The Tudor Pelagos was first presented in 2012 as one of the first watches released by Tudor during its revamped era that started in 2010. The first generation of the Tudor Pelagos was only available with a black dial —with a two-liner depth rating— and powered by an ETA 2824 movement. When the Tudor Pelagos Blue ref. 25600TB was presented in 2015, it marked the first time that Tudor would be using an in-house calibre on any watch. The Tudor Pelagos Blue maintains the same titanium and steel 42 mm case construction as its predecessors but powered by the in-house calibre MT5612.

Even though at the time of its launch, we weren’t the biggest fans of the Pelagos Blue mostly because of its five-liner dial that seemed a little too busy, this is a watch that started growing on us after the release of the Pelagos LHD at the end of 2016. Equipped with a gorgeous ‘smurf’ blue dial and a matching matte ceramic bezel, the Pelagos Blue is the most modern interpretation of the vintage Tudor Snowflakes worn by the French Navy. Priced under five thousand dollars, the Tudor Pelagos Blue is without a doubt the best diving watch money can buy at the moment.

Delivered on a matching matte titanium bracelet and with two blue rubber straps, this watch can’t get any better. It is important to mention that in reality, the second strap —not pictured here— is a diving extension that gets fastened to the buckle of the rubber strap so that you have extra length to wear the watch over a wet suit.

Things to Know About the Watch

The Tudor Pelagos Blue comes with a price tag that other diving watches just can’t beat. The matte dial features applied square markers reminiscent of the early Tudor Snowflakes and a matte ceramic bezel that has been inlaid with luminescent material, something that only the discontinued IWC Aquatimer 2000 could claim. The ‘smurf’ blue dial is extremely legible and the color screams ‘summer’ or ‘beach’ every ticking second.

While many complain about the lack of a pearl PIP at 12 o’clock, we find it brilliant that the bezel is perfectly flat and that the 12 o’clock marker still features a dot without the use of a pearl PIP. The lume on the dial and bezel is simply out of this world making this watch an absolute stunner.

Now, to make things even better, the 42 mm case features pointed crown guards, a very robust screw-down crown that guarantees hermiticity up to 500 meters, and a helium release valve on the left caseband. How many luxury diving watches out there can give you all that at this price point? In reality, no other.

Have we convinced you yet that this is the best diver in its class under $5K USD? Well, if we haven’t here comes the icing on the cake with an impressive bracelet that was designed with ultimate functionality and comfort in mind. The titanium bracelet features a steel folding clasp with a unique auto-adjustable spring mechanism developed and patented by Tudor. The bracelet features a diver’s extension, a micro-adjustment that doesn’t require the use of tools and a technical system that allows the bracelet to self-adjust during the dive, contracting when the combination is compressed at greater depths, and expanding when the pressure decreases again during the diver’s return to the surface.

While many praised Tudor for adding the COC writing to the dial, we feel that five lines of text make the bottom of the dial somewhat busy —with the depth rating to close to the 6 o'clock marker— and the COC could've been kept in just one line. Up until now, this had been a deal-breaker for us, but not anymore.

The Movement

Protected by a solid case back, the Tudor in-house movement calibre as MT5612 is a Chronometer Officially Certified that provides a power reserve of 70 hours, instantaneous date with rapid setting, and stop-seconds for precise time setting. The movement beats at a frequency of 28,800 vph.

On the Wrist & Price

On the wrist, the watch wears true to its size and exactly the way 'tool watches' are supposed to wear. If you like diving watches on rubber strap the Tudor Pelagos Blue checks that box, and if you are a purist and like them on the bracelet it also checks that box.

For those in love with the ‘smurf’ blue on the first generation of the two-tone Rolex Submariners with Cerachrom bezel, then this watch is right up your alley. With a very robust but lightweight 42 mm case, a stunning matte dial, helium-release valve, and its matte ceramic bezel equipped with luminescent material, this diving watch ticks all the boxes. As far as the money, no other luxury watch brand out there can give you this much of a diving watch under $5K USD.

Sticker Price $4,575 USD. For more info on Tudor click here.