The $350 question
By Dave Kowalski, Chicago ยท
The Powermatic PRX costs about $350 more than the quartz one. What do you get?
An automatic movement, the Powermatic 80, with 80 hours of reserve. A display back so you can see it. Smoother seconds hand. That's it. Same 40 mm case, a hair thicker at 10.9 mm, same blue dial, same integrated bracelet with its 12 mm lugs, same sapphire, same 100 m.
For a lot of people, that's worth it, because the automatic feels like a "real" watch. I get that. I'm one of those people.
But for value per dollar? The quartz is the better buy. The automatic is the one you buy because you like mechanical watches. If that's you, $725 to $775 is fair. If not, save the money and buy a strap for something else (you can't buy one for this, the bracelet's integrated).