Tudor Pelagos FXD Chrono Watch

43 mm carbon case, self-winding movement, fabric strap

To mark their first participation in the legendary Giro d'Italia, TUDOR unveils a new sports watch specially designed for members of the TUDOR Pro Cycling Team. A lightweight and functional "cycling" chronograph with a carbon composite case and high-performance Manufacture Caliber, the Pelagos FXD Chrono "Cycling Edition" model echoes the unique philosophy of a daring team. Professional cycling is a particularly tough sport, in which athletes push their physical and mental limits with every pedal stroke. It is also a dangerous sport, where impacts and accidents are not uncommon and can be violent. A watch designed to be used in the peloton as well as in the breakaway must therefore achieve a high standard of performance, while being easy to handle. Bicycle frames used by professionals are traditionally made of carbon fiber, and it is this material, more precisely a carbon composite, that TUDOR has chosen for the case of its new chronograph. Combined with titanium components, it provides the robustness and lightness essential for high-level cycling. While the mechanical properties were central to the development of this watch, its specific functions were the subject of particular attention, starting with a tachymeter scale taking into account the typical speeds encountered during a bicycle race. This scale, on a chronograph, is generally calibrated for motorsports, with a minimum of 60 units per hour. The Pelagos FXD Chrono “Cycling Edition” features a spiral graduation over three turns of the dial, allowing the average speed over a given distance to be established up to 20 units per hour. This detail allows cyclists to easily determine their pace. The matte black dial of the Pelagos FXD Chrono “Cycling Edition” emphasizes readability. Its square hour markers, a characteristic feature of TUDOR aesthetics since the 1960s, introduced to provide a larger luminous surface, are crafted from a luminescent ceramic composite that guarantees optimal readability at a glance, even in racing conditions. TUDOR's historic angular hands, nicknamed "Snowflake," share the same functional intent. Red keys recall the colors of the TUDOR Pro Cycling Team, including a tachymeter scale recalibrated for cycling and affixed to the flange inclined at 45° around the dial. The single-piece fabric strap is one of TUDOR's signatures, which in 2010 became one of the very first watch brands to offer it with its watches. Hand-woven on 19th-century shuttle Jacquard looms by the Julien Faure company in the Saint-Étienne region of France, its quality, robustness and comfort are unique. For the Pelagos FXD Chrono “Cycling Edition” model, a highly technical strap construction was developed by TUDOR and Julien Faure. Made from durable black Jacquard fabric and fitted with a pin buckle, it is perfect for accompanying cyclists over very long distances. The Manufacture Chronograph Caliber MT5813, which powers the Pelagos FXD Chrono “Cycling Edition”, features hours, minutes, seconds, chronograph and date functions. It also features the iconic matte finish of TUDOR Manufacture Calibers and a single-piece openworked tungsten rotor, another characteristic feature of the brand's movements. Boasting a 70-hour weekend-proof power reserve and a silicon balance spring, the Manufacture Chronograph Caliber MT5813 is certified by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC), with performances exceeding the standards of this independent institution, ie –2/+4 seconds per day on the fully assembled watch. A high-performance movement, it was designed in the purest watchmaking tradition, with a column-wheel mechanism and a vertical clutch. In keeping with TUDOR's quality philosophy, it boasts exceptional robustness and reliability, guaranteed by a battery of extreme tests applied to all the brand's products. Derived from the Breitling Manufacture Chronograph Caliber 01, with a high-precision regulating organ developed by TUDOR and dedicated finishing, this movement is the result of a long-lasting collaboration between the two brands.