As a counterpoint to big brother Rolex, Tudor holds the banner for those who appreciate styling cues of the bygone vintage references produced by the five point crown, pricing that is still a relative value for a normal person who desires one badly enough, and designs that recall the classic toolwatch era rather than the modern jewelwatch era where a prestigious mechanical watch–however capable–is more about creating followers on social media, than saving your life atop a mountain, or beneath the waves. So it was with considerable interest to many of us this week when Tudor unveiled this watch–the Ref. 25707B Pelagos FXD Marine Nationale in a satin-finished 42mm titanium case. Not your average dive watch in any way, this is a purpose-built tool that calls to mind Tudor’s very serious credentials with a well-known military dive unit. It delivers a no-nonsense aesthetics, with superb and highly functional construction in a way that may not be for everyone, but may well attain cult status with tool watch fans and those with a particularly keen appreciation for mechanical watches as lifesaving instruments.
As a long time fetishist of a classic mechanical tool watches, the Pelagos FXD resonated strongly with me at first glance. Indications, first and foremost, are sparkling clear and bold–this is not a watch that you will ever glance at and have any doubt about exactly what time is displayed, in any condition. And given the heritage of this watch, that’s really a given. Dating back to shortly after the Rolex Submariner (and the closely related, if more value priced, Tudor Submariner) hit the market in the 1950s, these highly water resistant and functional watches with rotating time-lapse bezels made quite a splash with the French Navy and their well-trained frogmen. Eventually, Tudor would create specific models expressly for the Marine Nationale, featuring distinctive features such as the now-signature Tudor “Snowflake” hands for maximal legibility, and specially welded-in springbars to preclude any chance of the watch parting company with its wearer. The casebacks of these watches were engraved with an MN signature, as well as the year of introduction, for example, “MN74” or “MN80”. In a similar fashion, this new Tudor is made to meet the updated demands of the Marine Nationale, and like its forebears, the caseback is engraved MN21, appropriately enough, along with the insignia of the organization who commissioned it, and the technical details of the Tudor movement encased beneath it.
Delving further into the Pelagos FXD Marine Nationale, it’s very clear this is a watch designed with the brutally necessary in mind, with those things contradicting this left out…with the possible exception of the typical and rather iconic Rolex/Tudor “marketing novel” on the dial! (Well, at least the “Rotor Self-Winding” bit is left off) As a purist’s piece, this Tudor Pelagos variant thankfully omits a date display, keeping the dial beautifully symmetrical and free of any unnecessary functional distractions. It also aids in keeping the watch quite slender, at just 12.7mm, meaning this will be a very comfortable, easy to wear piece that won’t flop around, especially when used in conjunction with any good one-piece strap, such as either of the ones that Tudor includes with each watch. And speaking of that, do note that only one piece straps can work with the Pelagos FXD: in a very cool touch, the lugs are a one piece loop of thoughtfully-beveled titanium, that is integral with the case itself—a very modern take on the welded strap bars concept of vintage models. I love the look of these lugs, as they distinguish this watch from almost anything else out there, the one piece metal loops tacitly growling “Whatever you’ve got..bring it on!” (The only thing I can think of with a similarly bombproof strap attachment is the insanely water resistant Omega Ultra Deep, another uncompromising tool watch if ever there was one!)
With its purposeful entirely matte finished surfaces, and rich blue dial, this new Tudor has no dress watch pretense in it–and as such, should be one of the ultimate watches for anyone who rejoices in trying out various NATO and ZULU straps, of which the wisely chosen 22mm spacing will give quite the selection from any number of excellent suppliers. It’s also worth pointing out that this watch, unlike the original Pelagos, has neither a particularly boast-worthy depth rating, nor a helium valve; the conservative 200m-rated construction is more than adequate for what the Marine Nationale combat swimmers require, and a helium valve has no value for their missions either, being just one additional hole in the case for water ingress. Again, pure functionality reigns: as much as necessary where required, but no more, and specifications that are adapted to specific, real world applications.
And speaking of that, the bezel has to be both admired, and discussed. The first thing that struck me was the raspy, fine-toothed knurling–almost reminiscent of the points on a wheel or pinion! Just looking at it, you simply have no doubts that moving this unusual time lapse system will be effortless with even the bulkiest of gloves wrapped around your briny, frozen mitts. Why unusual? Well, this bezel and its literally backward graduations compared to a more typical dive bezel, as well as its bi-directional functionality (a contradiction to the well-established ISO 6425 standard) are meant to time the very specific underwater movements that each of the French naval dive teams must perform in their line of work. Utilizing a compass, the team moves in a straight line at relatively shallow depth for a determined exact period of time, which the countdown bezel perfectly enables them to track; once the minute hand hits the luminous bezel pip, the divers change course, and the bezels are again reset to the minute hand to begin the sequence anew. Because the combat swimmers aren’t ascending and descending like recreational divers (who have to track decompression stops, etc), and must frequently adjust their timing sequences while moving in their lines, the bi-directional countdown bezel is the perfect measurement gauge. That said, that same easy to twist functionality will doubtless be very useful above the waves, and for timing all manner of mundane things most of us must attend to on a daily basis here on terra firma. And the glow, oh the glow! This is definitely a watch that will delight the lover of lume, even if you’re just charging it up for the sheer fun of it.
Naturally, an in-house Manufacture Tudor movement can be found behind the screwed-in, engraved stainless steel caseback. Essentially a larger diameter version of the MT5601 found in the Black Bay lineup, the MT5602 is of course an officially certified Swiss chronometer, and carries the expected high-tech goodies that make a movement resilient in the modern era. At the heart of the caliber is a silicon hairspring for optimum magnetism resistance, and a bridge-mounted balance wheel with variable inertia screws for precise adjustment, as well as the ability to hold that fine adjustment once set. Its bidirectional rotor smoothy feeds the mainspring barrel, and when fully wound, the mechanism will run a goodly 70 hours before coming to a halt. Having worn a Black Bay 58 for a time, I can attest that these Tudor calibers are certainly capable of superb precision, and uphold the role of a precise, reliable workhorse with aplomb–just like you’d expect from any product coming from the Rolex complex. What’s also undeniable, is the excellent value proposition found in this particular watch. Due to its slightly simpler movement, lack of a bracelet, and focused minimalism, the Pelagos FXD will come in at an MSRP of USD$3,900, a surprisingly reasonable number that undercuts the standard Pelagos by a small amount, and like other Tudor offerings, gives a lot of attainability to watch fans across the spectrum. While this one probably won’t be as broadly appealing as some of the Black Bay divers and perhaps even the standard date-equipped Pelagos, I suspect it’ll be a resounding fan favorite of dive watch collectors, tool watch lovers, and aficionados of specially tailored historical equipment with deeper connections to performance under real pressure.
