Tudor Just Dropped The New Pelagos 39 And Here’s What I Have To Say

When I logged into Instagram today, my homepage was flooded with Tudor’s new drop – the Pelagos 39.  I was pretty amazed, and surprised by this wonderful news, but then it hit me – should this watch really exist?

Where The Pelagos Stands In Tudor’s Lineup

For those of you who are unaware of Tudor’s “dive watch hierarchy”, so to speak, you can classify it into two levels, really. First off, you have your Black Bays – the BB36, the BB Pro, the BB41, and of course, the fan favourite – the one and only Black Bay 58. Of course, these watches are more of your entry-level divers. Sure, they’re tremendous watches, and they pretty much cater to everyone who’s looking for a solid toolwatch that offers great value for money. I wouldn’t go as far as calling it a “poor man’s Rolex”, though. Although, to be fair, that’s another debate for another day. Now, back to the Tudor Black Bay.

If you like your sports watches classic, slim, and slender, you have the Black Bay 36. If you’re looking for something chunkier, you have the Black Bay 41. And if you’re looking for the “one” to rule them all, you have the classic 39 mm Black Bay Fifty-Eight. If vintage Rolex Explorer IIs are your thing, you have the Black Bay Pro. And if you, for some reason decided that the Rolex GMT-Master II feels a tad bit too small on your wrist, you have the Black Bay 41 GMT. Last, but not least, if you’re the kind of guy who thinks that the Omega Speedmaster doesn’t have enough water resistance (even though you and I both know it does), you have the Black Bay Chronograph. Like I said, not only does everybody get their slice of cake – they also feel pretty happy eating it.

But if you were a special forces officer who decided that the Black Bay isn’t really going to make the cut, Tudor does have the perfect watch for you. It’s called the Pelagos, and well, it takes whatever the Black Bay offers, and dials it up a notch. While the water resistance of the Black Bay series does vary at a respectable range from 150 to 200 meters of water resistance depending on what spec you choose, the Pelagos doubles that at 500. To put that into perspective, that’s 100 meters less than an Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean, but 200 meters more than a Rolex Submariner. In other words, it’s pretty darn good.

It doesn’t even end there – look at the metal used, for instance. The Black Bay uses steel, which offers a comfortable wearing experience on the wrist. But the Pelagos uses titanium, because it’s lighter, stronger, and more durable. Next up, there’s the fact that it has a helium escape valve that engages automatically, which means that any excess gases that enter the watch due to high pressure, leave on their own. Oh, and did I mention the clasp? While the standard Black Bay series uses a friction-fit clasp with ceramic bearings to ensure a solid wearing experience on the wrist, the Pelagos has a spring-loaded clasp that has the option of automatically extending itself if you put it on top of a diver’s wetsuit, aside from your standard “on-the-fly” adjustment settings. Even Rolex, Tudor’s parent company, haven’t managed to achieve that!

So, What Went Wrong?

A lot of Tudor fanboys have been toying around with the idea of Tudor releasing a Pelagos in the “goldilocks” size of 39 millimeters, and I would certainly agree with them. Given how Tudor has also been lately, they do have a history of listening to what their fans say, and consequently went ahead with releasing the Pelagos 39. Objectively, if you take a look at the spec-sheet of that watch, it’s actually pretty good. But at the same time, it’s also where the problem lies.

You see, my issue with the Pelagos 39 doesn’t lie with the fact that it’s 39mm in diameter. After all, Rolex have also done something similar by launching the Sea-Dweller (Rolex’s Pelagos equivalent) in a similar 40mm size, albeit for a very short production run.

My issue lies in the fact that there’s been a decrease in specification when it comes to its ability to perform as a dive watch. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still an excellent timekeeper, but here’s the thing – gone are the 500 meters of water resistance, that’s been replaced with 200. Gone is the helium escape valve (although, to be fair, I don’t really mind because it’s pretty redundant unless you’re a saturation diver) and that ridiculously over-engineered clasp I mentioned earlier. When Rolex temporarily shrank the Sea-Dweller from 42 to 40mm, they didn’t really compromise on any of the technical specifications that made the Sea-Dweller what it was. And while you can argue that it was a slightly more beefed-up Submariner, Rolex still ensured that there were very distinct differences in both technical specifications and wearing experiences when it came to comparing the 40mm Sea-Dweller, and its younger brother, the Rolex Submariner (also in 40mm). At least the Sea-Dweller made sense, because it appealed to people who wanted that level of technical sophistication, but didn’t have the wrists to pull off the SD42.

