Tissot PRX Gold Watch: A Compact, Sub-$500 Shot of Pure ’70s Glam

At this level within the ongoing ‘70s watch renaissance, you’ve most likely received a fairly good deal with on the main gamers—the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and Patek Philippe Nautilus, to call two notably era-defining examples—together with under-the-radar choices just like the Girard Perregaux Laureato and the Vacheron Constantin Historiques 222 (which additionally occurs to be one of many hottest “new” watches of 2022). With their chunky bezels and built-in bracelets, they completely encapsulate the last decade’s freewheeling power—however their grail standing additionally means you may anticipate to pay nicely above retail on the grey market. Don’t sweat it, although: if ‘70s vibes are very a lot your jam however you don’t have a mid-five-figure finances to blow in your subsequent timepiece, the Tissot PRX boasts all of the options that make the last decade’s watches cool, plus an ultra-affordable sticker value.

The PRX launched final yr as each a quartz and computerized, rapidly changing into one of the vital widespread fashions within the expansive Tissot lineup. For all of its deserves, keen-eyed watch nerds (hiya!) nonetheless managed to quibble over what the reboot didn’t embody: specifically, a smaller—and extra genuine—case measurement, and a full-gold PVD possibility (as a result of nothing says peak ‘70s glam like a gold-on-gold watch). Thankfully, the most recent model addresses each of these minor hang-ups, by way of a pitch-perfect tribute to swinging ‘70s design that also prices nicely beneath $500.

The brand new PRX options the entire particulars that made the preliminary reboot such successful—a clear, trendy dial, built-in bracelet, and quartz motion—however at 35mm throughout the case, it’s considerably extra compact than its 40mm counterpart. 40mm is likely to be normal for males’s watches at the moment, however again within the ‘70s a case of that measurement would’ve appeared unusually massive (the primary Royal Oak, which had a 37mm case, was nicknamed “The Jumbo” for that cause). 

That makes the brand new 35mm case a extra correct homage to the unique—to not point out a greater match for anybody with a smaller wrist. Then, in fact, there’s the brand new gold-on-gold case and bracelet, a mixture that’s as unmistakably ‘70s as velour bell bottoms and floppy bow ties, however a lot simpler to put on to the workplace—and all over the place else, too.