains unchanged. The new PRX Chronograph uses the familiar tonneau-shaped stainless-steel case and integrated bracelet that have made the PRX such a hit since its modern revival in 2021. The case measures 41mm across and 11.65mm thick, giving the chronograph a surprisingly restrained profile considering everything going on underneath the dial.
The most obvious change is, naturally, the addition of a pair of chronograph pushers. Tissot has kept them long and relatively slim, allowing them to follow the lines of the case rather than disrupting the distinctive PRX silhouette.
It's a nice piece of design work because, from a distance, the watch still looks unmistakably like a PRX. Up close, however, the three-register dial and chronograph pushers give it a considerably sportier personality.
There's also a sapphire crystal, 100 metres of water resistance and the familiar integrated stainless-steel bracelet with butterfly clasp, making this very much a watch designed for everyday wear rather than a delicate dress chronograph.
Three New Looks
Tissot has launched the new PRX Quartz Chronograph in three colourways, each giving the same basic design a slightly different personality.
The first is the silver dial, reference T137.417.11.031.00, which combines a vertically brushed silver surface with rose-gold-coloured hands and indexes. It's easily the most refined-looking version of the three and perhaps the closest in spirit to the more luxurious side of the PRX collection.
Then there's blue, reference T137.417.11.041.00. Given how closely blue has become associated with the PRX, this feels like the obvious choice. The vertically brushed finish adds some much-needed texture to what is otherwise quite a busy dial, with the colour changing as it catches the light.
Finally, there's black, reference T137.417.11.051.00. This is probably the sportiest-looking option, with nickelled indexes contrasting against the dark dial and the three chronograph counters standing out more clearly.
All three have the same basic layout, with three circular counters, a date window at 4 o'clock and Super-LumiNova on the hands and indexes.
Quartz Makes the Difference
Underneath the dial is Tissot's G10.212 Quartz Chronograph PowerDrive movement.
It offers a central chronograph seconds hand alongside 30-minute and 1/10-second counters, as well as ADD and SPLIT functions. There's also an end-of-life battery indicator, which is exactly the sort of practical feature you'd expect from a quartz movement designed to be worn rather than admired from a display cabinet.
And that's really where this watch differs from its bigger sibling.
The PRX Automatic Chronograph uses a mechanical Valjoux movement and was designed as the enthusiast's version of the PRX chrono. It measures 42mm across and 14.5mm thick, and its mechanical movement gives it the added appeal – and price – associated with an automatic chronograph. Oracle Time previously listed the Automatic Chronograph at £1,620, while Tissot's newer pricing and collection changes have moved the PRX range around since then.
The Quartz Chronograph is a completely different proposition. At £430, it costs a fraction of the automatic model.
The Accessible PRX Chronograph
That's arguably the most interesting thing about this release.
There is often a tendency to regard quartz watches as the less desirable option, particularly when compared with an automatic mechanical alternative. But in this case, the quartz movement is what allows Tissot to offer the PRX Chronograph at a price that is genuinely accessible.
For someone who wants the design of the PRX Automatic Chronograph but doesn't want to spend well over £1,000, the new model suddenly makes a lot of sense.
It's also worth remembering that the standard PRX has always existed in both quartz and automatic forms. Tissot isn't trying to replace mechanical watches with this model; it's simply extending the same formula to another part of the market.
And £430 is particularly interesting when you consider what you're getting. There's a Swiss quartz chronograph movement, sapphire crystal, 100m water resistance, a stainless-steel integrated bracelet and one of the most recognisable modern sports-watch designs around.
That's a lot of watch for the money.
A More Wearable Chronograph?
The smaller dimensions also make the new Quartz Chronograph an interesting alternative to the existing automatic version.
At 41mm and 11.65mm thick, it loses a little of the considerable wrist presence of the 42mm, 14.5mm-thick Automatic Chronograph. That might make it a more comfortable everyday option for anyone who finds the mechanical version a little too substantial.
The trade-off, of course, is the absence of a mechanical movement and the visual appeal of seeing the automatic chronograph calibre through the caseback.
But that's not really what this watch is trying to offer.
This is about getting the PRX design, the chronograph functionality and the integrated-bracelet sports-watch aesthetic into a much more accessible package.
Specifications
Model: Tissot PRX Quartz Chronograph
References: T137.417.11.031.00 / T137.417.11.041.00 / T137.417.11.051.00
Case: 316L stainless steel
Diameter: 41mm
Thickness: 11.65mm
Crystal: Scratch-resistant sapphire
Water resistance: 100m
Movement: Tissot G10.212 Quartz Chronograph PowerDrive
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date and chronograph
Chronograph: 60-second, 30-minute and 1/10-second counters
Additional functions: ADD and SPLIT
Dial colours: Silver, blue and black
Lume: Super-LumiNova
Bracelet: Integrated stainless steel
Clasp: Butterfly clasp with push-buttons
Price: £430
Winding Things Up
The PRX Quartz Chronograph is an interesting addition to the collection because it doesn't attempt to compete directly with the Automatic Chronograph. Instead, it takes the same basic idea and strips away the expensive mechanical component to create something considerably more accessible.
That makes the £430 price tag the real headline here. The existing PRX Automatic Chronograph remains the enthusiast's choice, with its larger case and mechanical Valjoux movement, but the new Quartz Chronograph offers most of the visual appeal and functionality for a fraction of the price.
And frankly, that's probably exactly what the PRX collection needs.
With silver, blue and black versions available from launch, there's plenty of choice too. The silver and rose-gold combination is the more refined option, blue is the obvious PRX classic, while black gives the watch a sportier edge.
The PRX has already proved that Tissot knows how to make an accessible integrated-bracelet sports watch. Now, with the new Quartz Chronograph, it has arguably created one of the most affordable ways into the increasingly popular integrated-bracelet chronograph category.