I wouldn’t have had a problem with these specifications if it weren’t for a slight catch – the specifications of the Pelagos are pretty much identical to the Black-Bay 58. Which begs the question – if Tudor already has their ultimate “enthusiast favourite, high-low diver”, why would they create another one? As it is, so many people buy Black Bay 58s. Moreover, I can say with some degree of conviction that most people who do want a watch at this price point do expect a certain heft associated with their watch, and will be more inclined to choose the BB58. Not only do both of them have the same case diameter and movement, the BB58, by virtue of being a stainless steel watch will feel more heavier on the wrist compared to the ultra-light Pelagos. Because of this, the BB58 will end up wearing a lot more chunkier.

Sure, okay, one of the reasons why you can justify buying the Pelagos 39 in terms of aesthetics is because the BB58 is a bit too formal, and has a bit too much faux-vintage characteristics. But then Tudor has also got you covered there with the BB58 “Blue”, which pretty much dials the vintage aesthetic down a bit. In so many ways, this watch doesn’t really do justice to the Pelagos name, and what it means to be the ultimate benchmark for Tudor when it comes to making a quality dive watch.

After all, if the BB58 ain’t broke, why “fix” it with the Pelagos 39?

In Defense Of The Pelagos 39

Yes, I’ve pretty much dissed the Pelagos 39. But I can’t help but say that this watch in particular is an even bigger throwback to Rolex and Tudor Submariners from the 1970s and 1980s, especially with the Tudor “Snowflake” and the Rolex “Red Sub”. In a way, where the Black Bay is a throwback towards the first couple of Rolex Submariners from the mid 1950s to the early 1970s, the Pelagos 39 picks up where the venerable BB58 left off, continuing to revive historic design cues of the greats of the past.

Change Image   |   Delete Image(Here’s an image of the legendary Rolex “Red Sub” ref. 1680, for reference. Note how the lume plots, bezel font, bracelet design, and case design are incredibly similar. Not to mention, like the “Red Sub”, the “Pelagos” font is also in a similar shade, which could show a throwback to this vintage Rolex reference)

This actually does make me question – is the “Submariner” era back for Tudor? After all, the Pelagos 39 is the watch that very closely resembles the legendary Rolex 1680, and if you’re someone who’s looking for a neo-vintage throwback, the Pelagos 39 might actually end up doing a better job than the BB58. That, and the Pelagos is 0.1 mm thinner, and while that doesn’t really make a huge difference on paper, it definitely gives the watch an extremely different profile. I guess I can see where this is going. Plus, if this wasn’t evident earlier, Tudor have democratised the Pelagos by making it a more universally wearable piece.

It is the aesthetics of this watch that serves as its greatest redeeming factor. And realistically, even owners of the standard Pelagos probably don’t even take their watch near a pool, let alone dive 500 meters to the depths of the ocean. But to be very honest, a 39 mm Pelagos with all the fancy tech that comes with the standard model would’ve honestly been pretty darn cool. Yes, nobody will use the automatically-engaging helium escape valve, and yes, the spring loaded clasp leans towards the direction of overkill. But isn’t that the whole point of the Pelagos?

Change Image   |   Delete Image(Here’s another image of both the classic BB58 and the BB58 blue – both incredibly competent dive watches that the Pelagos 39 has to prove itself against in the Tudor lineup)

So, What Happens Next?

The Pelagos 39 is an absolutely outstanding dive watch, and while I’m not the biggest Tudor guy, it does seem to be that Tudor might just have the perfect “budget” alternative against its bigger brother, the Rolex Submariner. Sure, you can wear it fly-fishing, and sure, you can wear it with a suit. It pretty much checks all the boxes that you expect any watch from the house of Tudor to check, and I can see that for some, it might be the “one-watch” collection (don’t lie though, we know that won’t happen). And just like any Rolex and Tudor release, the internet is going gaga over it, further cementing this watch’s reputation as something that might just be the “next future classic”.

Yet I can’t help but think – while it is a great dive watch, is it a great Pelagos?

I’ll let you decide.