Tudor Introduces the Pelagos FXD “Marine Nationale”
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...
Time+Tide
