We’ve all seen a watch online and instantly known we need it. We don’t waste a trip into a physical store or even skim the fine print of the returns guarantee; we just pop it in the basket and claim it as our own. That was me with the Tissot PRX 35mm.
A Quick Background on the Tissot PRX
The Tissot PRX is quite arguably this Swiss watch brand’s biggest success over recent years. The design originally made its debut in 1978 and like most watches from this time, it was powered by a quartz movement. It had a barrel-shaped case, mirror-polished bezel and a beautifully integrated bracelet. Its name denotes “P” for precise, “R” for robust and the “X” acts as the Roman numeral for ten to depict its 10 bar (100 metres) water resistance.
It was one of the most affordable integrated sports watches of its time, competing against more famous, but equally more expensive designs like the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and Patek Philippe Nautilus. Sadly, the Tissot PRX’s original shelf life fell short, and it was discounted just a few years after its launch. In hindsight, that seems hard to believe but as we know, the Tissot PRX’s time would come… just 40 years later.
In 2021, Tissot relaunched the PRX as a new collection and accurately embodied its 1970’s counterpart with the same barrel-shaped case, integrated bracelet and quartz movement. The cases arrived at a reasonable size of 40mm. A few months later, the design was released again, this time with their Powermatic 80 automatic movement inside. It became quickly evident that these watches, along with the arrival of many other integrated sports watches at this time, were going to be the next big “trend” for the industry. And as someone who enjoyed the aesthetic, I was very excited to see what else would come.
The Mint Green Dial
Tissot PRX 35mm Mint Green - Credit Guest Author
I already loved the look of the Tissot PRX 40mm, but sadly even with its slender case and ergonomic bracelet, it would have looked a little oversized for my wrist. Then in 2022, the Tissot PRX 35mm finally arrived, and my smaller wrist was overjoyed. I almost immediately went to purchase it, but then something stopped me. I saw the Tissot PRX 40mm with a bright turquoise green dial – also nicknamed the PRX “Mint”.
The mint-green sunburst dial was unlike any other dial colour I had seen at the time. And yes, I know that seems silly to say now with the abundance of pastel blue and mint green dials currently on the market, but back then, it looked really different and very beautiful. Sadly though, it was only on the 40mm model and I had a decision to make: do I get the PRX 35mm with a different dial, or be patient and hope the mint green eventually makes its way onto the smaller case? As you’ve probably guessed, I chose the latter.
When the announcement of the Tissot PRX 35mm Mint Green landed in my inbox a few months ago, it was hard for me to keep quiet about it, but I did, and after two months of waiting for delivery, I can now say I’m a proud owner of this watch. It’s safe to say I had some high expectations, so I guess the question is, did it live up to them?
Hands-on with the Tissot PRX 35mm Mint Green
Tissot PRX 35mm Mint Green - Credit Guest Author
This is one of those watches that has a lot of visual weight, and by that, I mean it stands out and people take notice. Of course, much of that is down to the dial colour. The photos Tissot have of the Mint Green model on their website don’t do it justice. Not even a little bit. It looks like a paleish mint green whereas in person, it’s incredibly bright and reminds me a lot of the explosive shade of turquoise famously patented by jewellery brand Tiffany – hence why some collectors have nicknamed this model the Tissot PRX “Tiffany”.
The dial has a lovely vertical brushed finish and is decorated with lots of slender, polished, silvered hardware for the indexes and hands. In fact, the latter is one of the features that surprised me most about this watch. The indexes are designed in a way that still utilises luminous inserts but with polished ends that reflect the light impressively, sparkling almost as if like diamonds.
The lume itself is also better than I expected. Sure, it’s not bright and in your face like you’d get on a dive watch, but I can effortlessly read the time when all the lights are out. The dial also has a slightly sloped chapter ring coloured in the same shade of mint green, a white-coloured date window at 3 o’clock and black printing for the Tissot and PRX logos.
Tissot PRX 35mm Mint Green - Credit Guest Author
Now for the case. The Tissot PRX 35mm Mint Green offers all the same specs as other 35mm quartz models in the collection. It sits wonderfully low on the wrist at 9.6mm tall – I always think anything under 10mm for a watch of this style is ideal – and maintains the iconic barrel-shaped case and perfectly round bezel. The majority of the case is brushed other than the bezel which is brightly polished. It’s a nice contrast in finishes and suits the genre of timepiece.
The shape of the case and the bracelet makes this watch very comfortable and easy to wear. It feels well-built and refined, and overly impressive for the price. The bracelet is brushed and with a reasonable amount of articulation. There is no articulation on the end links, however, but that’s barely noticeable when its strapped on. They point directly downwards, following the natural shape of the wrist.
Other features of the case worth mentioning include the solid screw down case back and non-screw in crown which promise a 100-metre water resistant rating. There’s also flat sapphire crystal glass which I can’t confirm has any anti-reflective coating included, but I’ve not experienced any issues with reflections so far.
Finally, a quick note on the movement. There’s not much to say here. It’s a standard Swiss quartz movement which delivers hours, minutes, seconds and date. A Powermatic 80 movement would be a nice upgrade, but sadly as of today, the Tissot PRX 35mm Mint Green is yet to be treated to an automatic winding calibre.
Conclusion
You can probably tell I love this watch. The Tissot PRX 35mm Mint Green has definitely lived up to my high expectations, bringing with it all the features of the original models with a striking turquoise green dial. It’s comfortable, even for those of us with slimmer wrists, and I’ve wore it these past two weeks with ease.
Its well-built with brilliant dial finishing and has all the 1970’s design inspiration we love. All this for just over £300 is very good going. Yes, it has a quartz movement, and I’d not disagree with any arguments that say the Powermatic 80 models are better. But for me, this is a watch I wear because of how it looks. I’m not focused on the movement inside when the exterior is 10/10.
