Tissot PRX: From the 1978 Original to the 2026 Skeleton

The Tissot PRX is a steel sports watch with a tonneau case, an integrated bracelet and a waffle dial, relaunched by Tissot in 2021 from a 1978 design. It started as a $375 quartz watch, gained an 80-hour Powermatic 80 automatic that year, and has since grown into dozens of references, from a 35mm automatic to a 44mm hand-wound skeleton tied to NBA player Damian Lillard. This page follows the model from 1978 to October 2026, covers the movements, sizes and prices, and ends with buying advice. Claims are labelled Confirmed (two or more sources agree), Reported (one source) or Uncertain (sources conflict or we could not verify). Tissot US prices were read on October 25, 2026 and pre-owned data on October 30, 2026; all are indicative.

Tissot PRX at a glance

Tissot PRX timeline

The 1978 original and the disputed name

The PRX is a revival, and its source is Tissot's late-1970s catalogue. Oracle of Time (September 2026) says that when Tissot introduced the watch that would become the PRX in 1978 it was a “quartz sports watch.” Gear Patrol (2021) agrees on the quartz point and adds that the slim, flat, angular case reflects an era when quartz watches were less than a decade old. Reported. Our own Tissot page cites Oracle of Time and Watchonista for the same 1978 origin and a first showing under the Seastar name.

The details are untidy. SJX (June 2023) ties the 35mm model to the Seastar ref. 40205, a three-hander from 1978, and says the 35mm size returns to the diameters of the 1960s and 1970s. Our Tissot page records that SJX contradicts itself on the original's diameter, and Monochrome (March 2021) calls the reference the PRX 40 205. Uncertain. We give no size for the 1978 watch. One retailer-blog history (Kapoor Watch) calls the 1978 Seastar an automatic in one paragraph and a quartz in its FAQ, and its dates drift between 1970 and 1978, so we do not rely on it for the original's movement.

The name is the least settled item. Kapoor Watch and Watchonista (as cited on our Tissot page) say “PR” means Precise and Robust and “X” is the Roman numeral 10 for 10 atmospheres, or 100 metres, of water resistance. Gear Patrol, Deployant, Worn & Wound, Monochrome and SJX do not explain the letters. Reported, Uncertain. Another expansion, “Precision Reliability 10 ATM,” appears in some sources and conflicts with the first; we could not trace either to Tissot, so we do not repeat one as fact. If you quote the name, say “reportedly.”

The 2021 relaunch

Worn & Wound reported the relaunch on February 2, 2021: a 40mm quartz PRX, 10.4mm thick, 100m water resistance, $375 at retail, released “last week.” Kapoor Watch gives the quartz movement as an ETA F06.115. The watch landed at a moment when Nautilus and Royal Oak prices were pulling collectors toward integrated-bracelet sports watches, and Monochrome (March 14, 2021) presented the PRX Powermatic 80 as an accessible alternative at EUR 650, calling it a reissue of a late-1970s design. Confirmed.

The automatic followed in mid-2021. Gear Patrol (June 27, 2021, updated August 25, 2022) priced the 40mm Powermatic 80 at $650, 10.9mm thick, 80-hour reserve, and praised the brushed-and-polished bracelet. It compared the look to the 1973 Royal Oak because of the integrated bracelet and waffle dial, though the reviewer saw more resemblance to the Rolex Oysterquartz. Deployant (September 14, 2021) reviewed it at S$950 and called it excellent value. Confirmed for the price and specification; the design comparisons are the reviewers' opinions.

Demand outran supply. Our Tissot page carries Oracle of Time's report that Tissot's CEO said the sales forecast had been far off and production had to be multiplied by 20, and that new references are now capped at 99 a year. We did not re-fetch that article for this page, so treat those figures as Reported. What we can say is that Watchonista reported a sellout of the first quartz batch and that the range has since multiplied into the dozens.

Movements: Powermatic 80, quartz and Valjoux

Most PRX confusion is really movement confusion. The core of the range uses three families.

