Tudor Pelagos FXD Black US Navy
Zach Blass- A new Tudor Pelagos FXD with a black dial joins the collection, previously only available in titanium with a blue dial
- Aesthetically, Tudor states its colour scheme is a tribute to the “decades of Tudor watches worn by US Navy”
- The Pelagos FXD distinguishes itself with fixed strap bars
Well… it’s black.
In all seriousness, this new Tudor Pelagos FXD is the natural next step of the collection, or at least the standard collection – excluding special editions like the Alinghi Red Bull Racing. In 2021, the original Pelagos FXD made its debut in blue – designed in conjunction with the French Marine Nationale. With fixed strap bars that prevent a strap detaching from the case, the Pelagos FXD was billed as a true “Mil-Sub” that meets the high demands of military divers. For the original blue Pelagos FXD, there were two versions – one that was sold to the general public, the “Civilian”, and one strictly for the French Navy, the “Military”. The MN version differed only in that it had two lines of dial text, a “M.N.21” Marine Nationale caseback engraving, and different dive straps.
The debuting black Tudor Pelagos FXD continues with this template of a watch designed with a particular military organisation in mind, turning to the US Navy as its muse.
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Tudor explains: “The US Navy issued Tudor diving watches for decades starting in the latter years of the 50s. The watches were famously used by SEAL teams from their commissioning in 1962 all the way the late 80s. These robust instruments have also served sailors in all types of underwater roles, including UDTs, Seabees and Navy dive school instructors. Throughout the decades, Tudor has supported the US Navy as a supplier of issued watches. In the 1965 ‘First Edition’ of the Underwater Demolition Team Handbook, a Tudor Oyster Prince Submariner ref. 7928 is pictured next to the “Diving Watch” paragraph. The handbook was an essential piece of literature for new operators as they studied UDT operational procedures. Later, in 1973, the US Navy Diving manual lists the Tudor Oyster Prince Submariner references 7016 and 7021 as ‘Navy-approved’ diving watches. In 1974, the National Stock Number system was introduced to track the supply system of the US Department of Defense. From 1978, under code 6645-01-068-1088, a supply officer could purchase and issue a Tudor Oyster Prince Submariner reference 9411, or later 76100, to an approved sailor or operator in need of a reliable Navy-approved dive watch. This specific supply catalog entry was only retired in 2004.”
Interestingly though, this black dial model, is not 1:1 the same as the previous blue. Yes, it still has a 200-metre water-resistant titanium case that is 42mm in diameter, 12.75mm thick, and 52mm lug-to-lug. It has the same fixed strap bars and matte-ceramic bezel. But, this time around it has a unidirectional bezel that uses a conventional timing scale rather than the inverse countdown scale. Its newly coloured fabric velcro strap in green and red serves as a nod to the colours of early squadrons within the US Navy.
With the hype generated from Tudor’s teaser post on Instagram earlier this week, having a black dial and bezel Pelagos FXD can understandably seem underwhelming. That being said, since the debut of the Pelagos FXD in 2021, many Tudor fans immediately expressed a desire for a black configuration. The rich ties this configuration has to Tudor’s heritage with the US Navy, along with the present day Seal Team Six, gives this simple black dial update a bit more excitement and a compelling backstory.
Tudor Pelagos FXD Black US Navy pricing and availability
The Tudor Pelagos FXD Black is available now for purchase. Price: A$5,970, US$4,150
| Brand | Tudor |
| Model | Pelagos FXD Black US Navy |
| Reference Number | M25717N-0001 |
| Case Dimensions | 42mm (D) x 12.75mm (T) x 52mm (LTL) |
| Case Material | Titanium |
| Water Resistance | 200 metres (screw-down crown) |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire |
| Dial | Matte black |
| Lug Width | 22mm, fixed bars |
| Strap | Forest green and red fabric with self-gripping fastening system Dark grey rubber, titanium hardware |
| Movement | MT5602, Kenissi, automatic, COSC-certified |
| Power Reserve | 70 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds |
| Availability | Now |
| Price | A$5,970, US$4,150 |