Tudor Pelagos Ultra Review

Today it seems that Tudor is the darling of the collectors world. Going by various groups I am a member of and posts on Instagram, a large percentage of these collectors have at least one Tudor in their collections. Even though I have been in the industry for over two decades I didn't know much about Tudor and hadn't spent any hands on time with the brand.

For nearly a decade starting in 2009 I became very burnt out with the watch industry and watches in general. Even though I still worked in the industry, I didn't keep up with it at all. This lead to me missing the reintroduction of Tudor back to the United States in 2013 and the launch of the super successful Black Bay and Pelagos collections. Now with my passion towards watches being stronger than it has ever been, I knew I really needed to see what all the fuss was about as it comes to Tudor.



When I started collecting in the very early 2000s there were really two options for watches I wanted to be my first watch… either the Omega Seamaster or the Rolex Submariner. This was a much different time where a new Seamaster 300 could be had for under $3,000 and a new Submariner was available for around $5,000. I ended up going with the Seamaster for two reasons, first I was in college and the extra $2,000 was huge to me and second in Texas it seemed that every dad owned a Submariner, it just wasn't different enough for me.

Many collectors I speak with mention their first watch was a Rolex and this would lead to them being extremely loyal to the brand and owning many different Rolex models during their collecting journeys. I took the other path and that Omega led to another Seamaster and then an IWC. What followed was an interest for more oddball brands and until recently we didn't even have a Rolex in our collection. My wife did buy herself a Rolex Yacht-Master 16622 a few years ago which is the only Rolex we personally own.

So why all the talk about Rolex in a review about a watch from Tudor? Well you can't speak about the history of Tudor without mentioning Rolex. Tudor was created in 1926 by the Swiss watchmaking company Veuve de Philippe Huther for Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf. Wilsdorf's vision for Tudor was to create more affordable timepieces that benefitted from Rolex's exceptional technical expertise and their reputation for quality.



In 1936 Hans Wilsdorf fully took control of Tudor and the rose logo, often on a shield, so associated with Tudor began to appear on the dial of Tudor watches representing the union of strength and grace. 1946 marked the true beginning of Tudor when "Montres TUDOR S.A." was formed in Geneva. Tudor was seen as its own distinct entity with Rolex guaranteeing the quality of timepieces produced by the brand. Many early Tudor models even shared cases and bracelets with their Rolex counterparts.

The first model that received high acclaim for Tudor was the 1952 release of the Oyster Prince. This watch combined the waterproof "oyster" case and self-winding "perpetual" rotor from Rolex watches into a watch from Tudor. This really established Tudor's reputation for reliability and robustness. Two year later Tudor released the Oyster Prince Submariner in 1954. This watch took many of the early dive watch breakthroughs created by the Rolex Submariner and was received extremely well. Various naval forces including the US and French navies began to use Tudor Oyster Prince Submariners. This now gave Tudor the status as a producer of serious professional-grade tool watches.

In the decades to follow Tudor released many notable models including the Advisor which featured a mechanical alarm as well as the Oysterdate Chronograph which signaled Tudor's entrance into the world of professional timing chronographs. By the 1990s and 2000s Tudor saw a decline in the brand and was even withdrawn from the United States market.

Tudor began a tremendous global relaunch in 2009 that saw new collections and as well as a new brand identity. With the introduction of the diver focused Black Bay and Pelagos models Tudor really found its footing in the market. The huge success of these new lines once again saw Tudor re-enter the United States market in 2013. Tudor soon followed up this new market excitement with releasing their own in-house manufacture movement in 2015.



In the decade since, Tudor has really shown a strong interest in pushing boundaries in terms of both watch design and case materials. While the majority of the public prefers dive watches crafted out of stainless steel, that combination just doesn't do anything for me. Over the last few years I've really appreciated that Tudor has been adventurous in this regard releasing watches crafted out of titanium, ceramic and carbon. In my mind this greatly differentiates Tudor from the more buttoned down design approach taken by Rolex.