Powermatic 80. SJX (June 2023) describes the PRX's Powermatic 80.111 as internally the ETA C07, based on the 2824-2 and modified by Tissot with a free-sprung balance, a Nivachron hairspring, 21,600 vph and an 80-hour power reserve. Gear Patrol and Deployant both state about 80 hours. Confirmed. Nivachron is described as anti-magnetic by SJX; we found no independent magnetic test.

Quartz. The base 40mm quartz uses an ETA F06.115 (Kapoor Watch, Reported). The 41mm quartz chronograph uses a G10.212, which Oracle of Time (September 15, 2026) describes as a PowerDrive with an end-of-life battery indicator and Gear Patrol as an ETA calibre. The PRX Digital uses a Swiss-made DGT-2040 with roughly four years of battery life under standard use, per Time+Tide. We did not confirm any Autoquartz PRX, which is Tissot's solar-kinetic hybrid line, so we make no claim about one.

Chronographs and the skeleton. The 42mm automatic chronograph, first seen in 2022, is on a 4Hz, 60-hour Valjoux-based movement that Kapoor Watch labels A05.H31 in one place and 7753 in another; our guide under $2,000 describes it as a modern take on the long-running 7750 family. The Lillard Skeleton is hand-wound and, per Monochrome and Luxe Digital, based on the ETA Unitas 6497 at 18,800 vph. For what each movement means in practice, see our Tissot history for the Powermatic 80 background.

How the range grew, 2022 to 2026

The range grew in steps, and the order is easy to get wrong because some sources blur it.

2022. Monochrome (January 17, 2022) covered a 40mm steel PRX with a fluted bezel of solid 18k rose gold, EUR 1,950 including taxes or USD 1,850 excluding tax, against EUR 650 for the all-steel watch. Retailers call the case 316L steel with an 18k gold bezel, so it is not a solid-gold watch. Later in 2022 the 42mm automatic PRX Chronograph arrived at $2,150 in the US and S$2,550 in Singapore; Gear Patrol (September 17, 2026) still lists it at $2,150, 14.54mm thick.

2023. SJX (June 22, 2023) reported the 35mm Powermatic 80 at $695 for blue, black or green and $750 for mother-of-pearl, 10.93mm thick, with a quick-change system for a rubber strap sold separately. It had previously been quartz-only at 35mm. Time+Tide (September 2023) covered the PRX Digital at 35mm and 40mm, both 10.9mm thick, $375 in steel and $450 in yellow-gold PVD at launch, inspired by a 1977 Tissot digital watch. Gear Patrol later reported steel Digital models marked down from $399, so check the current price.

2024 to 2026. Kapoor Watch lists a 40mm gold-PVD Damian Lillard Special Edition and a Grendizer anime edition in 2024 (Reported; we did not confirm the Grendizer's specification). In September 2026 Tissot added a 41mm quartz chronograph at $525 in blue, black or silver dials (Gear Patrol, September 17, 2026; Oracle of Time gives GBP 430). Gear Patrol called the lack of a quartz chronograph an obvious hole in the lineup. We searched for a PRX GMT and found none, so we make no claim about one. For the 2026 skeleton, see the next section.

The Damian Lillard PRX Skeleton

The most recent PRX is the PRX Skeleton Damian Lillard Special Edition, launched October 21, 2026, timed to the Portland Trail Blazers' season opener. Luxe Digital and Monochrome agree on the core facts: 44mm stainless steel, skeletonised dial, hand-wound movement based on the ETA Unitas 6497 at 18,800 vph, 100m water resistance, two burgundy straps (rubber and leather) with quick-release, and a conversion set that turns it into a pocket watch. It is the first skeletonised PRX, the first hand-wound PRX and the largest. Confirmed. Our news page has the full story.

Two details are soft. First, the price. Monochrome reports CHF 1,735 or EUR 1,895; Hypebeast reports $2,075 in the US, and Tissot's regional pages list EUR 1,895 and GBP 1,720. Our own earlier pages attribute $2,075 to aBlogtoWatch and Tissot's US page, but in this pass we found it only in Hypebeast, and Tissot's French page did not state a price. We treat $2,075 as Reported. Second, the power reserve. Luxe Digital gives 46 hours; a reading of Tissot's own site during our research showed 52 hours, which we could not re-verify; Tissot's French news page did not state it when we checked; and aBlogtoWatch says Tissot is vague about the movement. Uncertain: treat 46 hours as the figure to plan around.

