Listly by Dawn Young
Revolution Watch Magazine goes in-depth on the rich history of the Pelagos and why its latest offering, the Tudor Pelagos LHD, is one tool watch professional divers (and even non-divers) should definitely check out.
Mention #Tudor and its iconic watch, the Tudor Black Bay, instantly comes to mind. Watch connoisseurs immediately fell in love with this model as it is the perfect representation of the brand’s history combined with contemporary design. The heritage the Black Bay carries is so rich that anyone who wants a Tudor would instantly prefer this model.
The vintage roots of the Black Bay are just what’s captivating about the brand in general. Obviously, when one thinks of the brand, timepiece aficionados easily associate it with vintage Tudor watches. The legacy and the old-fashioned design are what made the Black Bay so popular in the first place and quickly put the brand on top of anyone’s must-have vintage-inspired watches list.
By now, of course, watch enthusiasts already know there’s more to the brand than the Black Bay. Tudor capitalised on its tradition and exceptional skill in the art of watchmaking to come out with timepieces that do more than just tell the time. The result are tool watches that are thoughtfully designed to cater to the needs of professional divers.
The year 2012 marked the birth of what would become the ultimate professional divers’ watch – the Tudor Pelagos. Launched at the same time as the Black Bay, the #Pelagos was much talked about when it was launched at Baselworld that year, due to the fact that it wasn’t like anything that the world has seen before as far as a dive watch is concerned.
First of all, the Pelagos is made from titanium, a lightweight material that’s known for its robustness despite its lightness. Based on using this material alone, it is safe to say that this timepiece is incredibly made and designed to meet the demands of professional divers who want a tool watch that’s fuss-free.
Second of all, the watch boasts a case diameter of 42 millimetres and a depth rating of 500 metres3. With these specs, one can deduce that the Pelagos really means business when performance is at stake.
While at first glance the Pelagos clearly presents itself as a modern dive watch, distinct details that pay tribute to its origins were also applied. Taking inspiration from past Tudor watches, the Pelagos sports the “snowflake” hands and square hour markers that vintage Tudor military timepieces had before4. It also features the helium escape valve5, which is obviously a nod to Rolex-inspired Tudor timepieces of decades past.
The combination of the old and new in the Pelagos clearly expresses how Tudor has always been in touched with its historical identity while keeping in mind the needs of today’s watch wearers6.
These qualities alone made the Pelagos the divers’ watch to own. The success of the model, of course, spawned variations that cater to the distinct taste and style of its fans. For instance, there’s a blue Pelagos for those who want a blue dial and a classic black one for those who prefer a colour that never goes out of style.
Now, another Tudor Pelagos version is making waves and capturing the attention of a niche market: the left-handed divers. The Pelagos LHD (which stands for Left Hand Drive) is fast becoming popular amongst this distinct demographic who lauds the brand for coming up with a specially designed watch to meet their specific needs.
While designed for left-handed wearers, the Pelagos LHD is definitely so much more. Check out why this timepiece is the tool watch you should invest in.
1. You can wear it on the right wrist
Since it is designed for left-handed divers, the winding stem of the Pelagos LHD is placed on the left side of the case, at the 9 o’clock position to be exact, so that left-handed wearers can wind the crown with ease.
It’s the perfect timepiece as well for those who wear their watch on the left wrist yet want to avoid the winding crown from digging into their skin.
2. It’s a throwback to past military watches
Tudor watches have always been known as military timepieces, and the Tudor Pelagos LHD pays tribute to that legacy.
The Pelagos LHD takes inspiration from the customised Tudor divers’ watches that were commissioned by the French Navy in the 1970s specifically for its left-handed professional divers.
3. Peppered with unique details
Tudor made sure that the Pelagos LHD stands out amongst other models from the line, not only by virtue of being a left-handed watch. The timepiece features distinct details that make it truly a special divers’ watch.
The case back of the Pelagos LHD has an engraved number that indicates when the watch specifically came off the production line. Being a numbered edition, this is another nod to the brand’s past military watches which were assigned with specific reference numbers.
Unlike other Pelagos models, the Pelagos LHD has the word “Pelagos” on the dial written in red and features a roulette date wheel that displays even date numbers in red and odd date numbers in black.
Speaking about the dial, this specific model has a reworked one that features beige hands as well as a unidirectional rotatable bezel that also sports beige luminescent markings.
4. Superb technical features
Of course, this is first and foremost a divers’ watch, which means the technical details must be second to none. The brand left no stone unturned to ensure that the Pelagos LHD lives up to its tag as “one of today’s most complete traditional mechanical divers’ watches”.
The timepiece, as with all other models under the line, boasts waterproofness of up to 500 metres or 1,640 feet and powered by MT5612-LHD, Tudor’s in-house manufacture calibre, which ensures precision and robustness. In addition, it is fitted with a helium escape valve to allow helium gas to escape freely during saturation dives while shielding the watch from overpressure.
For these features alone, you bet that the Tudor Pelagos LHD watches are definitely worth the money. Visit the brand online to know specific details about Tudor watches’ prices as well as other exceptional tool watches under the brand like the Tudor Black Shield watches, Tudor Fastrider Chrono, and Tudor North Flag.