Tudor Pelagos

Tudor Pelagos
Tudor Pelagos for Carolina Watch Club Limited Edition
The Tudor Pelagos Ref. M25600TB-0001 limited edition watch created for the Carolina Watch Club
ManufacturerTudor
TypeAutomatic
DisplayAnalogue
Introduced2012

The Tudor Pelagos is a line of sports watches designed for diving and manufactured by Tudor.

History

In 1946, Tudor was established as a sister brand to Rolex, to offer a more affordable watch at a similar quality, pairing off-the-shelf movements with Rolex bracelets and cases.[1][2] In 1954, months after Rolex released its Submariner dive watch, Tudor followed with the nearly-identical Tudor Submariner.[3]

In 1956, Tudor developed a watch for the French Navy, working with the Groupe d’Étude et de Recherches Sous-Marines (GERS) and became an official supplier to the military in 1961.[4][3] In 1968, the Marine Nationale reported an issue where the lume would fall out of the Mercedes-style hands on their unit-issued watches. In response, Tudor introduced the ref. 7016 which featured block-facade "snowflake" hands which allowed lume to painted on more substantially, resulting in greater lume visibility.[5][6]

The Tudor Submariner was produced until 1999, whilst the Rolex Submariner continued production.[7]

In 2012, Tudor created a brand new line of dive watches inspired by its predecessors, called the 'Pelagos' with the name originating from the Greek word πέλαγος (pélagos), meaning 'high seas'.[8]

Much like the Tudor Submariner, the Pelagos featured snowflake hands. However, unlike its predecessor, it featured an all-titanium case and bracelet, and depth rating up to 500m.[9]

Models

A French Marine Nationale issued Tudor Submariner (ref. 9401) showcasing the brand's "snowflake" handset (1979)

LHD

Tudor began to offer a left-handed version of the Pelagos in 2016.[10]

FXD

In 2021, Tudor created a sub-line of Pelagos called the FXD, with an initial model developed in collaboration with the Marine Nationale (French Navy)'s Commando Hubert unit. Featuring a blue bi-directional bezel and fixed-lugs, and inscribed with 'MN' on the case back. A minor variant of the watch is issued to members of the unit.[4] In 2023, the brand introduced another variant with a black dial and unidirectional bezel, inspired by the US Navy.[11] A further variant was introduced in collaboration with Alinghi Red Bull Racing in both a standard-diving and chronograph set up.[12] A GMT-variant developed in collaboration with the aeronautical division of the Marine Nationale with the was introduced in 2024.[13]

39

A 39mm variant of the Pelagos was introduced in 2022, without a date function.[14]

Ultra

In 2025, Tudor introduced the Pelagos Ultra with 1,000 meters of water resistance.[15]

Special editions

Tudor has produced several special editions of the Tudor Pelagos, for organisations and military units notably a LHD 'Hawkeye' for the Secret Service Counter Assault Team, and others including the Royal Engineers Commandos, and Google.[16][17][18][19][20]

References

  1. ↑ Mazarian, Clément (2024-09-12). Exceptional Watches: From the Rolex Daytona to the Casio G-Shock, 90 rare and collectible watches explored. Octopus. ISBN 978-1-78472-945-5.
  2. ↑ Stone, Gene; Pulvirent, Stephen (2018-11-13). The Watch, Thoroughly Revised. Abrams. ISBN 978-1-68335-335-5.
  3. 1 2 Mazarian, Clément (2024-09-12). Exceptional Watches: From the Rolex Daytona to the Casio G-Shock, 90 rare and collectible watches explored. Octopus. ISBN 978-1-78472-945-5.
  4. 1 2 Besler, Carol. "Tudor's Military Grade Dive Watch For French Navy Now Available To The Public". Forbes. Retrieved 2026-07-18.
  5. ↑ Revolution (2021-11-17). "Available in the Shop: The Perfect Modern Tudor". Revolution Watch. Retrieved 2026-07-18.
  6. ↑ McUtchen, Andrew (2026-02-19). "An untold history of Tudor military watches | IN DEPTH". Time+Tide Watches. Retrieved 2026-07-18.
  7. ↑ Ferenczi, Balazs (2015-05-04). "Tudor Submariner - A Historical Overview". Fratello Watches - The Magazine Dedicated To Luxury Watches. Retrieved 2026-07-18.
  8. ↑ "Review: Tudor Pelagos 39". Professional Watches. 2025-09-29. Retrieved 2026-07-18.
  9. ↑ "A Week On The Wrist: The Tudor Pelagos". Hodinkee. Retrieved 2026-07-18.
  10. ↑ "Hands-On: The Tudor Pelagos LHD 'Left Hand Drive,' A 500-Meter, Crown-Left Diver's Chronometer". Hodinkee. Retrieved 2026-07-18.
  11. ↑ "Introducing: A Black Tudor Pelagos FXD, Inspired By The U.S. Navy". Hodinkee. Retrieved 2026-07-18.
  12. ↑ "Tudor Announces Two New Pelagos 'Alinghi Red Bull Racing' Watches". Esquire. 2023-06-29. Retrieved 2026-07-18.
  13. ↑ Hartov, Oren (2024-11-05). "The new Tudor GMT goes back to the brand's military roots". British GQ. Retrieved 2026-07-18.
  14. ↑ Hart, Spencer (2022-08-30). "Tudor Pelagos 39 could be the hottest new watch of 2022". T3. Retrieved 2026-07-18.
  15. ↑ "The Tudor Pelagos Ultra Is a Dive Watch With Pedigree". Esquire. 2025-08-27. Retrieved 2026-07-18.
  16. ↑ "US Secret Service Unit Watches - Tudor, Omega, Rolex, & More". Watches of Espionage. 2026-04-28. Retrieved 2026-07-18.
  17. ↑ Wolf, Cam (2024-07-18). "Why a popular Instagram account chose to identify a watch after the Donald Trump assassination attempt". British GQ. Retrieved 2026-07-18.
  18. ↑ Hart, Jordan. "Apple and Google employees customized their own Tudor watches. Now they're up for sale". Business Insider. Retrieved 2026-07-18.
  19. ↑ Bowers, Ben (2026-02-19). "Rolex's Best Abandoned Tradition Lives On Through This 'T-Rex' Tudor Diver". Gear Patrol. Retrieved 2026-07-18.
  20. ↑ Journal, The Gentleman's. "These are Tudor's most impressive military watches". www.thegentlemansjournal.com. Retrieved 2026-07-18.
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