The New Tudor Pelagos Ultra Dives Deeper Than Ever Before
Tudor takes its dive watches rather seriously, and the new Tudor Pelagos Ultra is about as serious as they come. The brand has been making divers since 1954. Back then, the deepest-diving model had a humble 100m water resistance rating. Since then, the brand has kept busy evolving, looking to improve its formula. That quest culminated in the Pelagos, a watch that more than holds up over a decade later. Today, the already rock-solid Pelagos dive watch gets the business end of Tudor’s hunger for taking something good and making it even better.
The original Pelagos debuted in 2012, and since then, we’ve seen a handful of iterations bearing the Pelagos name. These include the Pelagos 39 as well as a significant selection of FXD models. But whereas most have taken elements of what made that watch stand out, none ever surpassed it as the pinnacle of dive-ready tools in Tudor’s arsenal. Until today, that is. Thirteen years after the watch’s introduction, we see Tudor take the Pelagos a step further.
The Tudor Pelagos Ultra
This new version, the Pelagos Ultra (ref. M2543C1A7NU), is bigger, bolder, and able to dive deeper than any Pelagos before it. The Grade 2 and Grade 5 titanium case is 43mm in diameter and 14.5mm thick. That’s 1mm larger than the original and only 0.2mm thicker. However, whereas the 2015 Pelagos had a 500m water resistance rating, the Ultra doubles it. The case features a compact helium escape valve and houses Tudor’s Master Chronometer caliber MT5612-U. This is also an improvement over the M25600TN, which used the COSC-certified MT5612 movement.
The matte black dial and its elements have also been subjected to an ameliorative redesign. Larger hands and markers make it even more legible. It uses a mix of Grade X1 and BGW9 Swiss Super-LumiNova. Blue-glowing lume occupies the hour markers, ceramic bezel insert, the hour hand, and the tip of the seconds hand. The green-glowing compound is present in the minute hand and bezel’s lume pip for low-light elapsed timing. The Pelagos name on the dial has received a lick of light blue paint, and below it, just two lines of text — “Master Chronometer,” and “1000m-3280ft” — tell you everything you need to know without overly cluttering the dial.
Tudor has redesigned the bracelet but kept its signature spring-loaded adjustable clasp. This Pelagos-exclusive feature also bears a slight modification, though, with a light blue indicator for the level of adjustment and a more minimalist look. The Pelagos Ultra also comes with an end-link-integrated rubber strap and a dive extension.
Final thoughts
Some will likely roll their eyes at a larger, deeper-diving Pelagos. We also understand that a new colorway for the P39 (or even a GMT version of that model) may have been closer to the top of people’s wish lists. But the Tudor Pelagos Ultra will find its fans in those who, like me, appreciate the fact that it’s the first iteration since the 2012 original that takes Tudor’s best-equipped diver a step further.
The new Pelagos Ultra costs €6,030 / CHF 5,500, making it the priciest Pelagos thus far. But given its new METAS-certified movement, 1,000m depth rating, and redesigned take on one of the best dive-watch bracelets ever made, it certainly delivers.
