Diving with TUDOR Watches, vintage and modern.

When I reached out to Tudor to ask them to review the Pelagos 39, I said I wanted to put the watch through it’s paces – since Tudor released the Pelagos 39mm in 2022, it’s been a watch that has stuck with me. Could this watch be the perfect modern dive watch? Last year, my 1977 black dial Tudor “Snowflake” Submariner ref. 94010 found itself on my wrist more often than not and accompanied me during my travels across the globe in pursuit of watches, which I wrote about here: Since its release the Pelagos has stayed with me. I was (not so secretly) hoping that Tudor would release a blue dial variant of the Pelagos 39 since that was what happened with the original Pelagos. In a way, I was holding out for a blue dial variant as my 1977 Tudor Snowflake is black – they’d make a nice pair.

I have seen countless reviews of the watch on YouTube channels and have read endless articles. The one thing that I haven’t seen or read is how the watch performs in the water. Other than a few guys and gals taking a quick dip into the pool with their watch on, no one in the review sphere, to my knowledge, has taken the watch into salt water. 

The thing that excites me about any watch, vintage or new, is the idea or the romance of wearing this watch during an adventure or romanticizing about the watch having done these “things” in the past. Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t have a problem with being a desk diver or buying a watch just because you like the design or aesthetics. I have many watches in my collection that I’m never going to push the boundaries with or use for a fraction of their intended purposes. But still, since I saw the Tudor Pelagos 39 this watch inspired me to get into the water and to take my scuba certification more seriously beyond my open water dives, that is what it’s all about here at C + T.

So what did we do? I took the watch on a series of dives. Time is everything when you dive, no matter how recreational or technical the dive is. We have this saying with us here at C+T: “It’s more than just watches,” this exact watch struck me as a perfect representation of why I love watches, both new and old, and was a tangible reminder of why I started the company over 10 years ago. Diving with this watch also reminded me of how important watches and the ability to keep time underwater are, and how important watches especially were back in the day, well before dive computers would do all of the math and time tracking for you. You would use a dive table to make sure you were diving within your limits, to perform deco or safety stops, or to estimate air supply – a reliable timepiece was quite literally a matter of life or death.

Thinking about the history of dive timepieces struck me and I decided to take this a step further and give this a bit more of a Craft + Tailored twist. Why not take my 1977 black dial Tudor “Snowflake” with me as well? Now, before we get ahead of ourselves, I am not recommending diving with vintage watches. I am very privileged to have access to proper pressure testing equipment and trustworthy watchmakers able to ensure that this was a safe endeavor. Just to be clear, please don’t dive with your vintage watch and message me saying “You told me it was ok!” after something goes wrong. I’m telling you now that it’s not a good idea in almost every situation.

Based on its spec and design, it is seemingly a perfect modern dive watch that strikes a balance between the vintage elements of Tudor submariners I have so obsessively fallen in love with and a display of subtle modern watchmaking where modern features and elements are not over-embellished but exist to serve a utility and purpose. 

What initially struck me about the Tudor Pelagos 39’s design was that I finally felt like someone was listening and not telling; as a collector and enthusiast, and someone who has quite literally dedicated their entire life to horology. I’m sure many of you will agree that most modern watch brands today are shoving watches down our throats that they think we will like or need instead of listening to us and providing us with something we want. It was the first time in seemingly a long time that a professional series sports watch wasn’t produced in 44mm or some ostentatious size or using advanced materials in a way that wasn’t overembellished. Tudor always seems to keep to its roots and provide a modern yet functional offering. It’s a watch that is pulled from the early “no-date” Tudor snowflakes but in a modern way that utilizes all the modern elements of watchmaking.

As the name implies, The Tudor Pelagos 39 is 39mm in width, which, coming from the vintage side of things, is the perfect size for a professional series dive watch. The watch is 21mm lug to lug, which fits nicely on the wrist but yields enough presence over a wetsuit without hanging off one’s wrist. It’s a pretty thin watch at 11.8mm thick, meaning it will slip under a shirt sleeve while wearing it topside and in a casual, more “daily driver” scenario. The watch is made of grade 2 titanium, a material that is not only lightweight but offers exceptional corrosion resistance, often surpassing stainless steel. This makes complete sense, as it is going to get wet, and let me tell you, seawater is harsh and highly corrosive, especially after a dive when you don’t have time to rinse seawater off of your gear as you are rushing to catch a ferry or trying to get over to the “Lobster Trap” to meet up with dive buddies after a day of diving for a quick bite to eat. 

Titanium is softer than steel, so the base and bracelet will so patina and wear, which, for me, coming from the vintage world, isn’t something I mind and quite enjoy, but it is something that you should take care of if you obsess over every scratch and mark on a watch. The pointed crown guards look great and harken from a past design feature that gets my vintage watch nerd juices flowing, but, in actuality, they offer ease of use while operating the crown, even with 5mm thick dive gloves on.

The no-nonsense Tudor Pelagos 39 bracelet is light and functional but also displays modern and functional tech features that work like the micro adjustment T-fit clasp and the diver’s extension, which is firm and expertly machined not to rattle or become cumbersome while wearing the watch in a non-dive scenario, unlike the charming yet sometimes annoying divers extensions that have most likely worn out on the originals from the past which can again offer a charming yet sometimes annoying jangly like noise. 

The lumed unidirectional ceramic bezel of the Tudor Pelagos 39 is finished in a sunray satin finish, which some reviewers harped on, but honestly, I don’t mind it. It’s not overly noticeable and also gives the bezel a more metallic look, which I found charming coming from the vintage watch world, where bezel inserts were machined from aluminum and didn’t have such a shiny ceramic-like look and feel that is so commonly displayed on inserts today. Also, the bezel itself is lumed – What a novel idea to lume the bezel so that it’s legible in lowlight conditions! I’m surprised that more brands are not leveraging this ability to increase the visibility of a bezel underwater. This is a hugely valuable feature for a dive watch.

The dial of the Tudor Pelagos 39 is not matte like the original Pelagos models, and again, some other reviewers haven’t supported this design feature. Underwater, the sunray finishing isn’t that visible and, if anything, increases the contrast between the hands and the block markers of the trademark “Snowflake” dial. The snowflake hands are eye-catching and easily distinguishable from one another, just as they were designed in the past, a request from certain military-based dive teams. In Pelagos-like fashion, the center of the hands are black, and the outer portions of the lume-filled hands are white, giving them the appearance of almost floating off the dial. This is another trick to increase legibility underwater. 

The Pelagos 39 is powered by the Tudor in-house MT5400, a COSC-rated movement that yields a fairly impressive 70-hour power reserve and is nuts on accurate. And yes I put it on the timegrapher to inspect this before diving with it, I am a watch nerd after all, and geek out on the speeds and feeds of movements. This movement isn’t groundbreaking by any means and can also be found in the Tudor Blackbay 58 and a few other models, but it’s not a watch that needs some complex, groundbreaking movement, especially for it’s intended use.

Are they out there, and can I buy one? The simple answer is “Yes”. At any given moment, you can scroll eBay, second-hand dealer sites, or Chrono24 and find them. The secondhand availability; I wouldn’t say it has been overly abundant, meaning the market isn’t flooded with them at any given moment in time, but I actually think it is quite telling, meaning I think a lot of people are keeping these watches and not tiring of them easily, but they are out there on the secondhand market, often for less than retail. 

The average second-hand price at time of publication is around $3800 USD +/-. I have seen them available at retail for $4,600 USD at a number of Tudor ADs as well. Now, with that being said, I think that they do sell pretty quickly, and I would assume, in most cases, they are a watch that sells well for the Tudor ADs, but they are available, and honestly, its a lot of watches for the price regardless of you acquire them at retail or second hand. In this pricing category, I think it will be tough to beat the Tudor Pelagos 39, and at this price point.

Nothing is ever really perfect, right? I’m being nitpicky here, and if I’m being completely honest, I am secretly hoping that Tudor will let me buy this review watch after producing the content for it, as I have fallen deeply in love with the watch and have had some memorable dives with the watch. With that being said, I noticed a few things to consider when purchasing the Tudor Pelagos 39 after spending some extended time with it, especially while diving.

Lug Width: The lug width is 21m, which can be a bit limiting if you want to change the strap to something different. 21mm straps are becoming a bit more of a standard size these days, but it is a bit limiting, especially if you want to wear the watch on a fabric NATO-style strap or a rubber dive strap. Tudor does make a great dive strap, which is included with the watch, but even then, the thing with dive gear that is also a bit consistent with the watch community is that most people like to adapt or modify gear/ watches to meet their specific needs or preference, and the 21mm lug width could be limiting especially if looking for a different type of strap.

Lume: The lume in the hands is a bit dimmer than that of the dial and the bezel. I am unsure why, but I noticed it while in-depth with the watch. At first, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me a little, but when I was at the office, I hit the watch with a U.V. torch and noticed the hands were dimmer than that of the dial and bezel. The lume glow does last for a long time, though, as I remember waking up in the middle of the night and being able to see the watch glowing at 4:00 am.

Bezel Movement: The bezel does not like sand, grime, or silt. It could have been the specific bezel on this watch, but I noticed it was getting stuck and becoming hard to rotate. Because I always deal with watches and have experience with these things, I removed the bezel to investigate what was happening. Tudor uses a very interesting spring and bezel assembly that is not for the faint of heart to reassemble. I also noticed that the watch had some lubricant or grease that was likely used during the manufacturing process that didn’t seem to agree with the salt water and the gritty environment that can exist in and around dive sites, especially when other divers are kicking up sand and silt. I rinsed the bezel, removed some of this lubricant, and snapped the bezel back into place. I haven’t had an issue since, but it is something to note.

Having completed the dives with both of these watches, what is the verdict? Unsurprisingly, the Pelagos 39 is a superior dive watch in this wildly unfair comparison of technology from 50 years ago to today. While there are some large differences between the watches, the real thing that struck me was the familiarity and cohesive design language still existing between the two. The Pelagos feels like a natural successor to the brilliant original Tudor Submariner – don’t get me wrong, diving with the vintage Tudor was a dream come true and I love that I’ve added this new chapter to the watch’s history. There was something magical about seeing this watch at depth with the super domed crystal seemingly like a miniature UFO or Submarine sitting on my wrist, but the modern materials, working lume and, let’s be honest – price point – make the Pelagos a much better choice for diving in 2024 – but thankfully this piece still maintains a connection to the brand’s history and pedigree. 

My connection to timepieces, especially vintage timepieces, comes from their history and story. Many modern releases seem to have forgotten the sense of adventure, utility, and, function that vintage watches have in droves. It’s such a pleasant surprise to find a modern release that still has that romance and provides the inspiration to get out and do the damn thing.