Tudor Give the People What They Want with the Smaller and Slimmer Pelagos 39

Tudor have launched a new version of their professional diver’s watch, the Pelagos at a new, compact sizing of 39mm, fittingly called the Tudor Pelagos 39. It follows in the wake of last year’s Pelagos FXD, a watch that put the Pelagos back on people’s radars and renewed the Swiss watchmaker’s relationship with the French Marine Nationale. The Tudor Pelagos 39 is essentially a smaller edition of that watch with an updated movement and without the navy iconography.

A compact Pelagos is something fans have long sought from Tudor and the Pelagos 39 delivers in gorgeous style. The case is made from grade 2 titanium with full satin finish, in keeping with the existing Pelagos family. Of course, the major innovation here is the new 39mm diameter sizing, alongside which it now has a thickness of 11.8mm making it dramatically thinner than its predecessors. That being said, it maintains the 200m water resistance of the FXD model.

Moving on to the dial and it’s classic Pelagos fare, as it should be. The black dial has a satin finish that contrasts nicely with the matte finish of the minute scale flange. Each hour marker is made from monobloc luminescent ceramic material, providing more lumed area than found on traditional diving hour markers. Of course, at the centre of the dial is the instantly recognisable 1969 “Snowflake” handset.

Under the surface is the Manufacture Calibre MT5400 that was used in the Black Bay Fifty-Eight 925 18K and the even slimmer Black Bay 36. It’s a great automatic movement with a 70-hour power reserve and Chronometer certified accuracy of -2/+4 seconds per day, better than the requirements of COSC.

For once it’s a case where ‘new’ doesn’t equate to ‘more expensive’ as the Tudor Pelagos 39 is priced at £3,500 on titanium bracelet, compared to the previous 42mm model which was £3,750 on titanium. Although if the bracelet isn’t for you, it also comes with a complementary rubber strap.

Everything adds up to make this watch a sure-fire success, a more wearable version of a popular timepiece that sacrifices none of the specs or qualities of the original. The only question that remains is when will Tudor release a version in blue?