An Icon is Making its Comeback

This steel watch with an integrated bracelet is the heir of a model designed in the 70s.

Also belonging to that era, we find the legendary Royal Oak (1972), Nautilus (1976), Vacheron Constantin 222 (1977) and the Girard-Perregaux Graduate, which arose with the quartz movement.

Electronics and steel during that decade changed the face of Swiss watchmaking, which was in search of a new identity to counteract the dissemination of low-cost watches that were being produced in Japan.

Among the lesser-known originators of this revolution - which has created timepiece icons that are now firm favourites of the collector’s market – was a Tissot model, at the time called Seastar, which today has been re-issued by the Maison under the name of PRX (registered a few years later and intended for a similar but subsequent model).

Then as now, it was not a luxury watch, but the ideal heir to an era that nowadays is experiencing a huge revival. Characterised by a slim profile obtained thanks to the use of a quartz movement, the PRX boasted a water resistance of 10 atm, corresponding to 100 metres; hence the X in the initials, which is a ‘10’ in Roman numerals.

The 2021 version of that watch is the PRX 40 205, a contemporary interpretation of the original Seastar, which retains the original essential features, while updating the diameter, which today is of 40 mm, while the tonneau case and the smooth, thin and round bezel remain unchanged.

The movement is a Swiss-made quartz of high precision, but there is also an automatic version equipped with the Tissot Powermatic caliber with 80 hours of power reserve.

The Tissot PRX 40 205 Quartz remains recognisable by its reduced thickness, despite the use of a sturdy sapphire crystal. The watch retains a water resistance of 10 atmospheres, which classifies it as an impeccable sporty-chic watch, with a decidedly attractive price.

This timepiece is an excellent gateway to the kind of watchmaking that is dictating the style of the 2020s.

by Dody Giussani