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Tudor Debuts New Pelagos FXD Chrono And Time-Only “Alinghi Red Bull Racing" Watches

Tudor and America’s Cup contender Alinghi Red Bull Racing have been in partnership since 2022.
This time, the Swiss brand has launched two new watches including a chronograph and time-only Alinghi Red Bull Racing editions composed of carbon, titanium and stainless steel.
Derived from the fixed (FXD) strap bars adorning the 42mm steel models, these new blue dial watches take their influence from former novelties Tudor manufactured for the French Navy during the 1950’s.
Featuring identical tones and materials found on the AC75 racing yacht like titanium, carbon and steel, both watches provide an individual 22mm strap made from fabric, a signature of classic Tudor manufacturing since 2010.
Evoking racing spirit with carbon cases, it's a far cry from the military purpose of the original Pelagos FXD. Instead, these new blue watches house a bidirectional 120-notch rotatable bezel rather than a unidirectional bezel, as seen in the majority of dive watches.

When Was Tudor Pelagos FXD Released?

No, we don’t have time to digress over the popularity of the Tudor Pelagos 39. That was so 2022, yet remains one of the best dive watches for men to date. But how about the original Pelagos FXD?

Launched in 2021 as a response to satisfying the requirements of the Marine Nationale or French Navy, this military inspired blue dial piece delves to new horological depths, bringing with it its identifiable fixed bar strap aesthetics. Legend has it, navy divers were involved in suggesting these particular straps with its design as pragmatic as Jose Mourinho’s tactics.

But this strap bar design really turned out to be the “Special One”, delivering a significant contrast from the usual standard of other dive watches within the horological community. What’s more, other elements like the oceanic accent resonating from the dial and bezel as well as the lume and bi-directional bezel functions were thanks to the Marine Nationale (apparently). Merci Beaucoup.

Yes mon ami, the COSC-certified Tudor Pelagos FXD was a horological hit with plenty of vintage box ticking such as the iconic “Snowflake hands” together with in-house MT5602 movement, 200 metres of water resistance and 70 hour power reserve.

Personality Of The Tudor Pelagos FXD Chrono

Tudor are extremely late to the yachting table. Whilst their bigger brother Rolex have been in the yachting game for decades as official sponsors of numerous regattas such as the Rolex Swan Cup and Big Boat Series, Tudor did not sign their long term partnership with Red Bull Alinghi until 2022.

Source: Tudor

But time waits for no man…or yacht for that matter! The first ever chronograph watch to find itself nestled into the Tudor Pelagos FXD lineup, it’s a tad bigger on the wrist at 43mm. Combining titanium, steel and carbon composite with a number of similar features seen on the original Pelagos FXD.

From its blue and red accents that here reflect Red Bull’s colours to 200 metres of water resistance, the new Tudor Pelagos FXD Chronograph edition is a marvellous addition to the Pelagos stable…with a small resemblance to the hull of the AC75 yacht that it is influenced by.

There’s a second hand with a red tip not to mention a duo of chronograph counters located at 3 o’ clock and 9 o’clock. The date aperture can be seen at 6 o’clock while the flange ring showcases “Alinghi Red Bull Racing”, adding to the overall look and energetic racing spirit of the blue dial. This is yacht racing time peeps, but not as we know it.

Source: Tudor

On to the dial and here is where you’ll discover a host of retro touches on these watches. For starters, vintage nerds will go nuts for the classic square hour markers, packed with Super-Luminova grade X1 and the iconic “Snowflake” hands design which the brand dreamed up in their horological lab during the 60s.

Chunky blocks of lume are a definite tick in our timekeeping box. Composed of carbon composite, this results in a brighter lume area as well as higher visibility in darker conditions which is executed perfectly on this new blue-dial timepiece.

The new Tudor Pelagos FXD Chronograph watch keeps an expert eye on countdowns thanks to the 60 to zero bezel with the pushers benefitting from not being screwed in. This ensures simplicity of usage when in the heat of competition.

MT5813 Movement

Want to buy a Tudor with a weekend-proof movement? Look no further gents. The new Tudor Pelagos FXD Chronograph has it in abundance with a 70 hour power reserve.

MT5813 movement Source: Watchbase

COSC certified, the MT5813 automatic movement is forward thinking and comes with a silicon hairspring boasting anti-magnetic properties, tungsten openwork monobloc rotor, vertical clutch design finishes and a column-wheel.

Beating at 4Hz, the new Tudor Pelagos FXD Chronograph Alinghi Red Bull Racing Edition is as precise as a Venus Fly-Trap capturing its prey at -2/+4 seconds daily. Did you know the movement is based on the Breitling B01 movement? As entry-level luxury watches go, they are really catching up to its ahem, bigger brother.

Especially with providing affordable B01 derived calibres which are far pricier in many Breitling watches. Heck, if it’s in the marketing blurb, it surely must only be a great thing for enthusiasts and would-be collectors.

More on Breitling Premier B01 Chronograph;

Question Time: Should You Buy The New Breitling Premier B01 Premier 42mm Anniversary Watches

With a matt black finish, this timepiece has been tested to the max on each chronograph that has been put together. Like one of those sixth formers, who aced his exams without much effort, this movement is a bit of a high performer.

Clean, top-quality and in line with the brand’s watchmaking mantra, it is extremely hardy, accurate and guaranteed to not let you down…well for nearly three days anyway due to its stringent testing procedures.

