Palms-On: Tudor Pelagos 39 Titanium Dive Watch

For various years, one in all my greatest critiques of Tudor has been that the model merely provides the Black Bay assortment (together with vintage-inspired fashions, basically) an excessive amount of consideration. As somebody who completely enjoys classic watches, I like many of the Black Bay lineup fairly a bit. Nevertheless, I additionally admire the uniquely trendy design language that Tudor has developed for itself with fashions such because the discontinued North Flag and the Pelagos, and I’d often lament the truth that the corporate has leaned so closely on its numerous vintage-inspired designs, reasonably than utilizing them as a place to begin to create a wholly new technology of decidedly trendy timepieces.

I’d usually level to the Tudor Pelagos as a primary instance of a distinctly trendy watch that also feels extremely true to Tudor’s personal historical past and heritage, though I all the time felt that the gathering itself was a bit uncared for and underdeveloped. First launched in 2012 as Tudor’s no-compromises trendy skilled dive watch, the lineup acquired a notable replace in 2015 when Tudor revised the watch to characteristic an in-house motion and in addition added a model with a blue dial and bezel insert. The next 12 months, in 2016, Tudor added a left-handed, vintage-inspired choice to the vary with the Pelagos LHD; and from there, the gathering remained unchanged all the way in which as much as the 2021 launch of the Tudor Pelagos FXD, which was a purpose-built mannequin developed with the French Marine Nationale. At that time, the Tudor Pelagos supplied choices for skilled saturation divers, vintage-loving collectors, and even underwater fight swimmers, however what it nonetheless lacked was what most patrons really wished: a easy titanium dive watch constructed for the typical individual. That has lastly modified, and whereas there’ll all the time be these with slight quibbles about what may have been completed in a different way, Tudor has lastly given the individuals (principally) what they wished with the discharge of the brand-new Tudor Pelagos 39.

With a grade 2 titanium case that measures 39mm in diameter by 11.8mm-thick with an general lug-to-lug distance of 47mm, the on-wrist expertise of the Tudor Pelagos 39 is considerably totally different from its full-size sibling. I’ve all the time been a giant fan of the unique Pelagos and, objectively talking, I most likely nonetheless choose the full-size mannequin. Nevertheless, a case diameter of 42mm paired with a chunky design that measures greater than 14mm-thick (for each the ETA and in-house motion variations) signifies that I merely can’t comfortably put on the usual full-size Tudor Pelagos as my all-day, on a regular basis watch. Whereas the case diameter is definitely pushing the higher limits of what can match on my 6.75” wrist, it’s actually the thickness of the unique mannequin that’s the tipping level, outdoors the realm of chance for me. My wrist is of course extra of a flat form, and when the case of a watch is sort of as thick as my wrist, it may give my arm a little bit of a top-heavy really feel, no matter whether or not or not the case is produced from light-weight titanium.

The numerous discount in case dimension of the Tudor Pelagos 39 does include a discount in water resistance from 500 meters to 200 meters, and it additionally signifies that the smaller mannequin lacks the helium escape valve of the full-size unique model. Nevertheless, neither of those two issues goes to be seen, no matter whether or not or not one really scuba dives with the watch. A depth score of 200 meters (660 ft) is excess of able to standing as much as any sort of scuba diving you’ll ever encounter, and except you might be one in all a really small handful of economic divers who additionally work in saturation diving environments, the helium fuel escape valve won’t be missed within the slightest. Even the French Navy felt that 200 meters was sufficient when it signed off on the design for the Pelagos FXD, so regardless of representing a step down when it comes to capabilities in comparison with the unique mannequin, the Tudor Pelagos 39 will nonetheless be excess of able to standing as much as no matter actions you may encounter.

On paper, it may appear that the brand new watch is only a smaller no-date model of the usual black Pelagos, however this isn’t the entire story in any respect. Similar to the Pelagos FXD, the angled rehaut that accommodates the minute monitor now not has cutouts for the person hour markers and as an alternative merely ends on the skin perimeter of the raised luminescent ceramic composite hour markers. Nevertheless, an arguably extra important element is the totally different end utilized to each the dial and bezel insert fitted to the Pelagos 39. Nonetheless black in coloration, the dial of the Pelagos 39 now options the “Pelagos” title in pink letters, and it has been given a delicate sunray end that makes it noticeably extra refined in comparison with the stark matte-black and white look of its full-size sibling. Regardless of its extra elaborate radial sunray sample, the dial floor itself has a satin end, which barely tempers the dressy and flashy look that usually comes with sunray dials. Much like all Pelagos watches, the fingers fitted to the brand new Pelagos 39 characteristic the model’s signature “Snowflake” design and are completed white with black facilities that give them considerably of a floating impact and assist additional enhance legibility. To match the dial, the black facilities of the fingers have extra of a shiny look in comparison with the flat black end that seems on the handset of the unique full-size Pelagos mannequin.

The sunray end is mirrored on the bezel insert of the Tudor Pelagos 39, which remains to be produced from black ceramic and options white luminous markings with particular person demarcations for the primary fifteen minutes. Nevertheless, the delicate radial sunray sample utilized to it now provides it a barely extra shiny general look in comparison with the decidedly matte black model discovered on the full-size Pelagos mannequin. Moreover, the bezel ring itself now includes a barely extra serrated edge like what could be discovered on the Pelagos FXD, reasonably than the distinctly coin-edge texture of the full-size Pelagos mannequin. With that in thoughts, the bezel on the Pelagos 39 nonetheless affords uni-directional 60-click movement with the identical extremely easy and satisfying motion that outlined the bezel of the unique mannequin. Personally, I might have beloved to see Tudor use the identical type of matte black dial and bezel for the Pelagos 39, however all of us knew that was by no means going to occur. In the event you have a look at the entire numerous Black Bay divers, there isn’t a single one that’s an actual carbon copy of one other however simply in a smaller general kind. The closest you can find would be the two bronze fashions with brown dials, however even nonetheless, the 43mm model was discontinued lengthy earlier than Tudor got here out with the bronze model of the Black Bay Fifty-Eight. It’s apparent that Tudor listens to the collector neighborhood, however the model was by no means going to launch a smaller Pelagos that was in any other case totally similar to the prevailing mannequin, and the delicate sunray end is acceptable for the much less professionally oriented model of the model’s most sturdy and succesful sports activities watch.

