Tudor Pelagos FXD - First Impressions

Everyone posts those "got the call" stories and, for better or worse, I now have one. I bought a Tudor for my wife a few years ago (pre-pandemic) and it took nearly 8 months to be delivered. That gave me plenty of time to send "any update?" emails to the sales rep at my local Ben Bridge and build a "relationship" as they say. When the FXD was announced in late 2021, I emailed just asking to see one when they came it. Now, 6+ months later, she called to say they just got in only their second FXD since launch (the first was sold before it arrived). I popped in the next day, just to see it in the metal...and walked out with it. Here are my takeaways after 4 days of 24/7 wear:

  1. It's super light. Obviously, titanium and a nylon strap help in that department. But it is still slightly noticeable on the wrist -- it's not carbon or plastic. Compared with my monster #breitling Chrono Avenger with a #titanium case and bracelet, however, it's a lightweight.
  2. It's very thin. I have a #blackbaygmt and this is much more svelte. I'm not as worried about clanking it against a door (which I've done plenty with other watches, sadly).
  3. It wears small. I tried it on and thought it was 40mm. Had to then hit the Tudor website to confirm that it is, in fact, 42mm in diameter. 
  4. The nylon/velcro strap is super nice, the best feeling (soft, smooth, but not shiny) nylon I've felt and that's compared with my Toxic Nato, Zulu Alpha, #gasgasbones , and an OEM from #montblanc.
  5. The rubber strap is underwhelming. It looks like nylon but feels like rubber. I wouldn't say it feels or looks cheap (it's also very thin, 1.6mm, which hurts it's lux score 😂), but if someone said it came from any midrange online strap shop, I wouldn't be surprised. I'll be curious to see how it holds up with some good wear. I wonder if it'll crack, fray, or tear within a year or so?
  6. The dial is close to the crystal. Online reviewers have mentioned this and it's very true. It just seems closer than other watches, and that's a good thing.
  7. The dial is much darker blue than I expected. I love the standard Pelagos blue and this ain't that. I was a bit disappointed but this FXD blue is still brighter than most standard blue dials. 
  8. The markers are ultra white and very modern. I gotta admit that the beige fauxtina lume is starting to get old for me. This is the opposite, like as white as white can be. I love it, even if only because it contrasts so much with my other watches with the off-white lume. And the "chicklet" style markers look great, too!
  9. The sharpness of the bezel edge is a tactile wonder! The coin edge just feels amazing - sharp, edgy (it is an edge, after all), and precisely machined. Much different from the BB GMT, which feels more elegant along the edge. The bezel clickiness is great, too.
  10. The countdown bezel is interesting. My brain still hasn't adjusted to that as this is the first countdown timer bezel I've ever had or seen. Not sure how I feel about it yet...

Ok, that's that. Just my two cents. Any questions? 😎

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Nice looking watch. Your going to have to keep your wife from claiming it. 

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It looks very nice. Do you think that you could dress it up if you wanted to? And, what's the pen?

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Aurelian

It looks very nice. Do you think that you could dress it up if you wanted to? And, what's the pen?

Eh, probably tough to dress up. The #bezel has the full 60 minute marks around the dial, so it looks pretty sporty with that. Plus the #titanium case is grayish instead of silver and the blue dial is more sporty than elegant. And, can only use pass-thru straps due to fixed lugs, so probably leather would be the only "dressy" option? 

Bulang shows it on some of their leather straps here, but to me, that just dresses it up from swimwear to jeans. 🤣

The pen was a gift. It's called the embassy pen, supposedly since it was given to foreign embassy workers to use as a weapon. It's pretty freakin' heavy, almost too heavy to comfortably write with. I can get a page or so of notes written before I have to switch to something less weighty. Other downside is that the cap doesn't fit on the back of the pen. Here's a fun description of it on Uncrate.  

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AlohaJ

Eh, probably tough to dress up. The #bezel has the full 60 minute marks around the dial, so it looks pretty sporty with that. Plus the #titanium case is grayish instead of silver and the blue dial is more sporty than elegant. And, can only use pass-thru straps due to fixed lugs, so probably leather would be the only "dressy" option? 

