The Tissot PRX Powermatic 80

While you’re certainly aware of the fact that the sports watch with integrated bracelet is all the rage these days – with the classic icons of the genre being the most sought-after watches on the market – the genre, which started with almost exclusively high-end watches, is now enlarging with new contenders in the accessible luxury range. And one that made a lot of noise when released was the Tissot PRX Powermatic 80, a watch with a fair price, an ultra-cool design and a lot of mechanical pleasure under the hood. Today, we give this watch a second look with another of our video reviews.

The PRX is a reissue of a 1970s design by Tissot and the brand’s take on the popular luxury sports watch with an integrated bracelet. In 1978, Tissot launched a time-and-date quartz watch – batteries were popular back then – characterized by a slender barrel-shaped case, a prominent bezel, sharp facets and, most importantly, an integrated bracelet with large flat links that blended with the thin case. First unveiled under the name Seastar, Tissot later registered the name PRX, where P stands for Precise, R for Robust and the X, here a Roman numeral, refers to the 10 bars water-resistance.

In 2021, Tissot brought back this cool design in a new collection of accessible steel watches with integrated bracelets, first with quartz movements, and then with the automatic versions we are reviewing today. The new Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 is clearly surfing on the current trend for luxury sports watches with integrated bracelet, but in a segment, that of accessible luxury, that isn’t yet too crowded.

As such, the PRX features all the characteristic elements of the category: shaped case, brushed surfaces with polished facets, raised bezel, textured dial, a (relatively) thin case, a bracelet that is integrated into the overall design… And to be fair, the result is pretty satisfying.

Starting with the case, the barrel-shaped case features a flat top surface paired with a raised bezel. It is 40mm in diameter, 44mm lug-to-lug and 10.8mm in thickness. Overall, the proportions are pleasant and the watch is quite compact, wearing comfortably and ergonomically on the wrist. The case design, with a thin caseband, allows to make the watch looks much slender than it actually is. The case is precisely assembled, it feels solid and the execution of the brushed and polished surfaces are certainly neat. Last, the water resistance is a comfortable 100m.

The integrated bracelet extending the case is made of large links. Like the case, it features alternating brushed and polished finishes. Its thin links and flexibility makes for an ergonomic feel on the wrist. It is secured to the wrist by a triple folding clasp released by a pair of pushers. There is no fine adjustment, but this isn’t too bad knowing the price at which it retails.

Under the sapphire crystal, the Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 features a stamped waffle-like textured, named “raised honeycomb” motif by the brand. Very much in the vein of icons of the category, it is a point of differentiation with the quartz PRX that features a vertically brushed dial. The thin faceted hour markers and hands feature luminescent material and the date is displayed at 3. Three versions are available, black and blue for the steel models and silver for the steel/gold PVD version.

Visible through a see-through caseback, the automatic Tissot PRX is fitted with the calibre Powermatic 80. This automatic movement is an upgraded version of the tried-and-tested ETA 2824-2 that is made available only to Swatch Group brands, making for a great movement at this price point. In particular, the power reserve has been increased to 80 hours thanks to a reduced frequency of 3Hz and a reworked kinetic chain. Second, it features a Nivachron balance-spring, a material impervious to magnetism – which is known as one of the main issues on watches, specifically in our modern environments.

The Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 retails for EUR 650 for the black and blue dial versions and EUR 690 for the silver dial version with a gold-PVD bezel. As always with Tissot, it offers a lot for the money. The overall quality is above suspicion and almost unusual in this price range. For more details, check our video review or consult the brand’s website here.