As we have written more than a few times, it is difficult to find exciting watchmaking content that is also accessible. All too often, as novelty value increases, so too do price points – this is not unexpected given that watchmaking also operates on economies of scale. Take the forged carbon material, which was used exclusively by high-end watchmakers who charged a premium for it. The Tissot Sideral – subject of WOW’s cover story from exactly a year ago – changed all that in dramatic fashion. It turns out that this was not a one-off for the brand, as part of WOW’s Autumn Issue #74 cover story examines.
This year, instead of revisiting the history of material experimentation at Tissot, we thought we would check in once again with CEO Sylvain Dolla for his thoughts. As it happens, Dolla is now into his 20th year at Swatch Group – he originally worked on the Swatch Paparazzi watch – and is, by his own admission, a true watch afficionado. Prior to taking charge at Tissot, Dolla spent 15 productive years at Hamilton and we are tempted to lay the credit for that brand’s successes at his feet too. That kind of thinking is complicated by the fact that Swatch Group is, well, a group, meaning there is more than one chef responsible for any given dish.
The PRX that captivated us in 2021, and especially the automatic version that featured on the cover of the Autumn issue that year, might actually be called Dolla’s. This is because he discovered – or rediscovered – the original 1970s model that would inspire the PRX, as he has told a number of publications, including us, Time and Tide and WatchPro, most recently. It was most assuredly not a watch that emerged from a focus group, as Dolla memorably explained to Alexandre Lindz of WatchAdvisor.
Runaway Success
If you wonder what it is about the PRX that explains its commercial prowess, this probably goes some way to explain matters. Basically, a watch enthusiast discovered a hidden treasure in the archives of the brand he was leading and had a gut instinct about it. Sounds about right for a successful sports elegance watch in the 2020s.
This issue, despite the soloist on the cover, the story is really an ensemble performance, running the gamut from the PRX Forged Carbon piece to the PRX Grendizer, a couple of new dial variants and the PR516. That said, if this is news to you then perhaps you have not had the full introduction to the PRX itself. Well, at any rate, you may not have heard what we had to say about the collection.
If you are discovering the Tissot PRX for the first time here, you have missed out on one of the biggest stories in Swiss watchmaking in recent memory. The unassuming quartz version of this model, also called PRX, was so successful it sold out in several markets. In 2021, no less. A few years later, the collection has made its mark and leveled up a few times – it has become a sign of the times, in a way that Tissot could not have foreseen with the first watch. As we noted three years ago, that is not the original watch and there is interesting history here.
Colourful Ensemble
You can sum up what makes the PRX special in just one word: desirability. We recognised this in 2021 and we stand by it – retrofuturism is a powerful design force in watchmaking today, perhaps more so than ever before. Whether the 40mm time-only watch or the more diminutive 35mm follow-up; the quartz debutant or the automatic chronograph; and now the new colourful variants, at least one PRX seems to be on everyone’s to-buy list. Probably more than one, if we are being honest, and this is where the new dial options come in. There are six such watches (three 40mm automatic models, one automatic 35mm model, and two 35mm quartz PRX variants), with dials ranging from gradiant blue to brushed pink. See the pictures of the real watches accompanying this story for references, which work better than descriptions anyway.
To reiterate and reinforce what we wrote in 2021, by everyone’s to-buy list here, we actually mean the rare convergence between collectors and people looking for nice everyday watches. The proportions work out for daily wear, unless your wrist is very large, in which case the 13.5mm thick PRX Automatic Chronograph might work – do also see the PR516 manual-winder later in this story.
On the subject of lugs here, the integrated bracelet is important because how the watch wears depends entirely on it. The virtually non-existent lugs of this roughly barrel-shaped case ensure a great fit, even if you need it to fit under your sleeve. Exceptionally form-fitting sleeves will be a problem though, making the slimmer quartz model (as little as 9.6mm versus up to 11.2mm for the automatic) a more logical decision. The sapphire crystal is flat, top and bottom alike so the thickness measurement is accurate here. Now, this is a total watch design, as mentioned, and it has sporty connotations. Tissot recognises and references this directly in the name PRX, which stands for Precise, Robust and water-resistant to 100 meters (X means 10 bar, with bar being a gauge of pressure). All that aside, PRX is a pretty cool name.
Future Tense
Just as the PRX confronts us with a new view of Tissot, it also opens the door to entire chapters of the brand’s history that may have been neglected in recent years. Indeed, when Tissot began using automatic movements with the silicon balance springs that Swatch Group developed, we were tremendously excited. While these technically advanced mechanical components were, in 2018, still mainly in use at Omega, Blancpain and Breguet, we never thought that a balance spring should mark anything as high-end. After all, no one is going to see this, or recognise it even if they do see it. Yes, even the wearer. What mattered, and still matters, is the watch.
