Earlier this year Tudor resurrected its partnership with France’s navy, the Marine Nationale, some two decades after it last supplied military-spec Submariners to the navy’s divers.

Now the brand has finally revealed a project two years in the making, the Pelagos FXD “Marine Nationale”. Developed together with the members of the Commando Hubert, the navy’s elite combat divers, the Pelagos FXD is an actual military issue timepiece – the unit’s divers wear the same watch during operations – with fixed bars and a no-nonsense aesthetic.

The Pelagos FXD is a time-only diver just like the Submariner ref. 9401/0 “MN” issued to divers of the French navy in the 1970s

Initial thoughts

Images of a Commando Hubert graduation ceremony appeared online several months ago, revealing the watch. So the Pelagos FXD was expected, but still manages to surprise. It is clearly a nod to the ref. 9401/0 “MN” of the 1970s – nicknamed “snowflake” after its hands and dial – and is as close to a vintage Submariner as a modern Tudor can be. But it still has a few extras appeal to military watch aficionados.

The fabric strap has a Velcro fastener so it can be adjusted more precisely to any wrist size

Most notable are the lugs, which are a reinterpretation of the fixed bars found on vintage military-issue dive watches. They form one piece with the case, making the connection between the case and strap far more robust. It’s certainly over-engineered for anyone who isn’t a combat diver, but it is a genuine element that’s neither decorative nor artificial.

In fact, the fixed lugs arguably put the Pelagos FXD in the same category as the quirky P01 – both are “tool” watches that are clearly catered to a niche audience, though the Pelagos FXD is the only one that is legitimately military spec.

There’s one less line of text at six o’clock as the dial does without “ROTOR SELF-WINDING” that’s found on the standard Pelagos

Another important detail is the omission of a date, which is a first for a Pelagos since its debut in 2012. And the bezel is entirely new, being a bidirectional, countdown bezel that is slightly wider than usual – a crucial tool for combat divers performing underwater navigation.

And because the date has been omitted, the Pelagos FXD is 1.5 mm thinner than the standard model, giving it a surprisingly flat profile on the wrist for a true “tool” watch.

The FXD on the rubber strap, which has a conventional pin buckle

Can the Pelagos FXD get better? Maybe but not by much. It has a water resistance of 200 m, which is more than enough for combat divers – the vintage Submariner “MN” had the same rating – but less than the 500 m of the standard Pelagos. At the same time, it isn’t METAS-certified like the Black Bay Ceramic launched a few months ago.

At US$3,900, the Pelagos FXD is competitively priced just all Tudor watches. In fact, it’s one of the brand’s highest-spec’d watches, making it one of Tudor’s most compelling offerings.

The matte ceramic bezel is entirely “lumed”

Marine Nationale

Tudor started supplying watches to the French Navy almost since the brand started making dive watches. In fact, the relationship began in 1954 – just a year after Rolex introduced the Submariner – when it supplied the navy with the ref. 7922, the brand’s first-ever dive watch.

But the quintessential Tudor military-issue diver is definitely the Submariner ref. 9401/0 “MN” that two decades later. Crucially, the ref. 9401/0 had a few features that set it apart from a Rolex dive watch, making it unique to Tudor. Most obvious are the blue dial and bezel, but the “snowflake” hands and square markers are its defining feature.

Being the iconic dive watch of the French Navy, the ref. 9401/0 “MN” was a natural choice as the inspiration for the Pelagos FXD.

The ref. 9401/0 “MN” better known as the “Snowflake”

One of the most important historically inspired details is the engraving on the case back, which is unusual for a modern-day Tudor, which typically have plain backs.

The back is engraved with Marine National logo, and also “M.N.21”, short for “Marine Nationale” and the year of production, a reference to the French navy’s numbering convention on the vintage Tudor “MN” watches.

Vintage military-issue dive watches were similarly marked with “M.N.” followed by the year of issue, for instance “80”

Key facts and price

Tudor Pelagos FXD
Ref.M25707B/21-0001

Diameter: 42 mm
Height: 12.75 mm
Material: Titanium case with steel case back
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 200 m

Movement: MT5602
Functions: Hours, minutes, and seconds
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz)
Power reserve: 70 hours

Strap: Fabric strap with Velcro closure, and additional rubber strap

Availability: Now at Tudor boutiques and retailers
Price: US$3,900; or 5,370 Singapore dollars

For more, visit Tudorwatch.com.