With the fan-favourite Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight having cemented itself as one of the best dive watch collections in the game, the team at the LeLocle-based watchmaker have now turned their attention to the professional-spec Pelagos range. In addition to the Pelagos 39 (a personal favourite), the collection has been expanded with the Tudor Pelagos FXD, and today, a military-inspired black edition has been unveiled.
It’s the second new FXD model we’ve seen from Tudor this year, with a collaborative Alinghi Red Bull sailing team edition arriving a couple of months prior. But this box-fresh black reference is guaranteed to have wider appeal. Featuring red PELAGOS text on the dial to break up the otherwise sterile black surface and other white text, hour markers, and hands, it’s quite reminiscent of the aforementioned Pelagos 39 and the Pelagos LDH from 2016.
This black FXD also features the same Grade 2 titanium case as the previous references, measuring 42mm in diameter and 12.75mm thick. However, instead of the ‘manta’ lugs with a gap, the lugs are connected via a fixed bar. This does prevent the use of double-loop NATO straps, although single-pass NATOs are arguably more comfortable and with solid lug bars, it’s not like the watch is going to be falling off your wrist anytime soon.
Tudor also delivers this watch with two different straps: a green and red striped NATO that’s fastened with velcro, as well as another black textile strap that’s closed with a classic pin buckle. Inside the 200-metre water-resistant case, you’ll find the excellent Tudor MT5602 automatic movement, which is COSC certified and serves up an impressive 70 hours of power reserve.
While Rolex has certainly been offering a little more fun of late, Tudor’s position as the experimental and innovative arm of the Rolex SA behemoth is getting more compelling with every passing year. The Tudor Pelagos FXD in black is another strong launch from the brand, sure to be extremely popular with collectors and enthusiasts alike.
