Baselworld 2015: Tudor Pelagos with Manufacture Movement

The Tudor Pelagos is already one of the most complete traditional mechanical divers’ watches on the market. This year it is updated with an all-new Tudor manufacture movement, and much more. Find live images by Adi Soon, pricing and the release date below.

The Pelagos was already a very complete package. Forced to list a few desirable upgrades, enthusiasts might say “How about a COSC-certified in-house movement, and maybe a blue dial/bezel combination. Oh, and don’t raise the price by very much.” I you had these thoughts, Tudor heard you, and your wishes have been granted.

This year, the Pelagos joins the North Flag to become the first Tudor models to be fitted with movements developed and produced by the brand itself. Specifically, the Pelagos receives the Tudor caliber MT5612. Tudor says this represents the first stage in a major industrial strategy aiming to provide greater independence to the brand founded by Hans Wilsdorf in 1926. The power reserve is approximately 70 hours, so you can take off the watch off on Friday evening and put it on again on Monday morning without having to wind it. More impressive are the silicon balance spring and variable inertia oscillator, held in place by a traversing bridge fixed at both sides to improve resistance to shocks and vibrations. And in another first for Tudor, the movement is certified by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC). The dial bears the notation “Chronometer Officially Certified” written on two lines.

These technical updates are accompanied by the introduction of a new color combination for the bezel, dial and rubber strap. In addition to its original matte black version, this model is now available in matte blue, a color closely associated with the brand’s divers’ watches since the 1960s and the one chosen by the French Navy for the Tudor Submariners that have been used in great numbers by its divers.

The case is water resistant to 500 meters and equipped with a helium escape valve, an essential device for professional divers during so-called “saturation” dives. Professionals also appreciate the excellent legibility the Pelagos offers. Generously sized hour markers and hands, complete with a large quantity of luminous material that glows blue, for excellent visibility in low light. Blue is the last color on the spectrum that is discernible at great depths. The hour hand, with its square tip, allows the wearer to distinguish it from the minute hand at first glance. This configuration, often known as “snowflake” in collectors’ circles, is emblematic of Tudor divers’ watches produced from 1969 onwards.

The Pelagos is provided with both a rubber strap and a titanium bracelet featuring a steel folding clasp with a unique auto-adjustable spring mechanism developed and patented by Tudor. This system allows the bracelet to be adjusted during the dive. Tudor chose titanium for the external parts of the Pelagos because it is 60% lighter than stainless steel and extremely resistant to corrosion by seawater.

Typicallly when a brand upgrades from a third-party movement to one that is produced in-house, the price of the watch increases subtantially. Rest assured that’s not the case here. The new Pelagos will be priced at CHF4,200, up from CHF3,950 (including VAT), when it becomes available in July.