Introducing the Tissot PRX and new Tissot Ballade Chronometer Certified

2021 promises to be a very interesting year for Tissot, with the launch in the first months of the year of Tissot PRX and the “revamped” Ballade, two models that join the classic Gentleman and that promise to be interesting and budget alternatives to major brands from the market.

Tissot PRX

The Tissot PRX is one of the launches that most promises to make a statement in the near future, with an integrated bracelet in the style of the 70s and with a retro look that many already call as inspired by the Genta style, the father of the famous Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, Patek Philippe Nautilus and IWC Ingenieur.

The new PRX comes in three variants at the dial level, a black sunburst, a silver sunburst and a blue sunburst. While the black and silver variants are more classic options, the blue variant is sportier. On the dial we can also find slim hours indexes and baton hands all in silver with luminescence with the exception of the silver variant that comes with gilt accents, a date window at 3 o’clock and on the dial we can only find more discrete inscriptions, “Tissot 1853” at 12 0’clock, its model “PRX” at 6 o’clock and just in the bottom the usual “swiss made” and that is it a completely clean dial like the 70s.

In terms of the case, the Tissot PRX is 40mm in diameter and only 10.4 in thickness, although the brand announces that the lug-to-lug distance is fixed at 40mm, this distance is relatively greater and should be fixed at around 50mm because of the male end links and whose articulation of the bracelet is only possible from that point. The case features a brushed finish with polished bevelled edges along either side, a fine bezel that also comes with a polished finish, signed crown at 3 o’clock and it is a push-pull and not a screw crown, sapphire crystal at the front and a solid case back, the watch offers 100m of water resistance.

The watch is powered by a quartz movement, the ETA F06.115, and here is perhaps the most debatable point as it will take many who even like the watch to move away from this option, but the good news is that according to Tissot itself the PRX Automatic will really be a reality and should be available later this year around the summer, we suspect that the movement will be the reliable Powermatic 80, in the mirror of what is already happening with their classic models Gentleman and Ballade.

We now start to address what is one of its main features is the integrated bracelet, it is undoubtedly a beautiful bracelet with good construction and solid end links, which is aesthetically distant from previous versions of the PRX and so it is undoubted a big upgrade. It comes with a brushed finish to accompany the style of the watch case, however, we have to make two repairs that we believe can be improved, the first and which we have already talked about is the fact that the end links are fixed and that transforms the lug-to-lug distance for measurements around 50mm that can be an issue for small wrists and keep many fans away from this beautiful and interesting watch, the other point has to do with the butterfly clasp, which seems to be too wide (back to the problem small wrists) and that comes without micro adjusts, which today should be a must.

The watch will be available for around € 350 which is a real bargain considering that it is a Swiss brand full of history and proven quality, even though it’s quartz movement. We can’t do futurology, but even if PRX Automatic comes to double the price of PRX quartz, in terms of the market it will be the most competitive offer for a watch with an integrated bracelet, taking into account that it competes with brands like Frederique Constant with its Highlife model or Wempe with its model Iron Walker, starting at € 1850.

General Specifications:

Brand: Tissot

Model: PRX

Reference: T137.410.11.031.00 (silver dial), T137.410.11.041.00 (blue dial), T137.410.11.051.00 (black dial)

Dial: Silver, blue, black

Case Material: Stainless steel

Case Dimensions: 40 mm diameter, 10.40 mm thick

Crystal: Sapphire Glass

Case Back: Stainless steel

Caliber: ETA F06.115

Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date

Winding: Quartz EOL

Strap: Integrated bracelet

Price: € 350

Tissot Ballade Chronometer Certified

Tissot Ballade is another novelty, which now presents itself with Chronometer certified. But there are also many novelties at the level of variants, so the black and silver dial now joins two versions in two-tone gold.

As with the Gentleman model, this new Ballade appears as an alternative to models like the Rolex Datejust, as another of its novelties is that it now also presents new variants with fluted bezel.

At the level of the dial, as we have already mentioned, there are many novelties that go far beyond colours, all models except the steel silver dial, receive two variants at the dial level, a version with waffle dial which presents Arabic hour indexes at 6 and 12 o’clock and another variant with sunbrushed dial with Roman hour indexes at same positions of 6 and 12 o’clock, in addition, all models feature applied hour indexes, a date frame window at 3 o’clock and faceted dauphine hands all on the colour of the respective bezel. Finally, on the dial, we find differences in the inscriptions, at 12 o’clock all present the traditional “Tissot 1853” and at 6 o’clock in the models with waffle dial “Powermatic 80” followed by “Chronometer” and in the models with sunbrushed dial “Ballade” followed by two lines with “Officially Certified Chronometer”.

The case as already mentioned comes with several options, the steel variant and two steel variants with two-tone, one in rose gold PVD coating and the other in yellow gold PVD coating. The case comes with 41mm in diameter and only 9.6mm in thickness for variants that come with fluted bezel and 9.8 thick for variants that come with a turned bezel. Polished finish, a push-pull signed crown at 3 o’clock, and here we have to mention one more gem, on the two-tone models with turned bezel the crown also receives a gold PVD coating, sapphire crystal at front and back that allows observing the Powermatic 80 and the watch offers 50m of water resistance.

All variants come with a steel bracelet in the jubilee style, and the two-tone gold variants also feature gold PVD coating details. The variant with black dial and turned bezel is the only one of all variants that can be purchased alternatively with a black leather strap with butterfly clasp.

The Tissot Ballade is equipped with the automatic Powermatic 80 movement, which features a silicon balance spring and is now a chronometer-certified by COSC, the watch offers up to 80 hours of power reserve.

In terms of prices, steel versions should be available from € 925 and go up to € 1125 in two-tone steel versions.

General Specifications:

Brand: Tissot

Model: Ballade Powermatic 80 Silicium (fluted bezel), Ballade Powermatic 80 COSC (turned bezel)

Reference: T108.408.11.058.00 (steel and fluted bezel), T108.408.22.278.00 (steel/rose gold and fluted bezel), T108.408.22.278.01 (steel/yellow gold and fluted bezel), T108.408.16.057.00 (steel, turned bezel and  strap), T108.408.11.057.00 (steel and turned bezel), T108.408.22.037.01 (steel/rose gold and turned bezel), T108.408.22.037.00 (steel/yellow gold and turned bezel)

Dial: Black, silver

Case Material: 316L Stainless steel, 316L stainless steel with rose gold PVD coating, 316L stainless steel with yellow gold PVD coating

Case Dimensions: 41 mm diameter, 9.6 mm thick (fluted bezel) and 9.8 mm thick (turned bezel)

Crystal: Sapphire Glass

Case Back: Sapphire Glass

Caliber: Powermatic 80.811

Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date

Winding: Automatic

Frequency: 3 Hz (21,600 Vph)

Jewels: 25

Power Reserve: 80 Hours

Strap: Jubilee style bracelet, black leather strap (T108.408.16.057.00)

Price: € 925 (steel and fluted bezel), € 1,030 (steel/gold and fluted bezel), € 995 (steel and turned bezel), € 1,120 (steel/gold and turned bezel), € 955 (steel, turned bezel and  strap)

Chronometer Certified: COSC