It is not a limited edition per Luxe Digital, and neither Tissot's page nor the other sources we read give a production number. Luxe Digital says Lillard has been a Tissot ambassador since 2021, and the earlier Lillard edition was the 40mm gold-PVD Powermatic 80. A hand-wound, skeletonised 44mm is a very different watch from the 35mm automatic. It sits near $2,000, which is where the PRX Chronograph sits too.

The integrated-bracelet context and the alternatives

The PRX's look belongs to the 1970s integrated-bracelet family, and its buyers mostly arrived because Nautilus and Royal Oak money was out of reach. Gear Patrol compared it to the Royal Oak and the Rolex Oysterquartz; Monochrome framed it as a follow-on to the Royal Oak and Nautilus success. Neither source credits Gérald Genta with the PRX, and we do not either: the Genta link belongs to the Nautilus and Royal Oak, covered in our Nautilus versus Royal Oak comparison. A reader comment on Monochrome mentions an IWC Ingenieur as a Genta-designed integrated-bracelet watch, which we classify as Community.

Monochrome's March 2021 buying guide of accessible 1970s-style integrated-bracelet watches is the best snapshot of the PRX's neighbours. It listed the Batavi Architect Copper (about EUR 400), the Citizen Series 8 870 Mechanical ($2,000), the Frederique Constant Highlife Automatic COSC (from EUR 1,695), the Maurice Lacroix Aikon Automatic (from EUR 1,690), the Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 (EUR 650) and the Tudor Royal Date-Day 41mm (EUR 2,190). Those are 2021 euro prices from one article, so check current figures. Our own Tudor Royal page covers the Tudor.

If you like the idea of a Swiss or Japanese everyday steel watch but not the integrated shape, the same budget can buy a Seiko 5 Sports or a Hamilton Khaki Field. Our best watches under $1,000 and under $500 guides cover the PRX against them. We found no Hamilton or Longines integrated-bracelet model to compare directly, so we do not force one. For the other side of the cheap-Royal-Oak story, see our AP x Swatch Royal Pop story.

Tissot PRX models and indicative US prices

Buying a Tissot PRX: quartz or automatic, new or pre-owned

Quartz or Powermatic 80? The quartz is the cheaper way into the design, and the shape, dial and bracelet are the same. The automatic adds an 80-hour reserve and a movement you can see through the caseback (Deployant describes an exhibition caseback on the Powermatic). Both Gear Patrol and Deployant rated the automatic at its 2021 price as a strong value, though the reviewer at Gear Patrol wished it were thinner, at 38mm with narrower lugs, and noted the 0.5mm thickness penalty over the quartz.

Which size? The 40mm is the original; the 35mm, per SJX, returns to older diameters and suits smaller wrists, and it costs about $795 against $850 to $950 for the 40mm on Tissot's US pages on October 25, 2026. Check reference numbers rather than names, because the range is large and Tissot's own page listed dozens of PRX references.

Bracelet. The integrated bracelet is the watch. Gear Patrol praised the finish and taper but, in 2021, found that the quick-release bracelet generally would not fit standard aftermarket straps and that no official straps were then offered. SJX says the 35mm has a quick-change system for a rubber strap sold separately, so confirm what comes in the box and what can be added for the exact reference before you buy.

Pre-owned. Loupe's PRX Powermatic 80 40mm page, generated October 30, 2026, showed a market range of $240 to $246 with 11 active listings across six references, but only two references had a value, so the sample is thin. Other pre-owned listings we saw in a search, on WatchPatrol, were roughly $399 to $565, and one retailer listed a new 40mm at $725 against $850 at others. Those figures are undated and conflict with Loupe, so read them as a rough range of about $240 to $565 and compare sold prices yourself. Because the new price is only about $850, a used watch has to be much cheaper than that to be worth the lost warranty. For wider market context, see our secondary market report.

