Reply With QuoteMy old watch :-) A fantastic piece although I think the dive strap in the box would suit it much better. I will have another Pelagos... The best watch for that money IMO.
Part 2 of my Tudor arrivals.
Pelagos - Please excuse me if I am covering old ground.
Translated from the Greek, Pelagos means Open Sea.
A true divers watch.
As I am sure you are aware, Tudor announced 2 new Dive models last Baselworld. The Black Bay, and the Pelagos. Black Bay seesm to have been conceived as a functioning "re-issue". It is of course an amalgamation of almost too many "heritage" elements to list, but in essence the design was almost enitrely retrospective.
Pelagos, on the other hand, was clearly intended to use the past to look forwards, not back.
I have wittered on about how much I like this to anyone that'll listen, which over recent months has meant that mates like Gary have probably got quite bored of the subject at Friday coffee time.
Anyway, I managed to make some sales, and the proceeds got me this from Mart, thank you sir.
This model is, to me, what the Sub should be looking like.
It is stripped of most decorative whimsy, and presented in stark minimalism.
No colour
No polished surfaces, or even gloss.
No shiny surrounds to indices
The dial script font is a study in chosen minimalism
The hands are plain white on black, no polished metal here.
It is all about simple, unadulerated legibility.
However, it does still retain the essence of the Sub form.
The tapered lugs, with chamfers to the outside (lovely chamfers)
Crown guards, although these have been re-configured to meet in a ridge running through the centre of the crown, and the profile running up to that edge echos the Tudor shield very nicely.
Likewise the bezel, which loses its sawtooth edges in favour of more austere texture
But it keeps the essential snowflake hands, Tudor's unique Submariner signature. It is hard to think of any hand set that is more instantly recognisable to one model, produced by one company. Tudor - Snowflake - Submariner.
For me, this is the epitome of a successful update of an original. It is not an attempt at a re-issue, in any sense. There is none of the studied and amalgamated pastiche found in the Black Bay.
It takes the original concept, keeps some very identifiable elements, discards others, and runs with the task.
I love it.
I know many people do not, they think it too stark, too minimal, without many of the contrasts that identify an expensive watch. They're right, it is austere.
But, I like the bravura of making it as simple as they could. It's great.
And I anticipate keeping this for a very long time..
The only thing that would shake that belief would be if they started offering one in a very dark navy blue. Tudor's other signature. I wonder........
Crown guard profile echoing the Tudor Shield
Hmmmmm - brushed chamfers
Dave
Excuse the dust, we are on pretty high magnification here and I am at heart a grubby tyke.
Last edited by sweets; 25th January 2013 at 18:57.
My old watch :-) A fantastic piece although I think the dive strap in the box would suit it much better. I will have another Pelagos... The best watch for that money IMO.
Would love one of these, not sure about the size though.
I like it on Eddie's retro rubber, I have a slight problem with rubber straps with metal endlinks, it loses the form of the lugs, which is a shame.
Eddie's retro has made me decide to try a Bonneto strap, rather than splash on the new Isofrane.
As for size, I will do a wrist shot, but it wears fine on me, and my wrist is somewhere just under 7 1/4".. Near perfect in fact, and wears considerably smaller than my Fortis B42.
Last edited by sweets; 25th January 2013 at 19:50. Reason: dreadful spelling
That is a great looking watch ,, and nice pics aswell .
chris.
That looks great. Good piece Dave.
Met Dave this morning for a coffee and chat and saw both this and his lovely Tudor Jumbo.
When this pics of this watch were first leaked I was instantly taken with it. I'd love an original Snowflake (blue non date if anyone's got one going begging) so this modern interpretation was bound to find favour with me.
Then I made the fatal mistake of looking at some of Jocke's wonderful pictures of the Black Bay and I started to prefer it over the Pelagos. Even though a lot of the elements don't work for me (snowflake hands with round indices, what were they thinking?!) I was beginning to come 'round to the Black Bay, especially on that lovely vintages leather.
However this morning and the chance to actually get my mitts on a Pelagos has swung me back in its favour. It has a totally tool watch look and feel to it and I love the uncompromised purity of that. Most of my pet dislikes of modern Subs - flat non AR crystal, too many polished reflective surfaces, too much dial text, superfluous and frankly daft text on the rehaut, ungainly square lugs - are instantly rectified with the Pelagos. In short I think it's what the Sub should have become had Rolex not been catering to Russian and Chinese new money.
Still like the retro look of the Back Bay but I think the Pelagos is the purer design of the two. Oh and it fitted my 7" wrist just fine, having seen a few comparison pics I was worried that they might have made it a tad too chunky.
Cheers,
Gary
Last edited by Omegary; 25th January 2013 at 19:43.
Congratulations. Your thoughts and observations echo my own. I want one.
Gray
Nice Dave, very nice.
My only issues are the white date wheel, it being titanium and possibly how it wears on me.. i cant wait to see it!
From meeting you Dave and knowing what watches you like, this is pretty perfect for you!
Great post - true appreciation of the watch!
I think the Pelagos is probably the closest to a true divers tool watch in the entire Rolex/Tudor lineup.
Thanks Gents.
It was interesting meeting up with Gary and perusing this and the Jumbo (see Part 1).
Gary has a highly developed sense of aesthetics, honed over years as a professional advertising creative, and it was interesting to see him being won over by this (not totally, but certainly to a good degree).
Mike you are dead right - this model had me written into the design brief.
One word about the Ti.
I do not know what they did with it, but this thing has heft to it.
My kitchen scale comparison - 4 Titanium watches.
EZM1 on ATG Fabric dive strap - 72 Grammes
Tutima Commando II on Di-Modell Chronissimo - 90 Grammes
Fortis B42 Lemania LE on custom leather - 101 grammes
Tudor Pelagos on Eddie's Retro rubber (cut down at least an inch) - 105 grammes
Dave
Thanks for that Dave, i had read it had weight to it. Would be interesting to know how they managed it.
Might bring me round to Ti, might see how it fares after a year or two though first!
very nice, I think everyone who handles one of these seems to come away impressed, i'll be honest I was always more struck by the BB, but the more pelagos pix I see, the more I appreciate this watch
Lovely! I like them more and more each time I see one. Can definitely see one on my wrist one day.
Nice to know there's one in bristol - with luck there'll be a GTG soon.
Enjoy.
Really like this, kicking myself as passed on the chance to pick one up in Dubai in the summer.
Great post as well, enthusiasm comes across well
Malc
I've just taken these, so how about a lume shot or two
Yep, still looks good in the dark!
Originally Posted by gray
+1
Love the simplicity and austerity of it. Want!
Fantastic write up & pics. Thanks.
Great pics of a lovely watch.. I just wish my wrist was large enough to take it!
That's fantastic, the more I see the more I want one. And some of the best pics Ive seen yet. I agree that a dark blue dial would be even better.
thanks for posting.
A Future Classic for sure!!
This would look killer in PVD/DLC!
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