In 2018, this was the Tissot Ballade and it was a handsome watch that could have been yours for less than USD1,000. The market seemed more skeptical, especially given the necessary increase in prices. We were convinced there was interest in automatic watches from Tissot that went beyond the basic ETA variants. Bear in mind that Tissot makes gold wristwatches and pocket watches, and its history is marked by a desire to bring innovation to the largest possible group. This is the true starting line for the story of the Tissot PRX.
Now we get to the direct origins of the PRX in general. Tissot says the current model references a Seastar watch from 1978, but you might just as easily link it with the PR516 models from the early 1970s. To get the official perspective on the PRX and its place in Tissot’s history, we went directly to Dolla. “Since the PRX is a model originally released in 1978, our objective was to give a renewal to this piece that could suit today’s vintage craze. It shows Tissot’s desire to remain tied to its roots, while being able to adapt to current trends. Nowadays and more than ever, new challenges naturally drive new strategies, but it will never change our background and history nonetheless.”
PRX Grendizer
When news about the Tissot collaboration with the classic manga and anime UFO Robot Grendizer emerged, we could scarcely believe it. This is certainly a first for Tissot and marks possibly the first such collaboration between a Swiss watchmaker and the creators of a Japanese comic book, which is what manga is. We were so pumped for this that we were torn about not having it for the cover; the story here is very rich, but admittedly, for pure watchmaking content, the Forged Carbon model is the right choice. Nevertheless, since that watch gets its due elsewhere as well, we devote a bit of extra time to the Tissot PRX Grendizer.
Although this PRX Grendizer is just one model, it may yet herald more cross-cultural adventures for Tissot. The decision to go with the PRX model, an inherently 1970s proposition, and a manga popular in Switzerland in the 1970s is perhaps loaded with meaning. It probably had some impact on the childhood experiences of a number of high-ranking watch industry executives, the most famous and public of whom is, of course, Max Busser. In fact, it was the first MB&F watch that brought Grendizer into the headspace of editors because Busser began talking about how his childhood obsessions were feeding his creativity. Well, it turns out Dolla was a fan as a child too… More than 20 years later, a major force in Swiss watchmaking – part of the largest industrial group of watchmakers in the world – is embracing Grendizer just as a remake of the series, Grendizer U debuts.
On that note, the manga deserves a short introduction all its own. Created by the father-figure of the super robot genre, Go Nagai, the plot concerns an alien prince who flees the destruction of his world with his super robot called Grendizer. Finding shelter on earth, the prince and the robot he commands find themselves defending the world against the same enemy that laid waste to his home. In tribute, the dial also bears the original Japanese title of the series: UFOロボ グレンダイザー.
This is only the opinion of the editorial staff but Grendizer is a powerful symbol, even for those without any grounding in the world of the manga. The image of Grendizer, stamped onto the blue dial of the PRX UFO Robot Grendizer, is magnetic. You do not have to take our word for it – just look at it, and imagine it in low light, when the yellow SuperLuminova allows the bust of the robot to literally glow. In this situation, you will also notice that the hands and markers of the watch, also treated with Super-Luminova glow a different colour (blue). No doubt this was done for legibility reasons but it does provide the watch with a lively spirit, approaching a certain view of neon-drenched Tokyo. Finally, note that the second hand, with its Harken motif is not Super-Luminova treated.
PR516
The second and final watch we will get into is the PR516, which is a chronograph we have had awhile to consider since it debuted earlier this year. This is a significant chronograph by any measure, given that it is a manual-winder. We were speechless when we learned of this piece, which is unprecedented at Tissot – it also showcases the newly developed Valjoux A05.291 movement. Tissot says it is derived from the workhorse 7753 calibre that plenty of enthusiasts are familiar with. This move was so significant that Tissot sent out a technical press release for it, which itself is quite an event. For some context, remember that it is usually only the most traditional of watchmakers who make manual-winding chronographs, and they do so to honour the legacy of fine watchmaking.
Obviously, a manual-winder from Tissot was unexpected to say the least, and we will say that there is no meticulous hand-finishing to admire via the exhibition caseback. This is not the point though – what is interesting is that Tissot thinks there is an appetite for this sort of watch. On its website, Tissot makes a special place for chronographs, and the PR516 is the only one listed in the “mechanical” category. If an enthusiast finds this watch while looking for a PRX, for example, he will certainly be pleasantly surprised – it is always fun to watch a manual chronograph calibre in action, without the rotor to get in the way. At SGD 2,620, the PR516 offers a nigh unbeatable proposition from the value perspective too. It must be said here that Tissot is certainly leveraging the industrial capabilities of Swatch Group to offer a chronograph with up to 68 hours of power reserve and an antimagnetic escapement featuring precision laser regulation. Suffice to say that nothing like this exists at this price point.
Photography by ching@greenplasticsoldiers
Styling by Gregory Woo
This article first appeared on WOW’s Autumn Issue #74
For more on the latest in luxury watch reads from WOW, click here.