I will say it now: no brand makes better value sports watches than Tudor. Between the Black Bay and the Pelagos, you have all bases covered for under £4,000. Rock solid, accessible, and great looking – when a new diver comes out of Tudor, you bet we’re on it.
But, a quick glance back before we look forward. Let’s not forget that as early as the mid-1950s, Tudor diving watches were being tested and evaluated by a number of outfits inside the US Navy, and, by 1958, they were officially adopted by the Navy and purchased for the purpose of issuing them to divers operating in various units. Tudor’s new Pelagos FXD model we’re profiling here is the modern-day successor of those watches, both honouring them and building on them.
To many, the details of the design and function in this new model wouldn’t even be noticeable. However, this is the first FXD to feature a black dial. It has fixed strap bars, a titanium case, a high-performance Manufacture calibre and a uni-directional, elapsed-time rotating bezel. For the super geeks out there, it’s a modern ‘Milsub’ (Submariners designed with military specs).
Visually, it’s most in-line with a late 1960s-era Tudor Oyster Prince Submariner reference 7016, which incorporates elements from the US military's specifications for diving watches. I have to confess, I actually own a 7016 – and, to me, it’s perfection. That iconic shape we know and love from Tudor and Rolex, with the wabi-sabi of a vintage watch. I am on record as saying it would be in my top 10 watches of all time. And, so, to see this modern extension of such a special timepiece brings me huge joy.
Case-wise, it is 42mm with a satin-brushed finish in titanium (machined from a single block). The uni-directional rotatable bezel is also in titanium, with a ceramic insert and a 60-minute graduation filled with grade X1 Swiss Super-LumiNova® (which basically means you are going to be good in any environment). There’s a matte-black dial with applied hour markers that we all know and love. The movement is the in-house calibre MT5602, which is certified by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC), making it highly accurate – and it is also equipped with a 70-hour power reserve. Divisive for some, the iconic ‘snowflake’ hands, one of the hallmarks of the Tudor divers’ watches introduced in 1969, with Super-LumiNova® make the watch instantly recognisable across the room – or boat.
And, finally, the one-piece fabric strap – with self-gripping fastening system in forest green, finished with red central thread, and accompanied by an additional one-piece rubber strap with embossed fabric motif – is a final nod to the past, and is hugely comfortable to wear. Oh, and the best news? It's in stores now, priced at £3,490. Don’t tell me you can resist.
Want more watch content? Read about the new Louis Vuitton Tambour…
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