Hodinkee
HODINKEE Radio: The Collector Perspective On The New Tudor Pelagos FXD
Ross Povey of Tudor Collector has the deep enthusiast take on Tudor's new dive watch.
Hodinkee
Ross Povey of Tudor Collector has the deep enthusiast take on Tudor's new dive watch.
SJX Watches
Leaked online prior to its launch – David Beckham inadvertently revealed the watch on his Instagram account – the Tudor Pelagos FXD “Marine Nationale” was widely expected yet surprisingly, at least in the metal. Developed in collaboration with the combat divers of the Commando Hubert, an elite unit of the Commandos Marine, part of the special forces of the French Navy, or Marine Nationale. The divers covertly travel underwater in pairs, and the Pelagos FXD is one of the tools they use for aquatic navigation. The FXD revives the relationship Tudor maintained with the French Navy for several decades starting in the 1950s when the watchmaker first supplied the navy with dive watches. A Submariner ref. 9401/0 issued to French navy divers in the 1970s Initial thoughts I liked the idea of the FXD when I first saw the photos, and seeing it in the metal reinforced my opinion, enough that I bought one. Beyond its tangible qualities its best characteristic in my opinion is its status as the only watch developed as a military-issue timepiece – that is currently in active service with a unit – in the mid- to high-end segment of modern watchmaking. This sets the FXD apart from watches made by other brands that supply military units with civilian watches bearing the unit insignia, as brands like IWC, Breitling, and Bell & Ross do. Being a military-issue watch the FXD is straightforward, but it also boasts the attention to detail one expects from Tudor, even on the finish...
Hodinkee
The evolution of the brand’s do-it-all diver for modern duty with the Marine Nationale.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
... Read more
Time+Tide
Speculation has been rampant ever since Tudor announced their renewed partnership with Marine Nationale. With the vintage M.N. issued divers highly coveted and collectable, many were excited for a chance to own a modern take on such a watch. We previously gave our own predictions, detailing what was likely, unlikely, and most fitting for a … ContinuedThe post Is the new Tudor Pelagos FXD “Marine Nationale” everything we hoped for? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Earlier this year Tudor resurrected its partnership with France’s navy, the Marine Nationale, some two decades after it last supplied military-spec Submariners to the navy’s divers. Now the brand has finally revealed a project two years in the making, the Pelagos FXD “Marine Nationale”. Developed together with the members of the Commando Hubert, the navy’s elite combat divers, the Pelagos FXD is an actual military issue timepiece – the unit’s divers wear the same watch during operations – with fixed bars and a no-nonsense aesthetic. The Pelagos FXD is a time-only diver just like the Submariner ref. 9401/0 “MN” issued to divers of the French navy in the 1970s Initial thoughts Images of a Commando Hubert graduation ceremony appeared online several months ago, revealing the watch. So the Pelagos FXD was expected, but still manages to surprise. It is clearly a nod to the ref. 9401/0 “MN” of the 1970s – nicknamed “snowflake” after its hands and dial – and is as close to a vintage Submariner as a modern Tudor can be. But it still has a few extras appeal to military watch aficionados. The fabric strap has a Velcro fastener so it can be adjusted more precisely to any wrist size Most notable are the lugs, which are a reinterpretation of the fixed bars found on vintage military-issue dive watches. They form one piece with the case, making the connection between the case and strap far more robust. It’s certainly over-engineered for anyone who isn...
Revolution
One of the most storied collaborations in the history of watchmaking and the military is Tudor and French navy’s partnership that dates back to the 1950s. Now in 2021, the joint venture is official with the release of Pelagos FXD and fans of the no date Snowflake Tudor are going to be very happy indeed…
Time+Tide
Fifty Fathoms. It’s a reference to an antiquated British unit of measure of approximately 91 and a half metres, but in the realm of horology, it’s synonymous with one of the first (along with Rolex’s Submariner) purpose-built dive watches, and its history is long and storied. First introduced in 1953, the original Blancpain Fifty Fathoms … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Blancpain Bathyscaphe Titanium is a sexy beast of a dive watch appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
In today’s watch world, Unimatic are punching above their weight. Founded in 2015 by two Italian industrial design students, this relatively new company has established a clean and unique core style in an environment flooded with start-ups and Kickstarter watches. Often the key to good design (and indeed writing) is to edit down. Just because you … ContinuedThe post A WEEK ON THE WRIST: The Unimatic U3-FFF is a distinctive bargain of a dive watch that proves less is more appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Revolution
Bathyscaphe in Titanium: A fresh interpretation of a 65-year old dive watch legend that makes it as dynamic, durable and dive-worthy as ever.
Hodinkee
An incognito Daytona, complete with sigma symbols surrounding the six o'clock lume plot, headlines the week's vintage selection.
