Tudor certainly know how to generate a buzz. Simultaneous launches were staged around the world last week to present a left-handed version of its robust dive watch, the Pelagos. With the winding crown on the left side of the case so that it can be worn on the right wrist, Tudor finally caters to the oft-overlooked lefty contingency of the watch market with the Pelagos LHD (Left Hand Drive).
A new face for the Pelagos
Far from being a dive watch for a recreational snorkel, the new Pelagos LHD is a hardcore professional – or technical – dive instrument capable of plummeting to depths of 500 metres. Legibility and luminosity are vital features of a professional dive watch and the large square hour markers and hands on the dial, along with the immersion times on the ceramic bezel, have been treated with beige luminescent markings.
The 42mm case of the Tudor Pelagos LHD dive watch is crafted in titanium, which is lighter than stainless steel, more resilient to seawater corrosion and scratches, and doesn’t absorb the heat if left on the floor of a boat. The steel folding clasp is equipped with an ingenious patented self-adjusting mechanism that contracts and expands depending on the water pressure. The watch is presented on the steel bracelet but comes with an additional black rubber strap with an extension link allowing the watch to be worn with a diving suit.
Rich details for Tudormaniacs
Fans of Tudor will have already spotted the name Pelagos picked out in red at 6 o’clock and the alternate colours of the date, with even days displayed in red and odd in black – known as a roulette detail among collectors. The classic ‘snowflake’ hour hand is also very present, but what is really going to get Tudormaniacs excited is the fact that the Pelagos LHD marks a milestone in Tudor’s history as the first model to feature a unique production number engraved on the caseback of the watch.
An in-house mechanical movement that ticks in the abyss
Tudor produced its very first in-house movement in 2015 and the Pelagos LHD is equipped with a variant of this robust mechanical automatic movement – COSC-certified – with a beefy 70-hour power reserve. The extreme water-resilience of this watch is achieved with a helium escape valve, allowing the gas to escape freely from the watch during the decompression phase.
An illustrious naval career
The Pelagos watch collection is in fact a civilian version of a 1976 Tudor Submariner dive watch originally commissioned by the French Navy. Left-handed divers in the French Navy had to make do with right-handed instrument watches and often wore them upside down to be able to consult elapsed dive times until, in 1981, Tudor produced a left-handed dive watch for the French Navy.
