Tissot has partnered with the NBA for more than 10 years now, and their relationship with point guard Damian Lillard is growing ever stronger. Their previous collaboration with the 40mm PRX Damian Lillard was a gold PVD PRX Powermatic 80 with personal touches on the dial. Personal, yes, but not an innovation in the PRX world. This one goes further: it’s bigger, hand-wound, and converts into a pocket watch, a big list that needs closer attention. The watch also shows deep connections to Lillard’s roots and to basketball itself, so if you’re not a basketball fan, what should you be looking for?
At 44mm x 11.2mm, this is the largest PRX to date. The steel case, water-resistant to 100m, carries a ‘Dame Time’ engraving on its flank, a reference to Lillard’s reputation for late-game shots. Speaking of which, the release of this watch has been timed to his return to the courts after an injury, so when Tissot says that ‘Dame Time is our time’, they really mean it. Outside of that, the size will really stand-out next to normal PRX watches in the line-up, with this being bigger than the chronograph PRX’s too.
The Bordeaux-burgundy ‘milk-crate pattern’ rubber strap looks sleek, and to the un-informed the pattern on the strap adds some texture to the look, and to the informed it adds a symbol of Lillard’s youth using milkcrates as makeshift hoops. You also have a leather Strap too. It’s a good combination of options for the integrated bracelet, and allows you to wear this watch sports watch as intended, but also remain appropriate in more formal settings.
The skeletonised dial with faceted indexes and super-luminova hands comes out clear, legible and well-detailed, with another reference to ‘Dame Time’ surrounding the small second hand, and with the hand itself being Damian’s monogram, representing ‘Dame D.O.L.L.A’, which is Damian’s Rap name.
The movement can be the centrepiece of Skeleton watches, and the next first, the decision to use a hand-wound pocket-watch movement helps show detail in the design, topped with Damien’s signature on the sapphire crystal caseback with an anti-reflective coating. The movement is based on the ETA 6497, a reputable movement. It’s a great way of making this edition stand-out from the PRX’s that have come before. Naturally, Tissot have used this movement, and a plethora of other watch makers have too, but with this PRX it adds a layer of ritual and aesthetic beauty for the owner: with a 52-hour power reserve, you’ll have the opportunity in your week to stop and take in the view.
The integrated rubber and leather strap are both furnished with quick release spring bars and a provided tool to transform this watch into the next PRX first – a pocket watch, with a leather case and chain. At Oracle Time, we’ve asked the question, and our result of that question was not really. but remember, this isn’t just a pocket watch. With the Tissot it gives you the choice, the ease of use of those quick release spring bars does mean that you will be able to change configuration with a little more ease. And with Swatch’s release of the Royal Pop, it keeps on trend too. I imagine plenty of people that invest in this watch will not wear it as a pocket watch, but that is the genius of their design, you don’t have to. So, basketball or not, this PRX is doing something special here.
The point-guard has spoken about his relationship with Tissot in a very positive light, saying that “Collaboration is a very powerful tool to grow” and given his ‘Dame Time’ reputation, where he points to his wrist after making significant shots, and this new edition being the biggest PRX, Tissot is in a great place to be the watch he points to.
As a non-basketball person, I first looked at this watch with a scepticism, that it’ll be a watch for people in the know of the NBA and of Lillard. But with its big size, dedicated pocket watch conversion and elegant construction, this watch really represents a new chapter in Tissot’s progression of their PRX. The models been back for five years, and this release inspires confidence in where Tissot will take their flagship in the next five years to come. Priced at £1,720.
Price and Specs:
More details at Tissot.
