Hands-On: The Tudor Pelagos Ultra

Tudor had a relatively safe year at Watches & Wonders this week, releasing new iterations of existing watches, including a new, larger Black Bay, and colorways that recall the brand’s heritage. They also took the opportunity to take the Pelagos back to its roots with the Pelagos Ultra, leaning into the hardcore modern dive watch aesthetic that launched alongside the Black Bay in 2012. The Ultra represents an impressive spec bump for the collection, with a 1,000 meter depth rating, and a redesigned dial. It’s an intimidating watch on paper, but in the metal, this watch is surprisingly easy to get along with. 

The 43mm case is constructed from both grade 2 and grade 5 titanium, and while it’s not exactly a lightweight, the use of this material certainly helps. The Pelagos is also traditionally titanium, and this is the most maximalist example of the watch yet. There’s no getting around the size of this watch, and it’s best to think of it as a purpose built instrument rather than a sensible day to day wear. However, for some, it could certainly fill that role. This is an approachable watch thanks to a few changes to the overall design that make it relatively user friendly in nature. 

I’ll cut to the chase here, the Pelagos Ultra is pretty great on wrist. It’s big but manageable, and the lug distance feels shorter than it looks. Don’t get caught up in the numbers with this one if you like the idea of a big chunky diver, because this delivers exactly that, and it’s a great experience. I’m also a big fan of the refined design that respectfully recalls the OG Pelagos. 

The dial is doing a lot of work behind the scenes here to pull this design together. First, the hour markers are printed on in traditional fashion, they are not the large blocks of lume we’ve seen in the past. This was done to create a more consistent glow of the lume all the way to the edge of the marker. Just as importantly, they have been enlarged to scale with in proportion with the dial, and they give the impression of a much tighter design. There is no dead space here, and the watch looks smaller at a glance as a result. 

The rehaut design has also been flattened to a separate layer, and no longer hosts the hour markers within. While that feature was fun, this feels more refined in nature, and frankly this helps with legibility to my eye. Overall this is a very good dial in the metal, and one that I might call the best the Pelagos has seen to date, including the likes of the FXD. 

The Pelagos Ultra has a rubber strap, but it’s a watch that feels at home on the bracelet. This watch gets a new clasp that incorporates the same spring loaded extension system we’ve seen on prior Pelagos watches, but it also has the T-Fit system built in as well. Adjustments can be made at the top of the clasp, and the status is visible through a long recess on the visible side of the claps thanks to a small blue indicator. It’s been a great claps, and it gets that much better here. 

My hope with the Pelagos Ultra is that it kicks off a new generation of Pelagos references that incorporate the same small changes across a range of sizes and configurations. As the throwback trend begins to wane, and enthusiast preferences shift toward modern and original designs, the Pelagos will mean a great deal to Tudor as a co-equal part of the brand’s foundation alongside the Black Bay. The Ultra, along with the flourishing FXD, are a perfect examples of where the collection is heading. Tudor