Tudor Pelagos & Black Bay @ Baselworld 2012, full report:

  • NB: These watches are both fitted with the ETA 2824 set at 28,800v/h, with a theoretical 28-hour power reserve (by the way, Tudor communicates openly on the matter, which is rare in the industry and therefore praiseworthy)
    The 2824 has the quality of its main flaw: it is very common, because of an extremely broad diffusion, and is therefore easy to maintain, from a customer service standpoint. There will be plenty of qualified people and spare parts available for a very long time.


    The other bombshell presented by Tudor is the Pelagos (which means "deep sea", in Greek). While the Black Bay plays the role of the Submariner's Grandmother, the Pelagos impersonates the prodigal grandson.




    It is the super-futuristic remake of the famous vintage Tudor divers, like the "Marine Nationale".
    This work is not only futuristic, but also realistic. Rather than proposing a fanciful piece with a waterproofing far beyond the best divers' abilities, Tudor focused on the functional and aesthetical aspects. For decades, the Submariner has been the main source of inspiration for some small watchmakers who lack creativity. And one has to admit that the Germans especially, and sometimes the Americans, managed to present dive watches more believable as tool-watches, than those proposed by Rolex.



    By becoming more and more of a luxury item, the Submariner gentrified. In order to outstrip the "little ones" who sometimes successfully produce some vintage Rolex, the brand had to return to basics.
    The return to basics is the key to the success of this Pelagos: it is technical, super-modern in its design and its details, but most of all, it is streamlined to make way for the functionality to shine through.



    The first big surprise is that the case is made of brushed titanium: even if this material has become a classic in watchmaking, up to the point where it even replaced stainless steel in some brands, the Rolex group had almost never used it…. When it is oxidized, the titanium takes on a brownish tinge (which brings some stealth to the piece).
    The matte look is also visible on the shot-peened ceramic bezel. The middles, which are almost as thick as the Black Bay's, look a bit slimmer on the Pelagos: the brushed titanium and the slightly larger casing (42mm) create this visual effect. On the crown's side, the flanges are very well designed, sharp and sober. The other side features the helium valve. This device is far from being indispensable for the leisure or semi-professional diving. Akin to many watches, it sits at 9 o'clock, a placement that disturbs a bit the case's harmony: a fitting between the lugs or at 7:30 or 10:30 would have been more subtle….
    The last noteworthy detail is the titanium bracelet. Its folding strap features a series of devices that allow the bracelet to adjust to the variations of the wrist's diameter, which changes depending on the depth: the wetsuit gets thinner as the pressure increases.
    But in everyday life, the desk divers' main concern is to know whether the auto-adjustment system is sensitive enough to adapt to the summer's temperatures, that is, to the swelling of the wearer's wrist.
    In a few months, the lucky owners will be able to share their experiences. There is no doubt that if successful, Tudor will have found the philosopher's stone of the metal bracelet's folding strap.



    The dial gives its full meaning to the stealth and the pureness of this watch. First of all, it is absolutely matte (like the casing), and it features a beveled and crenellated chapter ring, (yes, like the Seiko Diver 200) to make room for the UNRIMMED indexes! Indexes with no metallic rim, we are not yet back to painted dials, because the indexes are bonded; but still, it is a big leap for the tool-watch lovers. The indexes are square, which matches, it seems, the superb snowflake hands (with a black finished inner part), even better!



    All of this in blue Lume on a black background, like the SDDS; it is pretty, it looks technical; but is the fluorescence better than with the green? It will take some testing. The watch features little lettering, which is unusual with a Submariner's dial. But most of all, the dial conveys quality, despite its lack of lust: all the details, such as the date's aperture or the chapter ring's cut outs, are very, very carefully done.
    If the Black Bay is a successful tribute to the adventurers or the divers' watches from the 50's, the Pelagos is the perfect adventurer's watch from the 10's: efficient, streamlined, technical, it has all the features that make the desk divers happy. It will be available for about 3300€ with the titanium bracelet (it would be a pity not to choose this version), which is quite fair for a revived myth.



    The commercial war is fought on all battlefronts, notably on the diver's; from Japan to the USA and through Eurasia, Omega, Rolex, Breitling and Tag Heuer fight each other to sell as many watches as possible, sometimes forgetting the watch lovers' simple passion.
    What just happened at Tudor's is very healthy, very positive. Tudor's creative team managed to move the supertanker from Plan-les-Ouates with brilliance. These novelties, designed for the watch lovers by the watch lovers, prove that the creation and the trendy products are not the prerogatives of the independent watchmakers or of the niche-market brands…