Hot Take: The New Tudor Pelagos FXD “US Navy” In Black
While our in-house scuba diver, Nacho, takes a closer at the new Tudor Pelagos FXD “US Navy” in Florida today, let me run down the watch for you first.
Quite unexpectedly (Tudor knows how to keep a secret, and the media is improving in not breaking embargos), Tudor introduces a new Pelagos FXD. It’s a Tudor US Navy or MilSub(“Military Submariner”)-inspired watch, wrapped in a black-dial Pelagos FXD.
Tudor Pelagos FXD in black
Tudor introduced the first Pelagos FXD in 2021, making it clear it was a Marine Nationale (MN) watch, which the brand had previously made for the French Navy. And now, there’s a new version in black instead of blue but without any specific inscription on the case back. The new Tudor Pelagos FXD has a khaki-green and red fabric strap and a black rubber single-pass strap.
Specifications
In the past, Tudor delivered watches to the US Navy. According to this article from the Tudor Collector website, Tudor and the US Navy started with the “Big Crown” reference 7924 at the end of the 1950s. Then, in the 1960s, the US Navy used the reference 7928. Like the Tudor watches for the Marine Nationale, these watches had specially engraved case backs.
Tudor’s latest release specifically takes inspiration from the late 1960s Oyster Prince Submariner ref. 7016 and is a modern take on the famous “MilSub” model. However, the new Tudor Pelagos FXD has no engravings on its case back, but according to the brand, it’s the ultimate modern MilSub. The colorway of the watch makes it the “US Navy” counterpart of the Pelagos FXD Marine Nationale, says Tudor.
Like the Marine Nationale version, the watch has a 42mm satin-brushed titanium case with fixed lugs (hence, the name). The unidirectional bezel is also titanium, and it sports a ceramic insert. This insert is filled with grade X1 Super-LumiNova material for the best legibility in low-light conditions. And, of course, the dial and hands have also received a generous application of this specific grade Super-LumiNova.
Inside we find Tudor’s automatic caliber MT5602, a COSC-certified chronometer. It provides 70 hours of power reserve and a silicon hairspring. The provided fabric and rubber straps are each one piece to work with the fixed-lug system.
Pricing and final thoughts
The retail price of the new Tudor Pelagos FXD “US Navy” or “MilSub” is €4,150 / US$4,150. I expected a little bit more from this release as Tudor made quite a fuss out of it by organizing a big trip to the US to introduce the watch. In the end, though, the new Pelagos FXD in black is just a very pretty watch that I might even prefer over the blue version. Boring can be better sometimes.
Now, I see the entire “MilSub” inspiration from a storytelling perspective. The watch itself, though, lacks (to me) any nods to the 1960s (to 1980s) watches that were used by the US Navy and its SEAL teams. However, this Pelagos FXD is a cool execution of a successful Tudor watch, and in the end, that’s what counts.
What are your thoughts on this new version of the FXD? Do you prefer it over the Marine Nationale, or would you go for this “MilSub” version? Let us know in the comments.