Initial Thoughts

It has really been the models released by Tudor in high tech case materials that has made me sit up and take notice of the brand. As opposed to just reading about these watches, I recently decided to reach out to Tudor and see if it would be possible to review some of their current pieces. Tudor was beyond receptive and asked us to let them know some models that we were interested in reviewing. I gave them a list of four watches that really caught my eye thinking they'd send one of the four if it was available. Much to my pleasant surprise Tudor actually ended up sending all four watches.

Top on my list was the recently released Pelagos Ultra which was just unveiled at this year's Watches and Wonders. The Pelagos Ultra really grabbed my attention having a larger case size of 43 mm, being crafted out of titanium and having a very respectable 1,000 meters of water resistance. Of the four watches sent, the Ultra was by far the one I was most anxious to get hands on with.



When the watch arrived, the first thing I noticed about it was the extreme legibility of the watch. It's hard to tell from pictures, but in person the contrast of the Pelagos Ultra is just out of this world. The black and white scheme of the dial and bezel just works so well. I've been around tons of dive watches including Fifty Fathoms and Submariners and something about the Pelagos Ultra makes it seem that you're looking at the watch in 4K definition versus the others being in plain HD. Maybe it has something to do with the matte black used on the dial and bezel backgrounds contrasting so well with the stark white markers. It's hard to explain, but something about the color scheme just works.

The next thing I noticed about the Tudor Pelagos Ultra was the excellent bracelet extension and micro-adjustment features. Now if you've read any of my reviews of watches on bracelets you know I've just not a fan of bracelets on watches. I'll take a rubber, leather or fabric strap any day of the week over a metal bracelet. This comes from spending years wearing watches on bracelets with no micro-adjustments during the Texas summers where it's over 100 degrees outside and in the low 70s indoors. This leads to watches that are either way too tight outside or too loose indoors. Even with some recently released watches incorporating micro-adjustments in their bracelets I still can't force myself to wear them.

One of the big advancements that came with the release of the Pelagos Ultra was the over engineered micro-adjustment system housed in the clasp. While the clasp has a pretty standard three position micro-adjustment setting, it also incorporates a spring loaded system that also allows the clasp to expand and contract free of user adjustments when on the wrist. This is an ingenious addition to their "T-fit" clasp and really made the bracelet more enjoyable to wear. Even with this level of adjustment to the bracelet, I soon switched the watch over the included rubber strap I asked Tudor ahead of time to send with the watch knowing that I'd end up wanting to wear the watch on rubber.



The final thing I noticed during my initial time with the Pelagos Ultra was just how lightweight the watch is. On the rubber strap the Ultra weighs in at only 98 grams. Now remember this is a large 43 mm watch with 1,000 meters of water resistance. My Blancpain Fifty Fathoms 500 Fathoms also made out of titanium and having a 1,000 meter water resistance weighs nearly a third more than the Pelagos Ultra. This just translates into a watch that while being large manages to disappear on the wrist while being worn.

Technical Specifications

Now that we've gone over my initial thoughts of the Tudor Pelagos Ultra, let's go ahead and take a look at the technical specifications of the watch. The Pelagos Ultra is crafted out of grade 2 titanium and features a solid grade 5 titanium caseback. The watch has a case diameter of 43 mm and a lug to lug length of 51.8 mm. The watch weighs in at 98 grams and at its thickest point is 14.6 mm tall.

The Pelagos Ultra uses an ever so slightly domed sapphire crystal that has an anti-reflective coating applied to it. Underneath the crystal clear sapphire is the matte black dial. The Tudor logo and branding can be found at 12 o'clock while "Master Chronometer 1000m – 3280ft" and "Swiss Made" are found at 6. Also found at 6 o'clock is the Pelagos branding printed in turquoise which brings a bit of color to the dial where all other markings are done in white. I really like this playful little addition of color to the dial, the Pelagos name isn't essential to the tool watch functionality of the watch and being done in a lower contrast color doesn't sacrifice any of the critical functionality of the watch.