Quill & Pad
Petite Aiguille is a fun Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève category with a diverse set of contestants offered at a retail price equal to or under 3,500 Swiss francs. These include rising stars anOrdain, Furlan Marri, and independent specialist Massena Lab. Oris is also present here with the chic Divers Sixty-Five Cotton Candy, and Doxa represents the affordable diver corner with a SUB 200 model. Last but not least, there is Ciga Design’s interesting Blue Planet.
Revolution
The winter Olympics in Beijing is scarcely three months away, and Official Timekeeper Omega has dutifully obliged with a special edition watch to mark the proceedings: the Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Beijing 2022.
Time+Tide
The sun is beating down and the swell is roaring along Sydney’s beaches as my family gets ready to partake in a daily ritual. Even though we don’t live together, we often meet up by the shoreline and hop in the Pacific Ocean together for a plunge. Today, on my dad’s wrist is the new … ContinuedThe post Comparing the blues – our DOXA SUB 600T ‘pacific’ vs the Tudor Black Bay 58 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Ever since Sean Connery’s Jame Bond emerged from the ocean in Goldfinger and peeled off his wetsuit to reveal a tuxedo beneath, the question has always been there: should you wear a diving watch with formalwear? (Bond was wearing the Rolex Submariner ref 6538 by the way.) The question arises following the recent launch of … ContinuedThe post Have dive watches just received official formalwear approval? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
When the David Beckham Tudor Pelagos shot appeared on Instagram, it became a moment where many of us were hoping our prayers had been answered. Is this it? A Marine Nationale Pelagos for civilians to purchase? Details are not entirely clear, as there has yet to be any form of official confirmation from Tudor themselves. … ContinuedThe post FRIDAY WIND DOWN: What the Beckham Tudor Pelagos hopefully implies… appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Some say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. To be fair, nature as a form of inspiration for design is hardly tied to one individual entity. But within the watch world, when you think of nature-inspired dials, the mind immediately wanders to Grand Seiko. It is a winning formula for the Japanese manufacture, and … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The ice-inspired Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Beijing 2022 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
The Wilsdorf group are generally very secretive about their upcoming projects, so when a potential leak makes its way onto the internet all our hearts skip a beat with excitement. Sometimes we see unconfirmed catalogue pages that can be photoshopped by trolls looking to cause a stir, but lately it seems that if you want … ContinuedThe post Did David Beckham accidentally just leak a new dateless Tudor Pelagos? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Revolution
The Tudor Black Bay is universally loved and offers incredible diversity and great value. Incredibly the line is also less than 10 years old. We explore how this heritage diver hasn’t just ended up on the wrist of David Beckham, but also come to dominate the great Geneva-based brand’s catalogue and evolve beyond its retro-diver roots.
Time+Tide
Keanu Reeves wrapped up his fourth film in the John Wick franchise by gifting each of his four stuntmen a Rolex Submariner.The post Keanu Reeves’ present to his John Wick stuntmen continues the celeb tradition of gifting Rolex Submariners appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Quill & Pad
In the 2021 Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève Diver's category we see a mix of tool watches that one might actually choose to use underwater as a dive computer backup and “desk divers” that will see their toughest duty during a light rain shower on the way to the office. In this round table, our panelists pick their choices as the best dive watch of 2021.
Hodinkee
Five of our favorites in the HODINKEE Shop this week.
SJX Watches
Founded by Romanian native Andy Bica-Popi but based in Switzerland, Peren styles itself as a Transylvanian watch brand. The micro-brand’s offerings are characterised by a clean, functional aesthetic, a style encapsulated by the Nera Rogue. Peren’s first dive watch is loosely inspired by the Tornek-Rayville TR-900, a rare and obscure dive watch that’s actually a rebadged Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, which the Swiss watchmaker made for its American agent who in turn supplied them to the US Navy in the 1960s. Utilitarian and cleanly styled, the Nera Rogue takes after the TR-900, which is reflected in the hour markers and bezel, but is evidently not a vintage remake. And in a nod to today’s fashionable colour, the Nera Rogue has dark-green dial. Initial thoughts Granted, the population of micro-brands is ever increasing, especially those making dive watches, but a handful are both interesting and affordable enough to be worth a second look. Since micro-brands typically rely on the same few outsourced movements (often Sellita or Miyota), it falls to design to distinguish one from another. And Peren manages to set itself apart – albeit only on the second try. The Nera Rogue is actually Peren’s second go at the design. What’s really new on the Nera Rogue is actually its bezel – which is the primary element inspired by the TR-900 – while the rest of the watch is actually identical to a past model known as the Nera that was equipped with a smooth, unmarked bezel, m...
Time+Tide
Super-compressor styled divers exist in many microbrand catalogues. The wearability of the design and the integration of the timing bezel are two of the main reasons they are so popular. However, many of these examples lack the real functionality their vintage-inspired references had. That’s why when a brand goes to the extra lengths to create … ContinuedThe post MICRO MONDAYS: The Circula SuperSport brings real Super-compressor Diver funtionality appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Question, suggestion, or just want to say hi? Drop a note.
Comments 1