Chasing Cancellara and Testing the Tudor Pelagos FXD Chrono Cycling Edition

Two years ago, Tudor announced its entry into the world of cycling, partnering with cycling legend Fabian Cancellara to create the Tudor Pro Cycling Team. Tudor soon developed a special edition Black Bay Chrono Dark for the team, which we discovered during a training camp with the team in early 2023. Just a few weeks ago, on the occasion of the Giro d’Italia, Tudor presented its first commercially available cycling-themed watch, the Tudor Pelagos FXD Chrono Cycling Edition, which we were fortunate enough to test for a few days. To give the watch the best possible chance to impress us, I even wore it in its “natural” environment during one of the most demanding one-day amateur cycling races in Switzerland, the 2024 Bern-Zermatt endurance event from the Chasing Cancellara series.

The “Chasing Cancellara” endurance event

Chasing Cancellara is an amateur cycling endurance event organised by Swiss cycling icon Fabian Cancellara, a double Olympic champion, multiple world champion, and the winner of seven monuments and eight stages at the Tour de France, among other accomplishments. In addition to organising this event, Fabian Cancellara partnered with Tudor to create the professional cycling team, Tudor Pro Cycling.

Part of the Chasing Cancellara series, the Bern-Zermatt event challenges participants with a gruelling course that covers over 310 kilometres and 5,000 meters of ascent. The route is surrounded by stunning natural scenery and culminates in the city located at the foot of the Matterhorn, making it one of the most demanding one-day amateur cycling races in Switzerland. I participated in the Relay category, teaming up with my colleague Lex Stolk from Fratello. While we started and finished together, we could relay and split the rest of the course, which still meant over 185 kilometres in the saddle for me.

The race began early at 3 o’clock in the Swiss capital, Bern, and quickly took us into the Gantrisch area. As dawn broke, we faced the day’s toughest challenges: the Alpine passes of Riffenmatt, Mittelberg, and the Col du Pillon. Along the way, we were treated to the breathtaking scenery of the Gruyère and Gstaad regions. After descending the Col du Pillon, the road led us through the Rhône Valley, battling strong headwinds from Aigle to Visp. The final hurdle was a gruelling 28-kilometre climb to Zermatt under heavy rain… before a well-deserved beer at the finish line. Exhausted but happy about our ride across Switzerland.

The Tudor Pelagos FXD Chrono Cycling Edition

As its name suggests, the Pelagos FXD Chrono Cycling Edition is a cycling-themed Pelagos with among its main specificities a carbon composite case and a black dial with a cycling-specific tachymeter scale.

Measuring 43mm in diameter, the round case showcases pump-style pushers along with a screw-down crown protected by distinctive guards. Crafted from a single-block black, matt-finished carbon composite case complemented by titanium elements, it is lightweight, robust and offers excellent bio-compatibility. No need to mention these materials are favoured in racing bikes. The carbon does not feature any pattern. The diving DNA of the Pelagos has been altered with the cycling connection. The case has a fixed bezel with a 60-minute scale. The water resistance rating has been “reduced” to 100m, which will still be sufficient for those leading sporty, active lifestyles. This also allowed Tudor to slightly reduce the case profile at 13.2mm versus 13.6mm for the Alinghi Red Bull Racing edition.

The matt black dial comes in a typical Tudor style, and features square hour markers and “Snowflake” hands. Its red accents on the counter and tachymeter are a nod to Tudor Pro Cycling’s colours. I would have favoured a brighter red however to bring more contrast. The use of luminescent ceramic composite blocks makes up for optimal legibility in challenging conditions. Last, the tachymeter scale coils 4 times on the flange to be calibrated to measure speeds that cyclists ride at (while still measuring speeds up to 240 units/hour). This does make a lot more sense than a traditional tachymeter scale calibrated for a car or a plane.

The Tudor Pelagos FXD Chrono Cycling Edition is powered by the automatic calibre MT5813. It is based on the Breitling B01 with a few Tudor tweaks including an antimagnetic silicon oscillator. With it, you get a modern high-grade chronograph whose integrated architecture features a column wheel and vertical clutch. It drives a bi-compax layout with a small second at 9 o’clock and a 45-minute chronograph subdial at 3 o’clock. The date is displayed at 6 o’clock. It runs at 28,800 vibrations/hour and its precision is chronometer-certified by the COSC. The power reserve is comfortable at about 70 hours.

The Tudor Pelagos FXD Chrono Cycling Edition is presented on a one-piece fabric strap held by fixed strap bars (hence the FXD name, for fixed – first seen on the Marine Nationale) and closed by a pin buckle. On the wrist, it looks great, combining a discreet appearance with a sporty vibe. At 43mm it is admittedly a rather large watch but wears surprisingly well considering the size. The stealthy black case gives it a smaller feel than the actual diameter suggests. Its lightweight carbon/titanium case makes it practically comfortable too. You almost forget it is on your wrist.

The cycling-themed tachymeter scale adds a nice sporty touch. Like for motorsport-inspired tachymeters, most people won’t use this functionality often – if ever. Cyclists rely on GPS and computers. Yet, this feature enhances the watch’s appeal for cycling enthusiasts (like me), creating a special connection. And last but not least, you don’t need to be into cycling to enjoy this watch. Like all FXDs, it is simply a great, robust, good-looking watch. It is versatile enough to be used on weekends, at the office or on a bike. It is been a real pleasure to have it on my wrist for a few days and during this memorable experience…

The Tudor Pelagos FXD Chrono Cycling Edition comes with a 5-year warranty and retails for CHF 4,950 or EUR 5,390, which does seem fair with what you get. For more information, please visit www.tudorwatch.com.