The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Tissot CEO Sylvain Dolla says the PRX sold 20 times the company’s initial forecast after an eight-month development and launch effort. In a March 2025 interview, he also explained how the PRC 100 Solar uses Lightmaster technology, which places photovoltaic cells beneath the sapphire crystal, and outlined his strategy for focusing Tissot’s broad collection. These sales and performance figures are Dolla’s statements, not independently audited or tested results.
What Dolla says changed at Tissot
Dolla became Tissot’s CEO in 2020 after leading Hamilton. In an interview published by Monochrome Watches on 7 March 2025, he described his initial approach as learning the company and respecting its heritage rather than arriving with a plan to overhaul it. He said the pandemic gave the team time to study customers and refocus the collection.
Fewer new references, with a generalist range
Dolla said Tissot set a limit of 99 new references a year, down from 150, to give the team more time to refine products and support launches. The aim was focus, not a retreat from being a generalist watchmaker: he described Tissot as serving classic and sports-watch customers, women and men, and offering pocket and connected watches. The collection is organized into Sport and Classic; he placed the PRX in contemporary Classic.
He said Tissot’s marketing focus was “The Young and Ambitious.” Alongside collection work, he cited digitalization, e-commerce and merchandising as areas of attention.
#1 Best Overall
- Case Size: 40.00 millimeter; Band Width: 12 millimeter; Case Thickness: 10.40 millimeter
- Swiss quartz movement, 316L stainless steel case, Index dial type, date
- Stainless steel bracelet, butterfly clasp with push-buttons closure
- Water-resistant up to a pressure of 10 bar (100 meter / 330 feet): Suitable for short periods of recreational swimming and showering, but no diving or snorkeling.
Why the PRX succeeded, according to Dolla
Dolla traced the PRX launch to a review of an earlier design. A product manager had already started construction work; Dolla said he asked the team to launch in six months, and it took eight. He reported that “Sales ended up being 20 times the initial forecast.” He also said boutique teams saw very young customers buying the watch, while collectors responded to it as well.
In Dolla’s words, “The PRX has been instrumental in rejuvenating the brand.” The account explains the strategic role he assigns to the model: it brought a past design into a contemporary collection and helped Tissot connect with younger buyers without abandoning its broader range. The 20-times-forecast figure is his account in the interview; no audited sales dataset is provided there.
Rank #2
- Case Size: 40.00 mm, Band Width: 12, Case Thickness: 10.93 mm
- Automatic movement, 316L stainless steel case, Index dial type, Date
- Stainless steel strap/bracelet, interchangeable quick release bracelet,butterfly clasp with push-buttons closure
- Water-resistant up to a pressure of 10 bar (100 m / 330 ft)
- 2 Year International Warranty
What Lightmaster Solar Technology does
Dolla called the PRC 100 Solar the first analog quartz watch equipped with Tissot’s Lightmaster Solar Technology. Tissot’s first solar watches date to 2014, he said. He described work with CSEM in Neuchâtel and investment in production facilities in La Chaux-de-Fonds.
The key design choice is where the photovoltaic cells sit. Rather than using a conventional visibly exposed solar panel on the dial, microscopic cells with a honeycomb pattern are integrated beneath the sapphire crystal. A Fratello product report published in July 2025 says the thin cells channel harvested light through a connector to an ETA F06.615-based quartz movement, with surplus energy stored in a rechargeable accumulator.
Rank #3
- Case Size: 40.00 mm, Band Width: 12 mm, Case Thickness: 10.40 mm
- Swiss quartz movement, 316L stainless steel case, Index dial type, Date
- Stainless steel bracelet, butterfly clasp with push-buttons closure
- Water-resistant up to a pressure of 10 bar (100 m / 330 ft): suitable for short periods of recreational swimming and showering, but no diving or snorkeling.
Charging and autonomy: what Tissot claims
Dolla said a full charge provides 14 months of autonomy. He also stated: “By exposing your PRC 100 to just 10 minutes of artificial light or 1 minute of full sunlight, you get 24 hours of battery life.” Fratello’s July 2025 report likewise describes up to 24 hours of power from ten minutes of daylight. These are Tissot performance claims reported by the named sources, not results of an independent charging test.
In practical terms, Lightmaster is intended to turn light reaching the cells beneath the crystal into stored energy for the quartz watch. The figures describe claimed charging and reserve conditions; they do not establish how quickly a particular watch will charge under every indoor light, sunlight angle or wearing pattern.
Rank #4
- Case Size: 38.00 mm, Band Width: 25mm, Case Thickness: 10.98 mm
- Automatic movement, leather strap, Index dial type, Date
- Water-resistant up to a pressure of 10 bar (100 m / 300 ft): suitable for short periods of recreational swimming and showering, but no diving or snorkeling.
PRC 100 Solar 39 mm: reported specifications and variants
Fratello’s July 2025 report describes a 39 mm PRC 100 Solar Quartz with a 9.22 mm-thick case, sapphire crystal, date, End of Energy indicator and 10 bar (100 m) water resistance. Its listed movement is based on ETA F06.615. The report lists these configurations and publication-era euro prices:
| Reported configuration | Reference listed | 2025 report price |
|---|---|---|
| Silver dial, leather strap | T151.422.16.031.00 | €445 |
| Black PVD, leather strap | T151.422.36.051.00 | €475 |
| Blue dial, steel bracelet | T151.422.11.041.00 | €495 |
| Silver dial, steel bracelet | T151.422.11.031.00 | €495 |
| Black PVD, steel bracelet | T151.422.33.051.00 | €545 |
The figures are prices reported in euros in July 2025, not current offers. Catalogue details, references, sizes and availability can vary by market and may change; the report establishes the 39 mm configurations it covered, not the current range everywhere.
Best Value
- Case Size: 40.00 mm, Band Width: 12, Case Thickness: 10.40 mm
- Quartz movement, 316L stainless steel case with yellow gold PVD coating, Index dial type, Date
- Stainless steel strap/bracelet, butterfly clasp with push-buttons closure
- Water-resistant up to a pressure of 10 bar (100 m / 330 ft): suitable for short periods of recreational swimming and showering, but no diving or snorkeling.
- 2 Year International Warranty
What the interview says about Tissot’s reach
Dolla said in March 2025 that Tissot had 11,000 wholesale points of sale across 160 markets. He also put corporate e-commerce at about 10% of turnover and Tissot boutiques at another 10%, referring to 240 boutiques. These are company figures he gave at interview time, not current audited channel data. On sustainability, he said Tissot’s building solar-panel installation had generated 105.25 MWh and saved about 50 tonnes of CO2; that, too, is his statement rather than an independently verified measurement in the interview.
How the PRC 100 fits beside the PRX
The PRX and PRC 100 Solar illustrate different parts of the strategy Dolla described: a revived design that became a prominent contemporary-classic watch, and a solar quartz model presenting a less visible way to collect light. In later reporting by Time+Tide, Dolla said the PRC 100 ranked third or fourth behind the PRX in sales data from many stores. He also described an ambition for solar watches to account for 20–30% of sales. The ranking is a qualitative observation he reported, and the percentage is an ambition—not an achieved sales share or a published audited ranking.
The available accounts support a description of Tissot’s stated strategy and the PRC 100’s reported design and specifications. They do not provide a controlled comparison establishing that the PRC 100 Solar is better than other solar watches, nor do they establish current prices or inventory.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