Bulang shows it on some of their leather straps here, but to me, that just dresses it up from swimwear to jeans. 🤣

The pen was a gift. It's called the embassy pen, supposedly since it was given to foreign embassy workers to use as a weapon. It's pretty freakin' heavy, almost too heavy to comfortably write with. I can get a page or so of notes written before I have to switch to something less weighty. Other downside is that the cap doesn't fit on the back of the pen. Here's a fun description of it on Uncrate.  

It had the look of a "tool" pen, something that could also be used to break glass or cut a seat belt.  Putting the cap on the back of the pen is called "posting". From what I have read Americans "post" the caps and the rest of the world does not. They either hold them in their hand or set them down. It affects the weight distribution while writing.  The theory goes that by not allowing posting European pens were less likely to be stolen because the cap was retained by the owner.

It is a very nice looking "swimwear" watch.

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Aurelian

It had the look of a "tool" pen, something that could also be used to break glass or cut a seat belt.  Putting the cap on the back of the pen is called "posting". From what I have read Americans "post" the caps and the rest of the world does not. They either hold them in their hand or set them down. It affects the weight distribution while writing.  The theory goes that by not allowing posting European pens were less likely to be stolen because the cap was retained by the owner.

It is a very nice looking "swimwear" watch.

Ha - posting! Learn something every day. This is my first-ever pen to not allow posting, but good to know it's less likely to be stolen. 😂

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Great summary. I'm a month in to wearing my FXD and I still haven't got out of the honeymoon phase. I wore it to clients meetings on a dark leather Bulang strap this week, and it looked great and not out of place in the board room :)

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I'm really impressed with mine. Definitely agree with your thoughts on weight, size and wearability; it's a very sporty watch. It sounds like we had similar experiences with availability, I got the first one my AD saw and that came in a month ago.

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Great review, the Pelagos is tempting. You might want to think about Vario watch straps. They have various choices for fixed lugs. Their Crazy Horse leather bund straps have super soft leather, which you can use without the bund back. Enjoy and hope you wear it enough to really test the straps!

Looks awesome!!

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Congrats on snagging one! I love the FXD, and every time I've let other people try it on, they're invariably surprised at how wearable it is. I really enjoy the velcro strap it came with, but I haven't found a fabric/nato that doesn't look good on it. 

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So nice. Congratulations!

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buettner

Congrats on snagging one! I love the FXD, and every time I've let other people try it on, they're invariably surprised at how wearable it is. I really enjoy the velcro strap it came with, but I haven't found a fabric/nato that doesn't look good on it. 

yeah, that velcro strap is sweet. 

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Great buy! I should probably start saving for one. Hope by the time I have enough, Tudor would come up with new colorway(s). Have too many blue pieces already I believe. 🤔

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After a year on the wrist, how does it feel? I'm curious about the velcro strap. Agree it looks nice, but I wonder if it's durable?

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thewatchphilosopher

After a year on the wrist, how does it feel? I'm curious about the velcro strap. Agree it looks nice, but I wonder if it's durable?

I still love my FXD after a year, @thewatchphilosopher . I wear it quite a bit, in and out of the pool and ocean, and typical desk diving. It looks nearly new. Some light scratches that look more like scuffs. I think the satin finish kinda hides them well. Both straps still look new, too, although I do swap in an orange nato frequently to add more color. But, that velcro nato is an amazing strap. Still looks new, no frays or snags. It's so well made, it's surprising there's nothing else like it on the third-party strap side (that I know of).

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AlohaJ

I still love my FXD after a year, @thewatchphilosopher . I wear it quite a bit, in and out of the pool and ocean, and typical desk diving. It looks nearly new. Some light scratches that look more like scuffs. I think the satin finish kinda hides them well. Both straps still look new, too, although I do swap in an orange nato frequently to add more color. But, that velcro nato is an amazing strap. Still looks new, no frays or snags. It's so well made, it's surprising there's nothing else like it on the third-party strap side (that I know of).

Excellent, thanks for taking the time to share your experience!