Pelagos

Tudor introduced the Pelagos in 2012 as a titanium diving watch. The first model was 42 mm across, rated to 500 metres and fitted with a rotating ceramic timing ring. Broad square hour markers and a square-ended hour hand left little ambiguity about where to look. Unlike the retro-looking Black Bay launched the same year, the Pelagos put its modern construction in plain view.

Some of its most useful engineering is in the bracelet. A spring-loaded setting lets the clasp expand and contract as pressure changes the thickness of a diving suit. The helium valve in the case serves a different, much narrower purpose: releasing gas during decompression after saturation diving, when divers have been living in a pressurised environment. These are separate provisions for different parts of underwater work.

In 2015, the 42 mm Pelagos gained Tudor's MT5612 automatic movement and about 70 hours of running reserve. A blue version joined the black watch. The LHD followed in 2016 with the winding crown on the left, arranged for use on the right wrist. It retained the date and the same large-case diving specification, while changing the dial colours and calendar display.

The Pelagos 39 took another direction in 2022. Its smaller titanium case omitted both the date and helium valve, used a different adjustable clasp and carried a 200-metre rating.