Internally, the in-house Caliber MT5400 computerized motion powering the brand new Tudor Pelagos 39 is more likely to provide the identical stable and dependable efficiency as the opposite Kenissi-manufactured in-house calibers that the model at the moment makes use of. A COSC-certified chronometer, the Cal. MT5400 already guarantees correct efficiency, but Tudor ensures much more stringent timekeeping tolerances between -2 and +4 seconds per day, after casing. Operating at a frequency of 28,800vph whereas providing customers an influence reserve of roughly 70 hours, Tudor’s Caliber MT5400 motion additionally includes a non-magnetic silicon hairspring inside a variable inertia steadiness, which is held in place by a full transverse bridge for extra stability. Tudor’s in-house actions have gotten a little bit of a identified amount, however that definitely isn’t a nasty factor. Though they might not be ornately adorned or put up distinctive numbers on the subject of ultra-thin designs or mega-long energy reserves, Tudor’s numerous in-house calibers do provide a big step up from the usual ETA actions which are utilized in many different watches at comparable worth factors, and if the Cal. MT5400 motion affords comparable efficiency to what now we have come to anticipate from the remainder of Tudor’s in-house vary, then most collectors ought to be very happy with the reliability and timekeeping of the Pelagos 39.

Past that, there’ll virtually definitely be some individuals on the market who will lament the lack of a date show, whereas there will probably be others who’re completely happy to see it eliminated in order that the brand new Pelagos 39 can have a wonderfully symmetrical dial structure. On this occasion, there was actually no approach of creating everybody completely happy, though provided that it’s typically members of the fanatic crowd who’re most vocal about their distaste for date home windows (and in addition concerning the case sizes of watches), it appears that evidently Tudor is effectively conscious that it’ll largely be collectors and lovers who’re eager about buying the Pelagos 39. Moreover, from a strictly sensible and practical standpoint, having a date show on a saturation diving watch makes quite a lot of sense, whereas a date window is totally superfluous on the subject of the precise activity of scuba diving. With no helium escape valve on its case, the Tudor Pelagos 39 may be very a lot supposed for scuba diving reasonably than saturation diving, and it may, subsequently, be argued that there was a practical cause behind the choice to omit a date show on the 39mm model of the Pelagos.

Aside from the sunray end on the dial and bezel, I anticipate the opposite level that individuals will nitpick about is Tudor’s choice to characteristic a T-fit clasp on the bracelet of the Pelagos 39 reasonably than the spring-loaded extension system discovered on the full-size mannequin. The general design and look of the 2 titanium bracelets is sort of similar, and each extension programs will in the end provide customers comparable sensible advantages on the subject of sensible incremental adjustment of their on a regular basis lives. Nevertheless, the spring-loaded clasp on the usual full-size Pelagos is simply flat-out cool and it’s one of the distinctive and revolutionary bracelet extension programs at the moment getting used at this time. Granted, the T-fit clasp does enable for a smaller general clasp construction, however as soon as individuals turned accustomed to the unique Pelagos clasp, the T-fit was all the time going to be seen as a “lesser” possibility, no matter whether or not or not Tudor had sensible and justified causes for not providing it on the 39mm mannequin. Both approach, Tudor nonetheless features a complimentary rubber strap with the Pelagos 39, so for anybody who actually has a problem with the excellently constructed T-fit extension system, there’s an alternate possibility already contained in the field.

All issues thought of, the Tudor Pelagos 39 is (virtually) the watch that everybody has been asking Tudor to launch for years. A smaller Pelagos consistency has been among the many primary requests from the model, and now, after a full 10 years because the very first Pelagos made an look, we lastly have a smaller one. With an official retail worth of $4,400 USD, the Tudor Pelagos 39 prices simply $325 lower than the usual full-size mannequin, though it’s additionally priced solely $500 greater than the Pelagos FXD, which equally lacks a date show and helium escape valve, but additionally doesn’t embody a titanium bracelet. Like many others on the market, I’m keenly ready to see if and when Tudor will launch a blue model of the Pelagos 39; nonetheless, given how lengthy it has taken the model to launch a smaller model of its fan-favorite titanium dive watch, the inevitable blue follow-up mannequin may take a surprisingly lengthy period of time to make an look. And one different level to think about is that if Tudor does launch a blue Pelagos 39, it can virtually definitely not simply be a smaller model of the full-size blue mannequin, and if Tudor chooses to provide it a blue sunray dial, it will in the end end in a considerably totally different general aesthetic. After getting an opportunity to strive the watch on and see it within the metallic, the brand new Pelagos 39 instantly turned one in all my favourite current-production Tudor watches, and as somebody who usually grumbles to myself about Tudor’s case dimension and thickness, this can be a watch that I may positively see myself carrying frequently. A 39mm model of the Pelagos FXD can be the purpose the place the phrases “take my cash” would really develop into inevitable, however the brand new Tudor Pelagos 39 is about as shut as doable to being the precise watch that everybody needs Tudor’s massive brother would make however is aware of deep down that it’ll by no means seem with a tiny coronet on its dial. For extra info, please go to the model’s web site.