NEARLY 70 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE
Tudor makes splash with latest generation of divers’ watch
The history of Tudor divers’ watches dates to 1954 with the launch of reference 7922, created under the brand’s tool-watch philosophy. Military ties began two years later when two models, waterproof to 100m, were assessed in real-life situations by Groupe d’Étude et de Recherches Sous-Marines (G.E.R.S.), a Toulon-based scientific body attached to the French Navy.
The waterproofness and performance of the Oyster Prince Submariner earned more orders and consequently Tudor became the official supplier to the French Navy in 1961. The most notable model with a blue dial and bezel, reference 9401 was launched in the mid-1970s and supplied to the French Navy until the 1980s.
Inspired by this model, the new Pelagos FXD revives the historic collaboration, as it was developed in conjunction with the French Navy’s combat swimmers, the prestigious Commando Hubert, to meet a unique set of specifications for professional use.
The FXD refers to fixed strap bars that are machined into the main body of the 42mm titanium case for increased robustness and reliability. Shaped as an extension of the lugs, they are key to the model’s characteristic silhouette.
Another specific feature is the 120notch rotating bezel, whose bidirectional with retrograde graduation from 60 to 0 does not correspond to the ISO 6425:2018 standard of divers’ watches instead meets the specific needs of underwater navigation, one of the specialities of combat swimmers.
Underwater navigation requires reaching a precise location, without surfacing, by following a meticulously planned route. Pairs of divers, connected to one another by a strap known as a life line, complete a series of straight swims guided by a magnetic compass. They swim at a constant speed for a set time in each section, completing as many sections as necessary while timing each one exactly.
This navigation entails restarting a countdown at each change of course, and the anticlockwise graduation and luminescence of the Pelagos FXD’s bezel make it easy to set up and monitor each countdown.
In aesthetic terms, the design boasts a blue dial and bezel while the square hour markers and angular hands, known as Snowflake, introduced by the brand in 1969, increase the intensity of the luminescence in poor light conditions.
The rotating bezel further has a sandblasted ceramic insert with luminescent material. Waterproof to 200m, the titanium case is entirely satin-brushed to produce a matte effect that limits light reflections.
To highlight the watch’s official character, its case back bears the logo of the Marine Nationale (French Navy) composed of an anchor topped with a sailor’s hat, as well as a historically inspired engraving of “M.N.21” for Marine Nationale 2021.
The Pelagos FXD can be worn with a supple rubber strap with an embossed motif or a fabric strap with a new, highly technical construction developed by Tudor and French company Julien Faure, founded in 1864.
Woven on 19th century Jacquard looms, the 22mm navy blue polyethylene woven ribbon with a silver central thread makes for the robust, comfortable and adjustable single-piece strap with a self-gripping fastening system.
Precision and reliability are assured by Manufacture Calibre MT5602, certified as a chronometer by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute, with its performance going beyond the standards set by this independent institute.
The “weekend-proof ” power reserve of about 70 hours enables taking the watch off on a Friday evening and putting it back on again on Monday morning without resetting.