Tudor Pelagos FXD Marine Nationale Review | What You Should Know

Tudor Pelagos FXD Review & It’s Relationship To The French Navy

In November 2021 Tudor released the much anticipated Pelagos FXD in collaboration with the Marine Nationale (French Navy). For years, maybe decades, Tudor fans have been calling for this collaboration to happen again. Many watch brands produce dive watches but very few are working with a nation’s military branch developing a true tool watch fit for field duty. The Tudor Pelagos FXD is a special watch and personally I believe it elevates not only the Pelagos collection but Tudor as a brand. In our Tudor Pelagos FXD review we’ll discuss the features of this watch and the practical application that it was designed for, which is underwater navigation.

Designed For Underwater Navigation

What makes Tudor special in the eyes of many watch enthusiasts is that they still create watches for tool purposes first and aesthetics second. Every aspect of the new Tudor Pelagos FXD was designed for underwater navigation. The bi-directional bezel is very purposeful with the intention of allowing underwater travelers to move from one precise location to another. What makes the Tudor Pelagos FXD even more exciting is that the French Navy collaborated with Tudor on this watch. This partnership is a big reason why Tudor is an official supplier to the French Navy.

Marine Nationale Bezel

The blue bezel on the Tudor Pelagos FXD is different from other Pelagos bezels in two different ways. The first is that the FXD bezel is bi-directional. The purpose of this tool watch isn’t to measure air supply, it’s for navigation. The second is that the bezel on the FXD is larger than the original Pelagos. The increased width that extends past the case provides divers with large gloves or hands that are numb to easily grip and rotate the bezel.

Pelagos FXD Movement

Powering the Tudor Pelagos FXD Marine Nationale is the in-house calibre MT5602. This is a self-winding mechanical movement with 70 hour power reserve. The accuracy of the MT5602 movement is within COSC certifications and deemed to be very accurate. Tudor has made giant strides in their movement production and overdeliver value and accuracy at an affordable price point for luxury watches.

Pelagos FXD On The Wrist

Even though The Pelagos FXD is a true tool watch, it is still comfortable on the wrist. This watch is sold on a navy blue fabric strap that has a self-gripping fastening system. Tudor has also added a complimentary blue rubber strap with a titanium buckle. The watch is 42mm in diameter so it’ll fit most wrists.

Monobloc Case Design

A monobloc case is one that is crafted from a single piece of metal, which includes the case back. This method of crafting a watch case makes it more capable of water resistance because there are less ways of water to enter a case. 
It may appear odd to some but the Tudor Pelagos FXD doesn’t have a traditional case design. What you’ll first notice is that the lugs are completely different. Instead of a gap to attach a bracelet or strap there is a slit in the case for a strap to punch through. It’s one more example of Tudor going down the path of function in the form of a tool watch instead of aesthetics.

Blue Pelagos FXD Dial

Tudor is known for legible dials and the Tudor Pelagos FXD is a great example of just that. The dial on this watch shares many common traits with other Tudor sport models. We have the snowflake hands pointing to sterile white oversized indices. Where the new Pelagos FXD and the traditional Pelagos dials differ is how the hour markers are set. The original Pelagos had the hour markers built into the inner ring and they sat lower. On the new Pelagos FXD, the hour markers are raised fairly high and aren’t obscured in any way. If I had to grade the dial and legibility of the Tudor Pelagos FXD, I would have to give it a full 10/10.

Tudor Pelagos FXD Specs

Pricing & Availability

You might be surprised when you see how much this watch is. The Tudor Pelagos FXD is being sold for $3,900 MSRP at authorized dealers and is expected to be available for most buyers with minimal wait time.