Around the outside dial is a printed minute track with slightly larger markers for each ten minute span. The hour markers are applied and crafted out of luminescent ceramic composite pieces. The markers for 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10 and 11 are squares while 6 and 9 are done in larger rectangles. Tudor uses a large triangle for 12 and at 3 o'clock there is a white backed date window. In low light situations these hour markers glow a strong blue.

Tudor uses the traditional snowflake hour hand and a large minute hand on the Pelagos Ultra. The running seconds hand has a square marker on it. All of the hands are coated with Super-Luminova which appears white in normal lighting conditions. The hour and seconds hands are done with Grade X1 Super-Luminova which appears blue in low light while the minute hand is coated in BGW9 which glows green.

Like I mentioned earlier the combination of the bright white hands and markers on the matte black dial really makes the Pelagos Ultra pop. The main purpose of the dial on a dive watch is legibility and the Pelagos Ultra really excels here. In both daylight and low light situations the dial is extremely easy to decipher. Even though no human will be taking this watch anywhere near 1,000 meters, it's nice to know the visibility is there in spades.



Moving on from the dial is the uni-directional rotating dive bezel with matte black ceramic insert. The bezel insert has a pointer at 12 o'clock and hash marks for each minute interval until 15. Each ten minute interval from 20 on gets an Arabic numeral with large hash marks for the five minute intervals in between. The bezel markers are lumed and glow blue in low light. The circle inside of the pointer at 12 glows green to match the minute hand which is critical for timing a dive.

The bezel action is rock solid with zero back play and each position change results in a satisfying click. The bezel is also nicely scalloped and should be more than easy enough to operate with dive gloves on. Some collectors might expect a bezel with 120 clicks here, but honestly 60 clicks is more than good enough. 120 click bezels have a satisfying feeling to them, but I don't really see the point in setting the bezel between minute markers. The 60 click bezel makes sure than the bezel markers line up perfectly with the minute track on the dial.

The case of the Tudor Pelagos Ultra is completely brushed in finish. The case is crafted out of grade 2 titanium which is a pure form of titanium. While grade 2 isn't as hard as grade 5 it does have a superior grey hue in my opinion and allows the possibility of scratches to oxide and fade back into the watch. Grade 2 titanium also takes to machining better than the higher grade titanium alloys.



Looking at the profile of the case you can see that the lugs slope gently to follow the path of your wrist. The lug length looks proportionate to the size of the watch as well. The left hand side features an automatic helium relief valve which is integrated nicely into the case. While not 100 percent necessary for the depth rating, it does allow the Pelagos Ultra to be used for saturation diving where helium becomes more of an issue.

The right hand side of the case features the large screw down crown protected by two generously sized crown guards. The crown like the bezel is nicely scalloped and should be able to be operated while wearing dive gloves. The top of the crown has an engraving of the Tudor logo as well. Un-screwing the crown allows you to manually wind the automatic movement in the resting position. Pulling the crown out to position one allows you to set the date, while pulling the crown all the way out to position two stops the seconds hand and lets you set the time. Pushing the crown back in causes no jump in the minute hand and screwing the crown in requires no extra care to get the crown to catch. I have to also mention that screwing the crown in on the Pelagos Ultra has been one of the easier crowns I've ever screwed in. So many crowns are a bit finicky when it comes to screwing them back in. After having to repair my Royal Oak Offshore Montoya that the crown got stripped on, I'm very aware of this when handling watches.



The Pelagos Ultra has a lug width of 22 mm and comes with a grade 2 titanium bracelet and a black rubber strap with a grade 2 titanium pin buckle. The bracelet tapers down from 22 mm at the lugs to 18 mm at the clasp. The clasp is locked by a flip lock featuring the Tudor logo. Once flipped up you can then open the clasp by pulling up on the now exposed tab. The top of the clasp has three small cut outs and one longer one, these indicate where the clasp is positioned in terms of micro-adjustments. The clasp offers three default micro-adjustment positions which can be identified by which of the three smaller cutouts have the blue marker inside of them. This marker matches the Pelagos text color on the dial and is also lumed. This might be the first time I've seen lume being used on a clasp for a real purpose besides decoration. Besides allowing the three pre-set micro-adjustments, the clasp of the Pelagos Ultra also has a spring powered expansion feature which allows the bracelet to expand and contract on its own when needed. Finally there is a fold out dive extension that adds another 14 mm of length to the bracelet to fit over lighter weight wetsuits.

