I Want a PRX but I Don’t Want a PRX: Reviewing the Mathey-Tissot Evasion Automatic

So there's this obscure watch from the 1970s you've probably never heard of called the Royal Oak, and this other one called the Nautilus. They were both designed by the same guy, Gerald Genta, you've probably never heard any of this before. But apparently this Genta guy started something of a trend, and lately everybody's been hopping on the bandwagon. Most famous of this recent crop of Genta-like watches is probably Tissot's PRX, and as I love wearing jewelry that reminds me of different jewelry that I can't afford, I very nearly bought one. But before pulling that trigger, I took a look at the alternatives (which there are a surprising number of), and I'm glad I did.

This right here is a Mathey-Tissot Evasion Automatic, reference number H152ATABU. I assume they called it the Evasion because they have to constantly evade Genta's lawyers. I had to look these guys up because they have Tissot in the company name, but sure enough, they ain't Tissot. They're a jewelry company that seems to mostly deal in knockoffs. Credit where it's due though, they were founded in the 19th century by a dude whose last name was actually Mathey-Tissot. And this watch, despite being a true homage (which is usually a euphemism for "knockoff" in watch circles), is not a knockoff! Rather, much like (the real) Tissot's PRX, it's a blend of throwback designs that trace their lineage to Genta without being a direct copy of anything.

Instead, the Evasion is like the incestuous lovechild of the Nautilus and Royal Oak, complete with mutant deformity: a missing ear. Since the case doesn't have a swinging porthole door like everyone's favorite tentacled mollusk, it eschews the Nautilus' left ear in favor of a Van Gogh look,̶ ̶t̶o̶p̶p̶e̶d̶ ̶o̶f̶f̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶a̶ ̶b̶l̶u̶e̶ ̶t̶i̶p̶p̶e̶d̶ ̶c̶r̶o̶w̶n̶ ̶r̶e̶m̶i̶n̶i̶s̶c̶e̶n̶t̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶C̶a̶r̶t̶i̶e̶r̶'̶s̶ ̶f̶a̶m̶o̶u̶s̶ ̶s̶a̶p̶p̶h̶i̶r̶e̶ ̶n̶i̶p̶p̶l̶e̶s̶. Otherwise, the case design is mostly Nautilus, but with a narrower bracelet.

Speaking of that bracelet, they could have made it a direct copy of the Nautilus', but they changed it up in a way that makes it unique, which I appreciate: they inverted the finishing. Where the original H-link bracelet sported polished center links and brushed H's, the Evasion has the opposite, claiming something of its own identity.

Then there's the face: all Royal Oak. If you've seen a Royal Oak, you know this face. No true guilloche pattern, but the manufactured facsimile on display still catches the light, still bearing that iconic blue waffle pattern. Everyone loves a blue waffle, the phrase conjures nothing but pleasant imagery. Lume's not bad either, the hands and markers have a pleasantly differing texture in the dark. Don't know how long it lasts, but this isn't the kind of watch I'd take on night hikes anyway.

Moving to the rear, the display caseback makes a lovely show out of the Sellita SW200 movement. It's not a high end movement, but it does feature a surprisingly swift jumping date mechanism, and there's plenty of visual complication to get lost in. I only have one other watch with a display back, and while that one's Miyota 9039 isn't as full of mechanical details to look at, its finishing does seem a bit better with its clean edges and Geneva stripes. That one doesn't get to say "Swiss made" on it though. If that matters to you.

So is this watch worth the $416 US dollars it costs on Jomashop? Of course not, no watch is worth more than a G-Shock. But in the context of this wacky world of frivolous wrist jewelry we call watch collecting, holy cow is it worth the money! It's worth all that and then some! Look like a million bucks for less than the cost of a new cell phone. Look like you're about to get sued any second by Gerald Genta's estate. Get your blue-faced integrated bracelet sports watch fix with a unique timepiece that wears its heart on its sleeve without quite stealing anyone else's shirt. If you're like me and you want all that but the PRX doesn't quite do it for you, check out the Mathey-Tissot Evasion. It is, in my humble opinion, the king of under-$500 gentalikes.

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Edit 10/16/2022: The blue tip fell off the crown!

Was it even supposed to be there? I thought it was like an enamel coating or something, but looking back at Mathey-Tissot's actual website...

I may have been wearing a piece of plastic protective film over the laser etched crown signature for the last month. Why didn't it peel off with the rest of the film? Why did it stick around so long? And why was it so damn good looking? The world may never know. I am a genius.