Arguably the Best Affordable Sports Watch Just Got a Striking New Sibling

Tissot just launched a sleek and affordable follow-up to the wildly successful PRX line.

the case corner, crown and dial of a Tissot PRC 100 watch

Published March 7, 2025

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Tissot is admired as one of the best affordable watch brands on the plant.

Over the past decade, that reputation has grown primarily on the back of the PRX collection. The collection of affordable automatic steel sports watches and even more affordable quartz alternatives helped open up the luxury watch niche to a broad audience.

three tissot watches — The Tissot PRC 100 line is relaunching with three dial colors.

In a bid to repeat that success, Tissot is reviving the PRC 100 line from the early 2000s. The design, with a flat-sided oblong hexagonal case and a large dodecagonal fixed steel bezel, is more relevant than ever.

Where the new PRC 100 really shines, pun intended, is its innovative new solar-powered quartz movement, which negates a problem that has plagued solar watch designs from the beginning.

Compact and charming

Tissot has its finger firmly on the horological pulse because the new PRC 100 nails two of the biggest watch trends right now. Better still, it does so in a very affordable and approachable way, which is how Tissot tends to do things.

a silver dial steel watch with a brown leather strap — The Tissot PRC 100 comes on a steel bracelet or leather pin buckle strap.

Watch fans are prone to cliques and niches, but the industry and culture follow trends where certain preferences gain popularity. Right now, the small case camp and steel sports watch enthusiasts are dictating the conversation.

Large heritage watchmakers and microbrands alike are expanding their offerings with angular, geometric steel cases and integrated bracelets, while case sizes are creeping below the 40mm mark.

the crown and case side of a Tissot watch — The PRC 100 case is only 9.4-millimeters thick.

The PRC 100 has a flat-sided elongated hexagonal case with a curved top that is made more approachable with traditional lugs. It is comfortably compact with a 39-millimeter width and 9.4-millimeter height.

Similarly, the big dodecagonal fixed bezel is tempered by a classic dress watch dial with sword hands and applied baton hour markers.

the blank case back of a Tissot PRC 100 watch — The PRC 100 has a clean case back.

The stainless steel version has a uniform brushed finish. The steel sunburst dial reference completes the monochromatic look, while the navy sunburst dial reference has a fundamental dress watch appeal, which can be amplified with a brown leather strap

A matte DLC coating on the black version amplifies the modern sporty feel. It has a matching black dial and is offered on a DLC-coated black steel bracelet or a black leather pin buckle strap.

Seeing the light

The biggest problem watchmakers have faced when designing solar-powered quartz movements is how to expose the solar cells to light discretely.

a black dress watch — The solar cells are placed on the crystal with a barley-visible mesh.

Traditionally, this has been done with tricks like semi-transparent dials or dial sections and hiding photo-absorbent cells around the dial’s outer rim.

With the PRC 100, Tissot made the seemingly obvious but deceptively difficult move of absorbing light energy with the crystal, negating the need to alter the dial.

Photo-absorbent cells have only recently gotten small enough and efficient enough to apply this method affordably. The cells are made up of a nearly invisible mesh that is applied to the crystal and connected to the movement through the side of the case.

a steel Tissot watch with a blue dial — The blue dial version has a classic dress watch look.

The brilliant solar charging mechanism is only noticeable up close and practically invisible at arm’s length. This sleek, elegant and affordable modern steel sports watch will charge itself whenever you wear it.

Availability and pricing

Tissot’s PRC 100 is available now from Tissot and all authorized dealers.

The stainless steel finish is $495 with a steel bracelet and $459 with a pin buckle leather strap. The black DLC-coated steel is $550 with a steel bracelet and $475 with a pin buckle leather strap.

Tissot has announced that a 34-millimeter version will be released later in 2025. Considering how the PRX collection grew, more colors, finishes, and iterations of the PRC 100 are likely to arrive.

There may even eventually be an automatic version, just as with the PRX.