The successful design of the Mathey-Tissot Zoltan is taken from Tissot's best-selling model PRX. At the same time, Zoltan beats Tissot in price and is well made. As a result, they will be a good choice for an everyday or only watch (unless, of course, you don’t mind the design point).
Mathey-Tissot is a 140-year-old Swiss company that is not related to “just Tissot”. Its proud history includes parts supply for JLC, a partnership with Breguet, and personal commissions for Elvis Presley. However, during the quartz crisis it went bankrupt and was resold several times until the next owner revived Mathey-Tissot as a Swiss manufacturer.
The Mathey-Tissot line includes both original models and hommage of more expensive watches - for example, Rolex and Tudor. And we have something delightfully ironic in our review: a clear hommage of the TISSOT bestseller called Mathey-TISSOT.
So, Mathey-Tissot Zoltan borrowed the design of the case, bracelet and dial from the Tissot PRX, but they cannot be called a complete copy, and they have their own advantages.
AP, VC and PRX: associations with Zoltan
In 1972, Audemars Piguet introduced the Royal Oak model, thereby creating a new class of watches - luxury sport. Following the AP RO, other similar models appeared: PP Nautilus, VC 222 (their successor is better known - the Overseas model) and others.
Tissot also burst into this celebration of life, in 1978 offering its own model with an integrated bracelet - of course, much cheaper than AP and PP. The model was called PRX: “Précise (precise), Robuste (robust), X atmospheres (i.e. WR 100 m).” Here they are (photo by Monochrome Watches):
Trying on the Mathey-Tissot Zoltan
In the hands of Zoltan they make a good impression. Oval applied markers are truly a decoration of the dial, along with a pattern of voluminous squares.
An interesting point is connected with the pattern: it is this pattern that visually distinguishes mechanical Tissot PRX from quartz ones. In the following photo (from Watch Insanity) the quartz PRX is on the left and the mechanical PRX is on the right:
Zoltan's pencil hands are neat, but simple - flat. The long seconds hand has an intricate logo-shaped counterweight. The markings and the location of the marks are in order, don’t complain. But the date window is white, and not the color of the dial (however, like the PRX). This is sad.
The glass is sapphire, without anti-reflection, and you can feel it. However, the contrast of the black background and light markings in any case ensures acceptable readability. And the lume on the hands and markers allows you to use the watch in the dark.
For some reason, the case has polished sides, chamfers on the long sides and a satin top part. This is contrasted by a polished bezel with a sharp edge and a pattern reminiscent of the Rolex Datejust at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o'clock (this distinguishes it from the PRX bezel). The bezel decorations do not look foreign, but without them it would still be more organic. On the left side of the case, like all Mathey-Tissots, there is a finely engraved medallion “1886” - the date the company was founded.
The watch size is 41 mm. “On paper” the figure looks modest, but the shape makes the watch feel larger. And they fit on my 17-centimeter wrist and are at the limit of what is possible. The point here is in the design: although there are only 45 mm between the watch lugs, in fact their role is played by the first links of the bracelet, rigidly fixed in the case. And if you measure by them, then “from eye to eye” it is as much as 56 mm, like the huge M2Z diver! You either need to wear a watch like this loosely (I do this) or have a larger hand.
Mathey-Tissot seems to have borrowed the crown design idea from Titoni and modified it to suit the style of their watch. I like the peculiar crown more than the simple Tissot PRX ZG. It is grippy, so it is convenient to use, and practically does not interfere with bending your arm.
The integrated bracelet is not an acquired taste. On the one hand, it looks cool - with a polished central part and a finely satin-finished main surface of the links, it is quite thin and flexible, while being dense and fitting well to the hand. On the other hand, the butterfly clasp sometimes irritates the wrist, and due to the proprietary fastening, you won’t be able to simply replace the bracelet with the strap you like.
The back cover is boring: shallow laser engraving of the logo and service information. By the way, the water resistance here is 50 m - enough in everyday life, but less than that of the Tissot PRX.
The watch contains the Swiss Ronda caliber 515 - inexpensive, but at the same time metal and repairable. It is from the Powermatic line, that is, it is capable of “carrying” heavy long arrows. Alas, it is not capable of accurately hitting the marks along the entire circumference of the dial.
The stated accuracy is -10/+20 seconds per month. The SR920SW battery should last for 45 months, and if you store the watch with the crown pulled out to the extreme position, it will become an additional 70% more energy efficient.
Summary
I suspect that watch lovers are unlikely to choose the Mathey-Tissot Zoltan because it is secondary to the Tissot PRX.
On the other hand, Zoltan is almost half the price of quartz PRX and three times cheaper than mechanical ones. At the same time, Zoltan is an honest Swiss Made, with normal readability and fit on the hand (if the hand is powerful enough). They are universal - suitable for both sportswear and formal wear - they are beautiful and well made. So, to a person who is not embarrassed by hommage, they can be safely recommended, including as the only watch.
More Mathey-Tissot watches:
