TUDOR has introduced a formidable contender in the realm of deep-sea dive watches with the Pelagos Ultra. This timepiece, bearing the reference M2543C1A7NU-0001, represents a significant leap forward in technical capability for the brand, pushing the boundaries of water resistance and incorporating advanced materials and movement certification. It stands as the most technically advanced model within the Pelagos family, engineered specifically to meet the rigorous demands of saturation diving and extreme underwater exploration, boasting an impressive 1,000-meter depth rating.
The story of
Tudor is intrinsically linked to the vision of Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of Rolex. In 1926, Wilsdorf registered "The Tudor" mark, laying the groundwork for the Montres TUDOR SA company, which he formally established in 1946. His goal was clear: to create watches possessing the quality and dependability associated with Rolex, but offered at a more accessible price point. This foundation built on robustness and value quickly established TUDOR as a maker of reliable "tool watches," instruments designed for purpose and performance rather than mere ornamentation.
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TUDOR's commitment to functional, durable timepieces naturally led them into the world of underwater exploration. The brand's dive watch history began in earnest in 1954 with the launch of reference 7922. This inaugural model, waterproof to 100 meters (330 ft), set the standard for TUDOR's future aquatic endeavors. It embodied the brand's philosophy: affordable, strong, reliable, and precise. Over the subsequent decades, TUDOR continuously refined its dive watch offerings, earning the trust and adoption of professional divers and various military naval units worldwide, cementing its reputation in demanding aquatic environments.
The Pelagos Ultra arrives as the pinnacle of the existing Pelagos collection, a family renowned for its technical prowess. It joins models like the standard Pelagos and the left-hand configured Pelagos LHD, both equipped with helium escape valves for saturation diving. It sits alongside the Pelagos FXD models, developed with military combat swimmers for specific mission timing, and the versatile Pelagos 39, which bridges the gap between professional specifications and everyday wearability. The Ultra distinguishes itself by amplifying the technical specifications to cater to the highly specialized and challenging world of deep-sea diving, reaching depths far beyond its siblings.
The conception of the Pelagos Ultra stemmed from a fundamental question posed by TUDOR's engineers: What would it take to elevate an already highly capable dive watch, the standard Pelagos, into an instrument suitable for genuine deep-sea exploration? They aimed to address the unique challenges presented by the "twilight zone," depths ranging from 200 to 1,000 meters. The result is a watch born from a "what if?" mentality, an exercise in pushing engineering limits. While acknowledging most owners won't reach 1,000 meters, the capability signifies a design built to withstand virtually any condition.
Central to the Pelagos Ultra's identity is its substantial case. Machined primarily from Grade 2 titanium, with Grade 5 titanium utilized for the case back, it measures 43mm in diameter. This choice of material is crucial for a watch of this size and purpose; titanium is significantly lighter than steel yet offers excellent strength and corrosion resistance, particularly against saltwater. The entire case features a satin finish, giving it a functional, non-reflective appearance suitable for a professional instrument. The lug width is a standard 22mm, allowing for strap versatility.
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Engineered for extreme pressure, the case architecture achieves a remarkable water resistance rating of 1,000 meters (3,280 feet). A key component enabling this depth capability, especially for saturation diving, is the compact helium escape valve integrated into the case side. During prolonged periods in pressurized helium-rich environments (like diving bells), helium molecules can seep into the watch case. During decompression, this trapped helium needs a path to escape to prevent pressure buildup that could damage the watch, specifically dislodging the crystal. The valve allows this egress automatically. The case maintains a profile thickness of 14.5mm.
Visually, the Pelagos Ultra presents a powerful and purposeful aesthetic. The matte grey hue of the satin-finished titanium dominates the case and bracelet, conveying a sense of rugged utility. The proportions are balanced despite the 43mm size, with defined lugs flowing into the integrated bracelet. Prominent crown guards flank the screw-down crown, offering protection against impacts. The overall impression is one of a serious, no-nonsense tool designed for demanding underwater tasks, where legibility and durability are paramount.
Surrounding the dial is a unidirectional rotating bezel, a critical safety feature for divers. Constructed from titanium to match the case, it features a matte black ceramic insert chosen for its scratch resistance and fade-proof properties. The edge of the bezel is deeply grooved, providing excellent grip even when operated with gloved hands. The insert is marked with a 60-minute scale, with individual minute markings for the first 15 minutes, crucial for precise dive timing. The numerals (20, 30, 40, 50) and markers are clearly defined.
The dial of the Pelagos Ultra prioritizes instant, unambiguous readability under all conditions. Building upon the established Pelagos design, TUDOR scaled up key elements. The dial itself is a deep black with a matte finish to minimize reflections, complemented by a sandblasted flange (the angled ring around the dial periphery) featuring precise minute markings. This combination enhances contrast and allows the wearer to quickly ascertain the time. A date window is cleanly integrated at the 3 o'clock position, featuring black numerals on a white background for clarity.
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Legibility in low-light or deep underwater environments is ensured through a carefully considered application of luminous material. The hour markers are not merely printed; they are applied monobloc elements made from a luminescent ceramic composite, providing depth and strong luminescence. TUDOR employs a two-tone lume strategy using Swiss Super-LumiNova®: most markers and the hour and seconds hands glow blue (Grade X1), while the crucial minute hand and the triangular bezel pip at 12 o'clock glow green (BGW9). This color distinction allows divers to easily differentiate the minute hand for tracking elapsed dive time.
The hands themselves are a signature TUDOR element. The Pelagos Ultra utilizes the distinctive "Snowflake" hands, characterized by the square shape near the tip of the hour hand, a design hallmark introduced by TUDOR in 1969 on its dive watches. For the Ultra, these hands, along with the baton minute hand and lollipop seconds hand, have been made thicker compared to the standard Pelagos, further enhancing visibility. They are generously filled with the corresponding blue or green Swiss Super-LumiNova® material.