The bracelet has a standard three part construction with large center links and smaller end links. Like the rest of the case, the titanium has a brushed finish as well. The removable links are fixed in place using screws, which is my preferred way of sizing a bracelet. While I'm not a huge fan of bracelets, I have to say the bracelet on the Pelagos Ultra was a treat to wear. The micro-adjustments and spring loaded expansion made sure that even going between 100 degree weather outside and 70s indoors, the bracelet always fit like a glove.



I only wore the Pelagos Ultra a few times on the bracelet and quickly swapped the watch to be on the black rubber strap. The strap has less taper than the bracelet going from 22 mm at the lugs down to 20 mm at the titanium pin buckle featuring the Tudor logo. The rubber strap uses part of the first link to attach to the case and doesn't directly connect to the case. This gives the watch a bit more of an integrated look while on the rubber strap and also flares the strap out a bit more than it would if connecting directly to the case.

The rubber is extremely supple and did not require any break in to be comfortable on its first use. The strap has two rubber strap loops and on my 7.25 inch wrist used the fourth of ten pin holes. The back of the strap features a pattern resembling the snowflake hour hand and kept the watch from moving around on my wrist. While the bracelet didn't add much weight to the Pelagos Ultra, the rubber strap is much lighter really making the watch a treat on the wrist.

Flipping the watch over shows the screw down solid grade 5 titanium caseback. While it's not immediately obvious why Tudor would use grade 5 for the case back and grade 2 for all other parts of the watch, the reasoning might be because of the 1,000 meter water resistance the Pelagos Ultra is able to achieve. Grade 5 titanium would ensure the caseback has a significant advantage when it comes to its structural integrity, especially under the extreme pressures you would encounter at 1,000 meters. The caseback features no decoration, just engravings around the outside of the caseback detailing the manufacture caliber. The case and serial numbers are also engraved near the bottom side of the upper lugs.



Underneath the solid caseback beats the manufacture caliber MT5612-U Swiss Made automatic movement. The movement features bidirectional winding and a silicon hairspring. The movement beats away at 28,000 vph (4Hz) and has a power reserve of 65 hours. Tudor takes the step to have the movement inside of the Pelagos Ultra METAS Master Chronometer certified, which means the accuracy of the watch falls between 0 to +5 seconds per day. More stringent testing is also done to confirm the water resistance is true to twenty-five percent over its listed value, so the Pelagos Ultra is actually tested to 1,250 meters. On our timegrapher the Pelagos Ultra showed an accuracy of +1 seconds per day when averaged out over several positions. This is well within METAS Master Chronometer standards.

On The Wrist

As I've already mentioned the majority of the time I wore the Pelagos Ultra it was on the rubber strap. With the watch being crafted out of titanium, having an over 50 mm lug to lug length and being on a rubber strap it fits in perfectly with the watches in my personal collection. This also gave me the ability to compare it to watches I wear everyday from my personal collection. I'm very picky when it comes to my personal watches and the Pelagos Ultra could easily fit in my collection. The combination of a large size and low weight as well as being crafted out of a high tech case material fits right in my wheelhouse.

At 51.8 mm of lug to lug length the Pelagos Ultra covered my 7.25 wrist with a 55 mm flat area perfectly. The 14.6 mm case height also looked proportionate to the case size. The 43 mm case diameter made sure there was enough dial real estate to allow all dial markers to be very legible, which of course is paramount on a professional dive watch. With the 98 gram weight and 22 mm wide rubber strap the watch was not top heavy and stayed centered on my wrist, the watch also disappeared during extended wear time which is rare with larger watches.