Other Specs

- Case Thickness: 13.6mm

- Reference: 25807KN

- Case Material: Carbon with stainless steel

- Dial colour: blue and red matching “Alinghi Red Bull Racing" colours

- Strap: Single piece titanium D-buckle strap made from fabric with fixed bars

How Much Does A Tudor Pelagos FXD Chrono Cost?

Capturing the spirit of both brand and “Alinghi Red Bull Racing" in one tempting timepiece, you can buy a Tudor Pelagos FXD Chrono for £4,250 as of July 2023.

Personality Of The Tudor Pelagos FXD Alinghi Red Bull Racing - Non Chrono Version

Measuring 1 mm smaller at 42mm, the new time-only Tudor Pelagos FXD Alinghi Red Bull Racing is packed full of identical elements found on the Tudor Pelagos FXD Chrono.

Source: Tudor

You will notice the same matte blue dial and red accents, carbon composite cases, titanium pushers and 60-minute countdown scales packed full of lume. The caseback has the etching of the Alinghi Red Bull Racing team while it also has the fixed bars and one piece fabric strap. This is made in France from “Team Blue” by Julien Faure on Jacquard looms from the 1800s.

Source: Tudor

The design of this new novelty is almost identical to what came before on the previous Pelagos FXD iteration. It is rounded off with a black bezel, Snowflake hands, red hues around the second hand not to mention the brand name and applied hour indicators in a monobloc format.

With 200 metres of water resistance, make waves with the new Tudor Pelagos FXD Alinghi Red Bull Racing in and out of the pool, windsurfing or strolling down Santa Monica.

MT5602 Movement

The time-only Pelagos FXD Alinghi Red Bull Racing watch is powered by the COSC-certified MT5602 calibre. The tolerance range is as meticulous as a Monet painting to the nth degree with a range of -2/+4 seconds.

MT5602 movement, Source: Watchbase

The movement boasts all the normal aspects we have come to expect from such a pioneering brand like the weekend-proof 70 hour power reserve, anti-magnetic silicon hairspring and variable inertia balance.

Other Specs

- Case Height 12.7mm

- Case material: Sapphire

- Crown: Titanium screw-down

- Functions: hours, minutes, seconds

- Reference: 25707KN

- Strap style: Titanium D-buckle

How Much Does A Tudor Pelagos FXD Non-Chrono Version Cost?

You can buy a Tudor Pelagos FXD Non-Chrono version for £3,070 at the time of writing.

Do Tudor Watches Hold Value?

Are Tudor watches good investments? Do Tudors have good resale value? These are just some of the questions we will explore. Firstly, some of the most popular Tudor watches will more likely than not hold their value well including the iconic Black Bay 58 and the recent Black Bay 54 launched at Watches and Wonders 2023.

Black Bay 54, Source: Tudor

Furthermore, there are other determining factors to take into account if Tudor watches hold value. This is based on scarcity, supply and demand not to mention current market prices and popularity. So, do Tudor watches retain value? Short and top of it is rarity plays a key role especially if the timepiece has a limited supply. This results in an increased market price.

Sought after watches such as the Tudor Submariner tend to go for bigger amounts of money as hungry horologists attempt to add them to their new or existing collection. Naturally, when you buy a Tudor which is either rare or vintage, it will both potentially hold and increase in value over time. This is a determining factor when the time comes to sell your Tudor. With intricate hand assembly and a first rate production process, it is no surprise that most of these watches already hold value.

What Are The Best Tudor Watches To Invest In?

Since its inception during the 1920’s, Tudor has graced the horological sphere with a plethora of impressive watches. Established in 1946 by none other than Rolex head honcho Hans Wilsdorf, the brand has become more and more popular over time for those time peeps looking to invest.

Submariner ref. 7924, Source: Tudorcollector

Tudor is finally stepping out of the horological shadow cast by Rolex, delivering several potential investment watches that are not just timeless but are ideal for investment. This should be your only go-to source when looking for the best Tudor watches to invest in which include some of the following watches;

Submariner (in particular ref. 7924)
Black Bay 58 Bronze
Pelagos 39
Black Bay GMT
Glamour Double Date
1926

What’s Our View?

The chronograph version is a real step forward as far as the Pelagos FXD is concerned and will no doubt prove to be a hot horological ticket for enthusiasts and collectors alike. Fitting nicely into the Pelagos stable, the new case material and chronograph version are genuine standouts in the FXD range.

Tying into regatta style watches and yacht racing, you might say they are evolving at a steady speed of knots, showcasing how Tudor are at the forefront of contemporary sports watches.

Conclusion

There are far more pros than cons when analysing the new Pelagos FXD Chrono And Time-Only Pelagos FXD “Alinghi Red Bull Racing" Watches. First off, the yacht racing theme ties in well with the America’s Cup which has been seen throughout time across many brands like Rolex.

Despite being late to the yacht-racing game, Tudor has still managed to showcase and showboat its array of features. From its in-house movement, bold blue dial and new carbon composite cases to a weekend proof movement and quality materials, the Pelagos FXD chronograph is our pick of this dual presentation.

Whilst it might not tick some timekeeping boxes for some enthusiasts concerning the fixed strap bar design, it is certainly a racy little number!

Looking to buy a Tudor watch the smart way? Want to sell a Tudor for the best possible price? It’s time to discuss your purchase or sale with Chrono Hunter. Contact us here to receive multiple offers from our established selection of luxury watch retailers.

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