Tudor Pelagos FXD Chrono Watch

On the occasion of their first participation in the legendary Giro d'Italia, TUDOR unveils a new sports watch specially designed for members of the TUDOR Pro Cycling Team. Light and functional “cycling” chronograph, with carbon composite case and high-performance Caliber Manufacture, the Pelagos FXD Chrono “Cycling Edition” model echoes the unique philosophy of a team that dares.

Professional cycling is a particularly tough sport, where athletes push their physical and mental limits with every pedal stroke. It is also a dangerous sport, where shocks and accidents are not rare and can be violent. A watch designed to be used in the peloton as well as in breakaways must therefore achieve a high standard of performance, while being easy to handle. The bicycle frames used by professionals are traditionally made of carbon fibers, it is this material, more precisely a carbon composite that TUDOR has chosen for the case of its new chronograph. Combined with titanium components, it provides the strength and lightness essential for high-level cycling.

If the mechanical properties were central to the development of this watch, its specific functions were the subject of particular attention, starting with a tachymeter scale taking into account the typical speeds encountered during a bicycle race. This scale, on a chronograph, is generally calibrated for the practice of motor sports, with a minimum of 60 units per hour. The Pelagos FXD Chrono “Cycling Edition” offers a spiral graduation on three turns of the dial, allowing the average speed over a given distance to be established at up to 20 units per hour. This detail allows cyclists to easily determine their pace.

The matte black dial of the Pelagos FXD Chrono “Cycling Edition” emphasizes readability. Its square indexes, characteristic elements of the TUDOR aesthetic since the 1960s, then introduced to obtain a larger luminous surface, are shaped in a luminescent ceramic composite which guarantees optimal reading, at a glance, even in racing conditions. TUDOR's historic angular hands, nicknamed "Snowflake", share the same functional intention. Red touches recall the colors of the TUDOR Pro Cycling Team, notably a tachymeter scale recalibrated for cycling and affixed to the flange inclined at 45° around the perimeter of the dial.

The one-piece fabric strap is one of the signatures of TUDOR which, in 2010, became one of the very first watch brands to offer it with its watches. Handcrafted on 19th century Jacquard shuttle looms by the Julien Faure company in the Saint-Étienne region, in France, its quality, robustness and comfort to wear are unique. For the Pelagos FXD Chrono “Cycling Edition” model, a highly technical strap construction was developed by TUDOR and Julien Faure. Made from durable black Jacquard fabric and equipped with a pin buckle, it is perfect for accompanying cyclists over very long distances.

The Manufacture chronograph Caliber MT5813, which powers the Pelagos FXD Chrono “Cycling Edition” model, is equipped with hours, minutes, seconds, chronograph and date functions. It also features the emblematic matte finish of the TUDOR Manufacture Calibers as well as an openwork one-piece tungsten rotor, another characteristic element of the brand's movements.

Benefiting from a 70-hour “weekend-proof” power reserve and a silicon hairspring, the Caliber Manufacture chronograph MT5813 is certified by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC), with performances going beyond the standards of this independent institution, i.e. –2/+4 seconds per day on the rate of the fully assembled watch. A high-performance movement, it was designed in the purest watchmaking tradition, with a column wheel mechanism and a vertical clutch. In accordance with TUDOR's quality philosophy, it presents exceptional robustness and reliability, guaranteed by a battery of extreme tests, applied to all of the brand's products.

Derived from the Breitling Chronograph Manufacture Caliber 01, with a high-precision regulating organ developed by TUDOR and dedicated finishes, this movement is the result of a lasting collaboration between the two brands.