Protecting this highly legible dial assembly is a domed sapphire crystal. Sapphire is renowned in watchmaking for its exceptional scratch resistance, second only to diamond. The domed shape adds structural integrity, contributing to the watch's immense water resistance, while also offering a slight vintage-inspired aesthetic touch, though its primary function here is structural performance under pressure. Anti-reflective treatment is typically applied to ensure clarity is not compromised by surface reflections.
Driving the Pelagos Ultra is the TUDOR Manufacture Calibre MT5612-U. This movement represents TUDOR's in-house capability and technical advancement. It is a self-winding mechanical movement, powered by the motion of the wearer's wrist, operating via a bidirectional rotor system for efficient winding. It boasts a substantial power reserve of approximately 65 hours, meaning the watch can be taken off for a weekend and potentially still be running on Monday morning without needing winding. A silicon hairspring enhances resistance to magnetic fields and temperature variations, contributing to stable timekeeping.
A significant feature of the MT5612-U movement is its METAS Master Chronometer certification. This independent certification, issued by the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology, goes beyond the standard COSC chronometer tests. METAS certification is comprehensive, verifying not only the precision of the movement (within a strict tolerance range) but also its resistance to powerful magnetic fields (up to 15,000 gauss), its stated waterproofness, and its power reserve. Achieving this certification underscores the robustness and reliability engineered into the Pelagos Ultra.
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The Pelagos Ultra is presented on a substantial three-link bracelet crafted entirely from Grade 2 titanium, matching the case material and finish. The links are solid, contributing to the watch's robust feel, and the entire bracelet features the same functional satin-brushed finish as the case, ensuring a cohesive look. This material choice keeps the overall weight manageable despite the watch's size and capabilities.
Integral to the bracelet is TUDOR's proprietary "T-fit" folding clasp. This system allows for rapid, tool-free length adjustment, enabling the wearer to fine-tune the fit easily throughout the day as wrist size fluctuates. The clasp includes a safety catch to prevent accidental opening. Critically for a dive watch, it incorporates a diver's extension mechanism. A novel feature on the Ultra's clasp is a visual indicator system, including a luminous marker, which clearly shows the setting of the bracelet's adjustment mechanism, a first for the Pelagos line, enhancing user-friendliness.
Recognizing the need for versatility and different use cases, TUDOR includes a complimentary secondary strap with the Pelagos Ultra. This strap is made from black rubber and comes fitted with a Grade 2 titanium pin buckle. It attaches securely to the case using dedicated titanium end links, ensuring a seamless integration. Furthermore, TUDOR provides a rubber extension piece, allowing the strap to be significantly lengthened by up to 110 millimeters, making it easy to wear the watch securely over the thick sleeve of a wetsuit or drysuit.
TUDOR's commitment to quality is evident in its state-of-the-art Manufacture in Le Locle, Switzerland. Completed in 2021, this facility centralizes assembly and testing, ensuring adherence to the brand's high standards. It works in conjunction with the Kenissi Manufacture, TUDOR's movement production facility established in 2016. This vertical integration allows TUDOR to master the production of strategic components, guaranteeing the performance and reliability of its watches, backed by a transferable five-year guarantee that requires no registration or periodic maintenance checks.
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The Pelagos Ultra perfectly embodies TUDOR's "Born To Dare" spirit. This campaign signature, introduced in 2017, reflects the brand's heritage of creating watches for adventurers and professionals who operate in extreme conditions. It speaks to Hans Wilsdorf's original vision of durable, dependable timepieces built for daring lifestyles. The Pelagos Ultra, with its extreme depth rating and robust engineering, is a direct manifestation of this philosophy – a tool designed to perform reliably when pushed to the limit.
The TUDOR Pelagos Ultra, reference M2543C1A7NU-0001, is positioned as the brand's most capable technical dive watch. It is priced at $5,950 USD. This price includes the watch head, the full Grade 2 titanium bracelet with the advanced T-fit clasp and visual indicator system, and the additional black rubber strap with titanium hardware and extension piece. The Pelagos Ultra is available through TUDOR's network of authorized dealers worldwide, offering extreme specifications and cutting-edge features for diving professionals and enthusiasts seeking ultimate performance.
Case: 43mm diameter, Grade 2 titanium case with Grade 5 titanium case back, satin finish; 14.5mm thickness, 22mm lug width; Helium escape valve; Unidirectional rotating bezel in titanium with matte ceramic insert and luminous material (Grade X1 and BGW9); Domed sapphire crystal; Titanium screw-down crown; Waterproof to 1,000m (3,280 ft).
Movement: Manufacture Calibre MT5612-U; Self-winding mechanical movement with bidirectional rotor system; 65-hour power reserve; Silicon hairspring; METAS Master Chronometer certified.
Dial: Black matte dial with sandblasted flange; Luminescent ceramic composite monobloc applied hour markers; Thicker "Snowflake" hands with Grade X1 (blue) and BGW9 (green) Swiss Super-LumiNova®.
Strap: Titanium three-link bracelet (Grade 2) with satin finish; TUDOR “T-fit” folding clasp, safety catch, and diver’s extension with new visual indicator system; Complimentary black rubber strap with titanium pin buckle, end links, and diver’s extension included.
Price: $5,950
Reference Number: M2543C1A7NU-0001
Notes: Engineered for saturation diving with 1,000m water resistance. Features METAS Master Chronometer certification for high performance. Includes innovative visual indicator system on the bracelet clasp's diver extension.