Tudor and the French Navy have jointly developed a diver’s watch, the Pelagos FXD!

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Tudor and the French Navy have jointly developed a diver's watch, the Pelagos FXD!

The Swiss watch brand TUDOR has released the ” Pelagos FXD “, a professional model developed in collaboration with the French Navy’s special forces, designed for underwater navigation.

The “Pelagos FXD” watch with unique specifications developed jointly by Tudor and the French Navy

The new “Pelagos FXD” from Tudor was developed in collaboration with the French Navy’s Special Forces and carries unique specifications. Tudor has a long history of supplying wristwatches to the French Navy as a supplier from the 1950s, when the company introduced modern diver’s watches with professional specifications, which were among the first in the industry, to the 1980s. The “Pelagos FXD,” named for its sturdy construction with a strap bar fixed to the case, serves to revive the once close relationship between the French Navy and Tudor. Developed in cooperation with the “Commandeau Hubert,” the French Navy’s prestigious combat diving unit, it is a true technical watch that meets unique specifications, including special functions.

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What is the close relationship between Tudor and the French Navy?

In 2021, Tudor and the “Marine Nacional” (French Navy) took a new turn in their unparalleled story, which began in 1956. The French Navy’s Groupement d’Étude et de Recherches Sous-Marines (G.E.R.S. – Groupement d’Étude et de Recherches Sous-Marines), based in Toulon at the time, ordered two different Oyster Prince Submariners were ordered for evaluation in a real-life environment. Ref. 7922 and Ref. 7923, each water resistant to 100 meters and self-winding, respectively. The G.E.R.S. commander at the time judged that both watches were ” perfectly watertight. And the functions are ” perfectly accurate. Convinced of the potential of Tudor’s divers’ watches, he immediately increased the volume of watches ordered. Tudor thus became an official supplier to the French Navy in 1961.

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Over the next few decades, Tudor divers’ watches continued to evolve, and many models were adopted by the French Navy. The most famous of these is the Ref. 9401, with its iconic blue dial and bezel. Engraved on the caseback with the initials “M.N.” and the year of manufacture, this model was offered in two versions, one with ” snowflake ” hands and square hour markers, and a later version with triangular hour markers. Created in the mid-1970s, this model was continuously provided to the French Navy until the 1980s; in the 2000s, it was used by the French Navy, especially among its diving school and combat divers. Although officially discontinued some 20 years ago, the “Tudor M.N.” can still be found on the wrists of reservists and veterans today. The “Pelagos FXD” was inspired by this symbolic model.

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Unique technical specifications of the Tudor ” Pelagos FXD

Developed in collaboration with the French Navy’s Combat Diver Corps, the ” Pelagos FXD ” embodies a very precise set of technical specifications. This is why it incorporates many functional features new to Tudor, such as a strap bar fixed to the case body for greater robustness and reliability. The shape of the watch, which resembles an extension of the lugs, gives the watch a unique silhouette.

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The rotating bezel with 120 notches is another new feature of the “Pelagos FXD. The bezel, which rotates in both directions, is decorated with a scale from 0 to 60 in a counterclockwise direction. This is an indication that priority has been given to specifications that meet the specialized needs of combat divers for “underwater navigation,” an important mission of combat divers, rather than compliance with the ISO 6425:2018 diver’s watch standard.

A host of functionalities dedicated to underwater navigation

Underwater navigation requires divers to follow a carefully planned route and reach their destination with pinpoint accuracy without surfacing. Two pairs of divers, connected to each other by a string called a “lifeline,” swim a series of straight lines using a magnetic compass. They swim straight through each section at a constant speed and for a set time until they reach their destination. For accurate timekeeping, the countdown must be restarted each time they enter a new section. This is where the counterclockwise luminous scale on the bezel of this model comes in handy. When the minute hand reaches the triangular marker, it changes course and the diver in charge of timing starts the next countdown. Furthermore, the bezel ring of this watch is larger than the case itself. The bezel ring is larger than the case itself to improve grip so that it can be operated even by gloved hands that have lost sensation after a long dive due to cold.

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The design of the “Pelagos FXD” was inspired by the Tudor diver’s watches historically used by the French Navy. The navy blue color, for example, is a nod to the Tudor watches that were historically used by the French Navy. The “snowflake” hands and square hour markers with square tips, introduced in 1969 to maximize luminous intensity in dark conditions, are also inspired by the Tudor diver’s watches historically used by the French Navy. Other features include a rotating ceramic bezel sandblasted with luminescent paint. In addition, the entire titanium case is satin-finished, limiting light reflections due to its matte texture. The highlight of this model, however, is actually found on the underside of the case. The Marine nationale (French Navy) logo in the design of a hat on an anchor and the “M.N.21” (Marine nationale 2021), which is reminiscent of the case backs of Tudor watches of the past The engraving of “M.N.21” (Marine nationale 2021) is reminiscent of the case backs of Tudor watches of the past.

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Adoption of a traditional French naval strap with functional and historical value

Historically, the French Navy ordered Tudor divers’ watches without bracelets and used them primarily with hand-made fabric straps. Two types of straps were particularly favored by divers. They were a black braided nylon strap and a handmade strap made from an elastic band made from repurposed parachutes featuring green fabric with yellow or red lines. The “Pelagos FXD” pays homage to this latter, ultra-functional and historically valuable strap, which is closely associated with the French Navy divers.

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Tudor has always been a pioneer in the use of fabric straps, having been one of the first to use them in 2010. Produced by Julien Faure, a family-owned business in Saint-Etienne, France for over 150 years, using 19th century looms, the fabric strap is the only one that combines quality and comfort. It is a unique combination of quality and comfort. For the “Pelagos FXD,” Julien Faure and Tudor have developed a strap with a new construction that reflects the latest technology to withstand the rugged missions undertaken by French Navy combat divers. The new strap combines a navy blue woven polyethylene ribbon (22 mm wide) with a central gray line and a self-grip detachable system to fit comfortably on any wrist.

Manufacture Calibre MT5602

The Manufacture caliber MT5602 in the “Pelagos FXD” has hour, minute, and seconds hands and, like all Tudor Manufacture calibers, is given a distinctive finish. The integrally cast tungsten rotor is openworked and sandblasted with a satin finish. The bridges and main plate are sandblasted and polished and decorated with laser engraving.

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Robust, durable, reliable, and precise, the movement has a variable-inertia balance supported by two fixed traversing bridges. In addition to the non-magnetic silicon balance spring, the MT5602 is chronometer-certified by the Swiss Institute of Chronometers. The certification is based on a daily time difference of -4 to +6 seconds in movement form, but Tudor has gone even further, achieving a daily time difference of -2 to +4 seconds when assembled as a wristwatch. Other notable features include a power reserve of approximately 70 hours. There is no need to wind the spring again when the watch is taken off on Friday night and worn on Monday morning.

TUDOR Pelagos FXD (REFERENCE 25707B/21) ” more information

Price: ¥443,300 (tax included)
Case: 42mm titanium case
Movement: Manufacture Caliber MT5602, mechanical self-winding movement with bi-directional rotor
Power reserve: approx. 70 hours
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds hands, accurate time setting with seconds stop function
Frequency of oscillation. 28,800 per hour (4Hz)
Water resistance: 200 meters (660 feet)
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