Introducing: The New Tudor Pelagos FXD GMT “Zulu Time”
The Tudor Pelagos FXD GMT “Zulu Time” has just become the latest addition to the brand’s collection. This titanium GMT watch uses the Pelagos FXD as a base, adding a 24-hour bezel, 24-hour hand, and a new METAS-certified movement. The result is the brand’s most accurate and adventure-ready watch to date. Speaking of dates, this new model is the first in the FXD family to feature one. Let’s take a closer look. But before we do, let’s recap the brief yet prolific history of the Tudor Pelagos FXD.
Tudor introduced the original Pelagos FXD model in November 2021. After a one-year hiatus, 2023 became the year of the Pelagos FXD. In late June, Tudor released the FXD Alinghi Red Bull Racing models and the black-dial Pelagos FXD “USN” in September. This was followed by the Pelagos FXD Chrono Tudor Pro Cycling Team Edition in early May 2024. But the origins of the FXD are forever tied to the Marine Nationale. The debut model was a collaborative effort between Tudor and the French Navy divers, who looked to design a watch suited to their subaquatic activities. The fixed strap bars did away with a potential point of failure, and the bidirectional bezel was suitable for underwater navigation.
The new Tudor Pelagos FXD GMT “Zulu Time”
The original FXD was certainly not the first Tudor watch to serve with the French Navy’s divers. The brand’s link to the Marine Nationale dates as far back as 1956 (you can read more about the history of this relationship here). More recently, we’ve spotted Pelagos 39 models with special dial text, created for the French Navy’s plongeurs-démineurs (or clearance divers). This, combined with some recent teasers, had me thinking that this latest collaborative effort might reward us with a blue-dial Pelagos 39 (which would have been just fine with us). However, today, it’s another take on the MN’s beloved FXD that Tudor had in store for us. And it may just be the best one yet.
Tudor has taken the FXD as a point of departure. And though the original MN version was blue, this one shares the black dial and bezel of the model released last year. However, the lume’s custard hue (echoed in the hands, markings, and bezel text) reminds us more of the Pelagos LHD. But this Pelagos is not necessarily for the Marine Nationale’s divers. This time, Tudor has created a tool for the wrists of the MN’s sky-dwelling staff, the Aéronautique Navale (French Naval Aviation).
The orange accents of the 24-hour hand and “Pelagos GMT” text on the dial contrast the green textile strap nicely. This new single-pass strap features a titanium pin buckle and keeper as well as a removable fabric keeper bearing the French Naval Aviation roundel. It replaces the hook-and-loop strap used in previous FXD models. We also saw this change in the FXD Chrono Tudor Pro Cycling model. For the GMT, the strap’s color matches the MN pilots’ flight suits. It also echoes the improvised parachute elastic straps historically used by members of the Marine Nationale.
Specs and more
The form factor remains similar to that of three-hand FXD models. Its fully brushed 42mm by 52mm Grade 2 titanium case sits 12.7mm thick (0.1mm slimmer than previous models) and takes a 22mm strap. With a screw-down crown and Grade 5 titanium case back, the watch has a 200m depth rating. The Grade 2 titanium crown sets the central jumping 12-hour hand (to which the date is synchronized). For worry-free settings, the date is free of any range in which it cannot be adjusted. The lume on the bidirectional titanium bezel’s ceramic insert glows green and matches the lume used in the tip of the 24-hour GMT hand. As for the minute markers on the dial and the standard time-telling hands, they have the usual blue glow of modern Tudor watches.
The Pelagos FXD GMT features a newly updated MT5652-U, a COSC- and METAS-certified GMT (flyer) movement. It has a 65-hour power reserve and is rated to an accuracy of 0/+5 seconds per day to meet METAS Master Chronometer standards. Thanks to its silicon balance spring, it’s also able to resist magnetic fields of up to 15,000 gauss. The movement’s 7.5mm thickness allows the FXD GMT to remain as slim as (if not slightly slimmer than) its predecessors. On the Grade 5 titanium case back, Tudor has engraved a depiction of the Aéronautique Navale logo, a winged anchor with a star above it. These watches, like the original FXD MN model, will also feature the year of production engraved in the familiar “M.N.XX” format, where the “XX” will become the last two digits.
Availability and pricing
The Tudor Pelagos FXD GMT is priced at €4,740 (including VAT). The watch is not a limited edition and is available immediately in Tudor boutiques worldwide. It’s an exciting new model that finally introduces a much-awaited GMT complication to the FXD line. I happen to love this GMT take on the FXD. Does my nerdy dedication to dive watches make me ponder what the watch would look like if Tudor had maintained the dive bezel and opted for 24-hour markings on the rehaut, making this a dive GMT? Well, sure. But this is not the first FXD to depart from the Pelagos’s diving roots. And the fact this allows for tracking a third time zone thanks to the rotating bezel certainly puts a smile on my face.
For now, we’d love to hear your thoughts on this latest Tudor watch. Please leave them in the comments section below. Stay tuned for a hands-on review early next week.
