The Tudor Pelagos FXD Chrono Cycling Edition

You might remember that, a bit over a year ago, we’ve shared with you the story of one of our editors (Xavier, an avid cyclist himself) participating in a training camp with the recently formed Tudor Pro Cycling Team. Part of the trip, and of great interest for us as a watch magazine, was the discovery of an unseen-before watch, a special edition of the Black Bay Chrono Dark. Back then, this watch was a so-called team watch, not available to the general public. Well, it turns out that Tudor has decided on this late Friday evening to treat us, right after Watches and Wonders, with yet another novelty. And it’s this new Tudor Pelagos FXD Chrono Cycling Edition.

It’s a surprise to see Tudor releasing a watch related to cycling based on the FXD concept – an acronym related to the “fixed” nature of the lugs that were first introduced on the FXD Marine Nationale. What’s less surprising is that we’re looking at a chronograph watch, but then again, not any chronograph, and certainly not a Black Bay Chrono. This Cycling Edition is based on the Pelagos FXD Chrono which, up until now, was only available as an Alinghi Red Bull Racing Edition. Once again, the FXD Chrono remains a themed watch linked to some of the brand’s sports sponsorships.

Basically, apart from some details and colours, this new Pelagos FXD Chrono Cycling Edition shares the same platform as the Alinghi version. As such, it is housed in a fixed-lugs 43mm case that has the specificity of being made from carbon composite, with a matte black finish. Light and durable, which makes a lot of sense in the context of cycling, it is paired with a fixed bezel with a precision 60-minute scale and direct-action pushers – no screw-down pushers here, like the BB Chrono. Also, the blackened titanium crown is protected by pointy guards (a hallmark of the Pelagos collection) and the back is solid titanium too. Water-resistance, a neglectable factor for a cyclist, is comfortable enough at 100m.

The main evolution concerns the dial of this Pelagos FXD Chrono Cycling Edition, which has been given a specific black and red treatment (no pink here, despite the brand’s communication currently and recent chrono, the team is riding in red), as well as unique touches on the inner flange. Printed on a 45-degree rehaut is a re-calibrated tachymeter scale whose inner ring focuses on the speeds that cyclists ride at, and not the usual 500-to-60 units per hour found on most motorsport-oriented chronographs. The rest is typical Pelagos FXD, with large white Snowflake hands and squared blocks to mark the hours. These are fashioned from luminescent ceramic composite. The sub-dials are also discreetly framed in red.

Inside the case, no surprises as we have the calibre MT5813, which is based on a Breitling movement, reworked with a silicon hairspring and several minor upgrades. This automatic chrono is COSC certified (with Tudor’s -2/+4 tolerance), runs at 4Hz, features a column-wheel and vertical clutch architecture and boasts a comfortable 70h power reserve.

Worn on a black single-piece fabric strap (woven in France by Julien Faure company), the Tudor Pelagos FXD Chrono Cycling Edition reference 25827KN is a special, non-limited edition. It will be priced at EUR 5,390 or CHF 4,850. For more details, please visit tudorwatch.com.