The Pelagos FXD platform, initially developed with a French Navy specialist unit, has now expanded to suit the needs of the French Naval Aviation, with the addition of a function that allows aviators and flight support personnel to keep track of what is referred to as “Zulu time”, in addition to local time and a third time zone.
Since the 1950s, TUDOR has been officially supplying the Marine Nationale —French Navy— with reliable diving watches. The first Pelagos FXD model —"FXD" referring to the extra robust FiXeD strap bars of the watch case— was introduced in 2021, continuing the legacy of TUDOR and the French Navy. After years of use in the field, the Pelagos FXD platform has a proven track record of service. In 2024, the FXD family is expanding to meet the needs of the Aéronautique Navale —French Naval Aviation.
This new watch is inspired by the French Navy and developed to ensure maximum precision and reliability in the adverse real-world conditions endured by personnel of the Aéronautique Navale —French Naval Aviation—, the aviation component of the French Navy.
The new Pelagos FXD GMT ref. M2542G247NU-0002 can keep track of time in up to three time zones at once, one being "Zulu time", the military name for Universal Time Coordinated (UTC) and the standard reference time for all aviators —a valuable tool when undertaking crucial missions. The word "Zulu" is the standardized phonetic alphabet code word used in aviation for "Z" or the first letter of the word "zero".
The new Tudor Pelagos FXD GMT Marine Nationale is equipped with a 42 mm titanium case with fixed strap bars and delivered on a green one-piece fabric strap and with a titanium pin buckle and keeper. The watch is delivered with an extra removable fabric keeper with Aéronautique Navale —French Naval Aviation— roundel. The watch is waterproof to a depth of 200 meters (660 feet) and anti-magnetic to magnetic fields of 15,000 gauss.
The new Pelagos FXD GMT Aéronautique Navale features a black matte dial with hours markers painted beige and a second time zone 24-hour hand in orange. Additionally, a 24-hour bidirectional rotatable bezel in titanium with a black ceramic insert allows the wearer to keep track of a third time zone.
The watch is powered by the Manufacture Calibre MT5652-U which comes with the METAS Master Chronometer certification that covers the main functional characteristics of a watch including precision, resistance to magnetic fields, waterproofness, and power reserve. Its standards are incredibly high, starting with precision.
Two prerequisites are necessary for obtaining the certification: Swiss manufacturing must conform to Swiss Made criteria, and the movement must be certified by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC) making sure that the precision is consistent at two temperatures, in six different positions and at two different levels of power reserve at 100% and 33%. This movement provides a power reserve of 65 hours when fully wound and is equipped with a bidirectional rotor system.
Sticker Price USD 4,625. More info on Tudor is here.
