TUDOR Pelagos MANUFACTURE

By TLex Tudor have released a new Manufacture movement powered version of the PELAGOS. The new Tudor Pelagos Ref. 25600TB, which is in matte BLUE echoing Tudor’s heritage colors that date back to the 60s, when one of their divers models was chosen by the French Navy for its divers; and the Pelagos Ref. 25600TN, which is in the same matte black as the first edition of the Pelagos - are both powered by the new Tudor Manufacture MT5612 movement.



Features of the Manufacture Pelagos remain pretty much the same as before. A 42mm Monobloc Titanium case with a satin finish and typical divers features such as: a scratch-resistant and anti-reflective Sapphire crystal, a screwdown crown with triple gaskets, a screwdown caseback and a Helium Escape Valve at 9 o’clock (with ‘Gas Escape Valve’ engraving).



The caseback is in 316L Stainless steel – no idea why that is, seems a little redundant on a Titanium watch. Water-resistance is to 500m (1,640 ft). The Pelagos has been tested extensively in real conditions all over the world - particularly on Lake Geneva, close to the Tudor’s headquarters in Geneva.



The Pelagos’s matte (blue or black) dial has large square hour markers that have been filled with a good amount of BGW9 SLN making an excellent contrast. The lume is blue, which is the last color on the spectrum that is visible as you descend into the depths. The same lume was used for the ceramic inlay of the Titanium unidirectional rotational divers bezel (wish my DEEPSEA had this new innovation).



The new Tudor Manufacture MT5612 movement with its bidirectional rotor system that powers the Pelagos comes with an impressive 70 hours of power-reserve, so that its wearer could, for example, take off the watch on Friday evening and put it on again on Monday morning without having to wind it up again!



Beating at 28,800 beats/hour or 4Hz, the MT5612 is regulated by a variable inertia oscillator with silicon balance spring, held in place by a traversing bridge fixed at both sides to improve resistance to shocks and vibrations. The movement is certified by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC).



As well as hours, minutes and a central sweeping seconds hand, it provides an instant date display that is visible through a window positioned at 3 o’clock – it’s always handy to know the date, but my god how it ruins what could have been the perfect dial. Okay, I take that back because the Manufacture Pelagos also comes with three extra lines of unnecessary dial text than the original.



Finally, the Pelagos has an amazing Titanium bracelet that features a steel folding clasp (steel actually holds up better then Ti against scratches) with a unique auto-adjustable spring mechanism developed and patented by Tudor.

The technical system allows the bracelet to be adjusted during a dive, contracting when the combination is compressed at greater depths, and expanding when the pressure decreases again during your return to the surface. An additional rubber strap in either black or blue is supplied with an extension system making it easily adjustable for all diving conditions.