To test the legibility of a watch I try to tell the time at a glance while driving. With the extreme contrast found on the dial of the Pelagos Ultra along with the large hands, it was no shock that the watch easily passed my legibility test. The only thing that would have made the watch easier to read at just a quick glance would have been to replace the hour markers with large Arabic numerals, but that would probably have wrecked the look of the watch. Also with the abundant use of lume, the Pelagos Ultra was easy to read in low light, even after extended periods of not being charged by light.

The all black and white aesthetic of the Tudor Pelagos Ultra meant the watch went perfect with my normal dress of a t-shirt, shorts and sneakers. The rubber strap even dressed down the watch further, really blending into my casual attire. I wore the watch pretty much exclusively during the time I had it and the Pelagos Ultra made a great companion for my everyday errands. Like I said earlier, the lightweight nature of the watch really makes sure the watch is out of mind until you need it, never being a distraction on the wrist.

I wore the Pelagos Ultra out to dinner and drinks a few times and to be honest the watch didn't get noticed too much. I feel that had a lot to do with wearing it on the rubber strap instead of the bracelet. The bracelet is brushed in finish as is the watch, so I'm not sure how much more attention it would have received. We live in an area with a ton of stainless steel Rolex sports models, so it really takes something off the wall to get noticed like a UFO on the wrist like a Ulysse Nardin Freak. I did show the watch to a few of my friends while out and they really loved the Pelagos Ultra. Many were surprised it cost less than even the more pedestrian Rolex divers.



Value and Position in the Market

Speaking of price the Tudor Pelagos Ultra retails for $6,100. For that price you're getting a no nonsense professional dive watch fully crafted out of titanium with a staggering 1,000 meters of water resistance. The watch also comes with a full titanium bracelet featuring an ingenious micro-adjustment system as well as a very nice rubber strap and titanium pin buckle. The icing on the cake is the METAS Master Chronometer certified movement with more than enough 65 hours of power reserve. Now would be a great time to look at watches that feature similar specs and features and see how the Pelagos Ultra fairs value wise.

We don't have to go very far to find the first watch to compare in the Sea-Dweller from Rolex. The Sea-Dweller has a 43 mm case that is crafted out of stainless steel (Oystersteel). The Sea-Dweller has the traditional dive watch look pioneered by the Submariner and also has the divisive cyclopes over the date. The Sea-Dweller features a glossy ceramic bezel which is also a point of contention with collectors. The Rolex does have a slightly superior water resistance at 1,200 meters. The Sea-Dweller runs on an in-house automatic caliber with 70 hours of power reserve. The Sea-Dweller is more than double the price of the Pelagos Ultra at $13,750.



Next up we have the T50 from Sinn which is crafted out of titanium and has a case diameter of 41 mm. The T50 is also a dive first watch with luxury taking a back seat. The T50 has half of the water resistance of the Pelagos Ultra at 500 meters. The Sinn uses an off the self Sellita SW 300-1 automatic movement instead of a manufacture or in-house movement and only has 42 hours of power reserve. The T50 on the titanium bracelet retails for $3,960 and does not include an extra strap and buckle. While a little bit less expensive than the Pelagos Ultra, the Sinn T50 does come short in a few key areas.

Moving on we have the Planet Ocean Ultra Deep from Omega which has a 45.5 mm case diameter that is crafted out of titanium. The Ultra Deep is once again a professional dive watch and offers a mind bending 6,000 meters of water resistance. The watch is powered by an in-house automatic movement with a little bit less power reserve at 60 hours. The titanium version of the Ultra Deep only comes on a NATO style strap and the case has solid lugs which stops the watch from being used on straps or bracelets, only one piece fabric straps work here. The Ultra Deep is much more expensive than the Pelagos Ultra at $14,300.

Finally we have the Fifty Fathoms 500 Fathoms from Blancpain which has a 48 mm case crafted out of titanium. Like the Pelagos Ultra the 500 Fathoms has a water resistance of 1,000 meters and is a professional focused dive watch. Like the Pelagos Ultra took its design language from the early Rolex and Tudor Submariners, the 500 Fathoms took inspiration from the other pioneer in the dive watch world, the Fifty Fathoms. The 500 Fathoms is powered by an in-house automatic movement with 120 hours of power reserve. The 500 Fathoms is also much more expensive than the Pelagos Ultra at $29,100.