Will it appreciate? We found no evidence it will. The 2021 sellout was a launch effect, and Loupe's October 2026 numbers show used prices well below list. Buy it for the design and a Swiss movement at under $1,000, and see our best watches under $2,000 guide if the chronograph is your target. The PRX is also the model Tissot's largest-brand story hangs on; our Tissot history tells that wider story.

Myths and mix-ups, corrected

• “The PRX is a brand-new 2021 design.” The relaunch is from 2021, but Tissot, Oracle of Time, Gear Patrol and Worn & Wound all trace it to a late-1970s watch. The original was a quartz sports watch.
• “PRX stands for Precise and Robust, and that is official.” Some sources say so, others give no meaning at all, and a competing expansion circulates. We treat it as reported, not confirmed.
• “The 2022 PRX Chronograph is quartz.” The first chronograph, in 2022, is a 42mm automatic at $2,150. A 41mm quartz chronograph at $525 arrived in September 2026.
• “The gold-bezel PRX is solid gold.” Monochrome and retailers describe a steel case with an 18k rose gold fluted bezel, not a solid gold watch.
• “The PRX was designed by Gérald Genta.” None of the sources we read says so. The Genta link belongs to the Nautilus and Royal Oak it is often compared with.
• “The Lillard Skeleton is limited.” Luxe Digital says it is not a limited edition, and no source we read gives a production number.

Sources

Retrieved between October 25 and October 30, 2026: Worn & Wound (February 2, 2021); Gear Patrol (June 27, 2021; September 17, 2026); Deployant (September 14, 2021); Monochrome (March 14, 2021; January 17, 2022; October 2026); SJX (June 22, 2023); Time+Tide (September 2023); Oracle of Time (September 15, 2026); Luxe Digital; Hypebeast; Kapoor Watch; Loupe; WatchPatrol listings; Tissot US pages as recorded on our Tissot history. Several primary pages, including Tissot's US PRX page, Hodinkee, Fratello and aBlogtoWatch product pages, did not load for us, and WatchTime was not fetched. Prices are indicative, change often and are in US dollars unless a source's currency is shown; Swiss-franc, euro, sterling and Singapore-dollar figures are reported as given and were not converted. Some facts about the 1978 original rest on a small number of secondary sources, as noted.

Frequently Asked Questions

When did the Tissot PRX come out?

The current PRX launched in early 2021 as a 40mm quartz watch at $375, per Worn & Wound, with the 40mm Powermatic 80 automatic following in mid-2021 at $650, per Gear Patrol. It revives a late-1970s Tissot design.

What does PRX stand for?

It is reportedly Precise and Robust, with X for the Roman numeral 10 or 10 atmospheres of water resistance, per Kapoor Watch and Watchonista. Several other sources give no meaning, so treat it as unconfirmed.

How much does a Tissot PRX cost?

On Tissot's US pages, the 40mm quartz was $450 (November 4, 2026), the 40mm Powermatic 80 $850 to $950 (October 25, 2026; some US retailers list it at $675 to $725), the 35mm automatic $795 and the 42mm automatic chronograph $2,150. A 41mm quartz chronograph was $525 in September 2026. Prices change.

What movement is in the PRX Powermatic 80?

Powermatic 80.111, an ETA C07-based automatic derived from the 2824-2, with an 80-hour reserve, 21,600 vph and a Nivachron hairspring, per SJX.

Is the Tissot PRX a Royal Oak or Nautilus copy?

Reviewers compare its integrated bracelet and waffle dial to the Royal Oak, and Monochrome framed it as an affordable alternative to those icons. It is a different watch with its own 1970s Tissot origin, and no source we read credits Genta with it.

Is the Tissot PRX worth buying pre-owned?

Loupe showed 40mm Powermatic 80 values of $240 to $246 on October 30, 2026, and other listings ran higher. With new prices near $850, compare sold prices and condition before buying used.

What is the PRX Skeleton Damian Lillard?

A 44mm hand-wound PRX launched October 21, 2026, with a skeletonised dial, an ETA Unitas 6497-based movement and a pocket-watch conversion set. It was reported at CHF 1,735 or EUR 1,895, and $2,075 in the US.

Is there a Tissot PRX GMT?

We searched and found no PRX GMT, so we cannot confirm one exists. Check Tissot's site for the current catalogue.

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