Big news today from Tudor as the brand has launched two new Pelagos FXD variations in celebration of its partnership with Alinghi Red Bull Racing, an America’s Cup yacht racing team. With a new chronograph and both models rocking carbon composite cases, it’s a big change from the Pelagos FXD’s original military-derived intent, so let’s get to the details.
With one time-only model (ref 25707KN) coming in at 42mm and a brand new chronograph (25807KN) – a first for any Pelagos model – coming in at 43mm, both of these new FXDs have matte blue dials with red accents (think: Red Bull). Additionally, both use matte black carbon composite cases and have matching 120-click bi-directional titanium bezels set with carbon inserts that have fully-luminous 60-minute countdown scales.
The crown – and for the chrono, the pushers – are done in titanium, and the time-only model uses the Tudor MT5602 (the same as the standard FXD) while the FXD Chrono uses the MT5813 (which we’ve seen used in all manner of Black Bay Chronos). Both movements are COSC-certified chronometers, have 70 hours of power reserve, and beat at 4Hz). Those of you who prefer a date function will be happy to see one included at six o’clock on the chronograph.
Aside from the coloring, the direct references to the racing team are kept to a small nameplate at 12 o’clock on the rehaut (the minute marking ring that surrounds the edge of the dial), and a stainless steel case back featuring an engraving for the Alinghi Red Bull Racing team.
Similar to the original FXD, both of the Alinghi models have fixed bars and come on a one-piece fabric strap that uses a hook-and-loop closure system.
CARBON COMPOSITE TITANIUM AND STAINLESS STEEL
The Pelagos FXD “Alinghi Red Bull Racing Edition” models come with several firsts for TUDOR, that go beyond just the watches. A long-term partnership between TUDOR and Alinghi Red Bull Racing was launched in 2022, the first time TUDOR ventured into the world of competitive yacht racing. In this centuries-old sport, victory comes by fusing a resolutely daring human spirit with the most cutting-edge technology. The watches were born out of this philosophy, by combining a high-tech carbon composite, a first for TUDOR, with titanium and stainless steel, just like on an AC75
(America’s Cup 75) hydrofoil racing yacht. It’s also the first time TUDOR has integrated a chronograph calibre into a fixed strap-bars case. The daring and innovative spirit of TUDOR is on full display when
it comes to the two new Pelagos FXD and Pelagos FXD Chrono models. The watches are imbued with the spirit of TUDOR and Alinghi Red Bull Racing; two separate entities that share the vision of pushing traditional boundaries.
The Alinghi Red Bull Racing AC75 represents the very best in cutting-edge maritime engineering, utilizing a proprietary blend of carbon, titanium and stainless steel to give shape to a hull that leaps out of the water at speed. The same pursuit of technical mastery is applied to the Pelagos FXD models, which similarly combine a high-tech carbon composite for the case and bezel insert, an extremely light and robust material, with titanium for the bezel, crown and direct-action pushers and 316L stainless steel for the case back and movement container. Using the 200-meter water-resistant FXD case design, characterized by its fixed strap bars and initially developed with French navy combat divers, these models both come with a bidirectional 120-notch rotatable bezel that utilizes Swiss Super-LumiNova® Grade X1, a luminous material showing a performance increase of up to 60% after two hours compared to standard grades. These bezels are graduated from 60 to 0, so as to allow for easy tracking of countdowns, a key moment before the start of a regatta. The above package results in distinctive, high-tech mechanical sports watches with the Alinghi Red Bull Racing logo engraved on the case back to further enhance the collaboration.
RACE READY DIALS
Wearing the same hue of the hull of the AC75, the matte dials put legibility first and foremost. While both dials are finished in Alinghi Red Bull Racing Team Blue with a red-tipped second hand, the Chronograph model features red accents around the counters to further hint at the aesthetics of the AC75, namely the red stripes on the hull. On the 45° angled rehaut, between 10 and 2, a subtle “Alinghi Red Bull Racing” mention overarches the dial’s layout. The signature square hour-markers and “Snowflake” hands, designed back in the sixties by TUDOR to offer larger luminous surfaces and thus improve legibility, are fashioned from luminescent ceramic composite for optimal legibility in challenging conditions.
A SEAFARING FABRIC STRAP
The single-piece fabric strap is one of the hallmarks of TUDOR, which in 2010, became one of the first watchmaking brands to offer it with its watches. Woven in France on 19th century Jacquard looms by the Julien Faure company in the St-Etienne region, its manufacturing quality, robustness and comfort on the wrist are unique. For the Pelagos FXD models, a highly technical strap construction was developed by TUDOR and Julien Faure. Made up of a 22 mm “Team Blue” jacquard-woven ribbon with red accents and a titanium “D” buckle with a self-gripping fastening system, it adapts to different wrist sizes and is very comfortable to wear.
THE MANUFACTURE CALIBRE MT5602
The Manufacture Calibre MT5602, which powers the Pelagos FXD, displays hour, minute and seconds functions. It offers the signature look and feel of TUDOR Manufacture Calibres. Its rotor in tungsten monobloc is openwork and its bridges and mainplate have alternate sand-blasted and polished surfaces topped with laser decorations.
Its build is designed to ensure robustness and precision. To do this, the variable inertia balance wheel is maintained by a sturdy traversing bridge with two-point anchoring. This system, together with its non-magnetic silicon hairspring, means the Manufacture Calibre MT5602 is both certified by the COSC and able to function beyond the specification of that standard, that is within a tolerance range of
6 seconds (-2/+4) per day, always tested on every single fully assembled watch.
Another notable feature is that the power reserve of the Manufacture Calibre MT5602 is “weekend-proof”;
it enables the wearer to take the watch off on a Friday evening and put it back on again on Monday morning without having to wind it. Even if you need a weekend away, your watch does not.
THE MANUFACTURE CHRONOGRAPH CALIBRE MT5813
The Manufacture Calibre MT5813, powering the Pelagos FXD Chrono, displays hours, minutes, seconds, chronograph and date functions. It also bears the matte finish typical
of TUDOR Manufacture Calibres and comes complete with a signature tungsten openwork monobloc rotor.
Boasting a “weekend-proof” 70-hour power reserve and a silicon balance spring, the Manufacture Chronograph Calibre MT5813 is certified by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC), with its performance exceeding the standards set by this independent institute at -2 and +4 seconds’ variation per day, tested on every fully assembled chronograph. A high-performance movement, it was crafted in the purest watchmaking tradition, with a column wheel mechanism and vertical clutch. In keeping with the TUDOR philosophy of quality, it presents extraordinary robustness and reliability, guaranteed by the array of extreme tests applied to all TUDOR products.
Derived from the Manufacture Calibre Breitling 01 chronograph, with a high-precision regulating organ developed by TUDOR and exclusive finishes, this movement is the result of a lasting collaboration between the two brands.
