Tudor's diver's watches were once issued to the elite of the U.S. Navy and trusted as tools that could determine the difference between life and death. The Pelagos FXD is a modern-day military-spec model that inherits that spirit. Featuring a matte black dial, this timepiece combines practicality with respect for history. Equipped with military-style fixed strap bars, a COSC-certified movement, and a power reserve of approximately 70 hours, it resurrects the spirit of the classic MilSub for the modern era.
A Modern MilSub: The Tudor Pelagos FXD
Tudor's third Pelagos FXD model (Ref. M25717N-0001) features a matte black dial and pays homage to the diver watches issued to U.S. Navy personnel for decades. The 42mm titanium case features a fixed FXD (FiXeD) strap and is water-resistant to 200m. It features a COSC-certified movement, a unidirectional rotating bezel, and the striking red "PELAGOS" model name on the dial.
Automatic movement (Cal. MT5602). 25 jewels. 28,800 vph. Power reserve approximately 70 hours. Ti case (diameter 42mm, thickness 12.75mm). Water resistant to 200m. Price: 537,900 yen (tax included).
Tudor diver's watches began undergoing testing and evaluation within the US Navy in the mid-1950s, and were officially adopted in 1958. From then on, they were issued to divers belonging to various branches of the military.
"After Hell Week, I was issued my first Tudor," the former commander of UDT (Underwater Demolition Team) Team 12, a three-time Vietnam veteran, said at the Pelagos FXD launch event in September 2023. "Time management was crucial for us as a team. We had to be on time for helicopter and submarine pickups. Especially in Vietnam, we might meet up in the middle of a field at 6 a.m., and being late meant death. So punctuality was the difference between life and death."
He added: "There was no way someone would say, 'Look at this Tudor in a bar.' It was a tool. It was a tool to be used, just like a Kaba knife, a compass, a 9mm pistol or an M16 assault rifle. You could trust it. If I didn't trust it, I wouldn't be standing here."
The spiritual successor to "Milsub"
The Pelagos FXD, released in 2023, comes with a robust fixed strap bar (FXD), just like the Ref. M25707B/XX-0001 released in 2021. This model with a black dial is a modern reinterpretation of the classic "MilSub" (military Submariner).
The design is similar to the Tudor Oyster Prince Submariner Ref. 7016 from the late 1960s, and it also incorporates details such as fixed spring bars, which were used by US military divers, and the pointed crown guards that were common on Tudor Submariners of the time.
The History of the U.S. Navy and Tudor
Tudor diver's watches were used by the SEAL Teams from their inception in 1962 through the late 1980s, and were also widely used by UDTs (Underwater Demolition Teams), the Corps of Engineers and Navy Diving School instructors.
The 1965 Underwater Demolition Team Handbook lists the Tudor Oyster Prince Submariner, Reference 7928, next to a section titled "Diving Watches," which were used as training aids for recruits, while the 1973 U.S. Navy Diving Manual lists the References 7016 and 7021 as Navy-approved diver's watches.
In 1974, the National Stock Number (NSN) was introduced for the Department of Defense's supply management, and from 1978 onwards, the NSN code 6645-01-068-1088 allowed quartermasters to issue the Ref. 9411 and later the Ref. 76100.
The reality of military supply
This supply catalogue continued to feature the watch until 2004. While military-issue watches typically have an official marking, there was no standardized marking system for Tudor watches for the U.S. Navy. Many were unmarked or had their own unit-specific markings, making them very difficult to identify today. However, records clearly show that multiple references were delivered in large quantities over several decades.
Tudor's Modern Specs
The Pelagos FXD features a satin-finished titanium case (42mm diameter, 12.75mm thick, 52mm lug-to-lug distance) with a fixed strap bar that is machined integrally with the case body. Due to this construction, only integrated straps can be used.
Historically, the U.S. Navy equipped its Tudor diver watches with integrated black or green nylon straps. The Pelagos FXD comes with a green fabric strap with a red center stitching and a black rubber strap with a fabric look. The 22mm fabric strap is woven on a 19th-century jacquard loom by Julien Faure in Saint-Étienne, France.
The movement is the Cal. MT5602 with a silicon balance spring, and is a COSC-certified chronometer. It has a power reserve of approximately 70 hours when fully wound.
Practical details
One of the features of this model is the ceramic bezel insert with 60-minute graduations. It is unidirectional, filled with luminous paint, and functions as a full-fledged diving scale.
The Ref. M25707B/XX-0001 for the French Navy has "MN (Marine Nationale)", the year of manufacture, and an anchor emblem engraved on the case back, but this model has an unengraved case back.