Comparing the Tudor Pelagos Ultra to these four watches you can see how great of a value it is. While the Sinn might be a little bit less expensive than the Tudor, it has a good deal of compromises. The Seamaster Ultra Deep offers a lot more water resistance, but other than that it's hard to justify the cost being more than twice as much as the Pelagos Ultra. I own the Fifty Fathoms 500 Fathoms and love it, but when looking at retail prices it's really hard to argue that it should cost nearly five times as much. Finally if I had to pick between the Sea-Dweller and Pelagos Ultra, I'd go for the Tudor regardless of price. I find the titanium case construction and muted finishes of the Pelagos Ultra for more than the more luxurious look of the Sea-Dweller.

Closing Thoughts

So in the end is the Tudor Pelagos Ultra for me? You know I really didn't know what to expect from Tudor before these four watches arrived. I'm pretty versed in Rolex and thought maybe they would just seem like less expensive Rolexes, which to be honest was the original intent of the brand. After spending a good deal of time with the Pelagos Ultra I can honestly say these are not just cheaper Rolexes.



To be frank, I prefer the Tudor Pelagos Ultra to any watch Rolex currently offers. I have a very narrow set of guidelines I follow when looking at watches I collect personally. The two most important factors are being over 50 mm lug to lug length and being crafted out of ceramic, titanium or carbon. As modern tastes have shifted to smaller case sizes and most people prefer the heft of stainless steel it's becoming harder and harder to find watches that fit to my tastes. The Pelagos Ultra has both of those traits covered and it's extremely high contrast no nonsense professional look really wins me over.

Since I have acquired my three personal grail pieces, I find myself being more interested in watches that I could live with everyday for extended wears over dream watches. The Pelagos Ultra is definitely one of those watches. I've worn the watch for hours on end and never have I wanted to take it off. I could imagine the watch would also be extremely fun to wear on a beach vacation as well. Most 1,000 meter plus rated watches wear like hockey pucks, but Tudor was able to keep the height down on the Pelagos Ultra. I feel if they would have gone any thinner the watch might have been disproportionate. So yeah, the Tudor Pelagos Ultra is definitely for me.



So would I recommend the Pelagos Ultra to somebody looking for a serious dive watch? I mean of course I would… A lot of times there are little things here and there that I can nitpick and that really isn't the case with this watch. To be honest a dive watch is pretty straight forward and there really isn't too much you can mess up, but brands still find ways to, which Tudor is not guilty of with the Pelagos Ultra. Tudor just went out and built an excellent dive watch with a deadly accurate manufacture movement and kept the price very reasonable. Sure 1,000 meters of water resistance is overkill, but it's nice to know that the watch has been over engineered and can easily take anything you dish out at it. I'd say that if you were looking at Tudor as a second choice to Rolex or possibly Omega, that you owe it to yourself to look at some of their more professional models and see if they perhaps appeal to you more in person.

After my time with the Tudor Pelagos Ultra I've come away really impressed with the level of watch Tudor produces. It has served as an excellent introduction to the brand for me and I can see why so many collectors love their Tudors. The Pelagos Ultra will really be one of those watches I miss as soon as it's time to send it back. With that being said, I've only spent brief time with the other three watches Tudor sent and I'm very excited to experience some other watches from the brand. Stay tuned and we'll have our next Tudor review up shortly.



For more information about the Pelagos Ultra please visit : Tudor

Technical Specifications

Reference Number: M2543C1A7NU-0001

Retail Price: $6,100

Case Size: 43 mm

Lug to Lug: 51.8 mm

Thickness: 14.6 mm

Weight: 98 grams

Case Material: Grade 2 Titanium

Bezel: Ceramic

Strap: Titanium Bracelet with Adjustable Deployant Clasp / Black Rubber Strap with Titanium Pin Buckle

Movement: Manufacture MT5612-U Swiss Made Automatic

Functions: Hours, Minutes, Seconds, Date

Power Reserve: 65 Hours

Water Resistance: 1,000 Meters