Established by Hans Wilsdorf in 1946 roughly four decades after he founded Rolex, Tudor is a Swiss watch outfit that was conceived to produce quality luxury timepieces sold at more affordable prices than its crown-logoed counterparts. As a result, Tudor has long been viewed by many as something of a “poor man’s” alternative to Rolex. And while there’s no denying that it still stands in the shadow of its more iconic sister brand, Tudor has been making major strides over the last ten years to step out of that shadow and carve out its own place in the high-end horological space.
In a bid to kickstart these efforts, Tudor debuted its Heritage Black Bay lineup in 2012, taking the watch world by storm — and proving that it could go toe-to-toe with a great many of its elite competitors. To further this initiative Tudor would also release its vintage-inspired Pelagos watch that same year, albeit to less fanfare. And while the watch has consistently caught our eye over the last decade or so, it wasn’t until last year when the brand debuted the new and improved Pelagos 39 that we knew we needed to get our hands on a unit. So, that’s exactly what we did, and after acquiring one and getting it on-wrist, we’ve spent the last few months getting to know this elegant retro-inspired diver, allowing us to piece together this review of the Tudor Pelagos 39 Dive Watch.
At A Glance
Tudor Pelagos 39 Specs
Case Size: 39mm
Lug to Lug: 47mm
Case Thickness: 11.9mm
Lug Width: 21mm
Case Material: Titanium
Water Resistance: 200m
Movement Type: Automatic
Power Reserve: 70 Hours
Movement: Tudor Calibre MT5400
Lume: Super-LumiNova
Crystal: Sapphire
Strap: Three-Link Titanium Bracelet
Meeting An Updated EDC Favorite
First Impressions Of The Tudor Pelagos 39
In an effort to be fully transparent, we’ll start by coming out and saying that we absolutely love this watch, and it easily ranks among one of the best timepieces we’ve ever tested — an opinion held by several of our in-house staffers in fact. With that said, we did do our absolute best to remain as objective and unbiased as possible when piecing together this hands-on review. So, with that out of the way, let’s get into the watch.
We’re no stranger to Tudor watches — far from it in fact — and have previously done hands-on testing of several of the Swiss brand’s latest references including its Black Bay 58, Black Bay 36, Ranger, and most recently, Tudor’s Black Bay Pro. Based on our prior firsthand experience, Tudor’s watches have always possessed a genuine world-class level of craftsmanship, build quality, attention to detail, and fit and finish — traits possessed by the Pelagos 39 in spades. From the beautiful and wildly uniform brushed finish to the perfectly-applied dial elements, the watch has an unmistakably premium feel to it that readily announces itself as being a luxury dive watch — though not one that can’t be dressed down to fly a bit more under the radar with a textile rubber strap.
However, it’s not it’s luxury nature that makes the 39-spec stand out to us, as the older pre-2022 Pelagos models already counted themselves as some of our favorite contemporary dive watches. While somewhat subtle, this increasingly-iconic Swiss-made diver has been bestowed with a myriad of minor changes and tweaks that collectively enable it to better lend itself to daily-wear use. This simplified setup sports a very similar dial to its predecessor, with baton markers at 3, 6, and 9, a triangle at 12, and square indices at every other hour — the latter of which instantly jumps out at you when first viewing the watch, as does the iconic snowflake-style hand-set.
Furthered by the case and bracelet’s brushed finish, the blocky applied indices and idiosyncratic signature snowflake handset also help to make the timepiece instantly recognizable as a Tudor dive watch, and help to differentiate it from the Rolex Submariner — which was actually used as something of the basis to design the dive watch that the Pelagos would eventually be one of the successors to. The last detail that we initially noticed when first getting hands-on with the Pelagos 39 was how crazy comfortable the watch is — even compared to other high-end Swiss-made divers costing more than twice what the Pelagos does, though more on this later.
![Tudor Pelagos 39mm Review 2](https://cdn.hiconsumption.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Tudor-Pelagos-39mm-Review-2.jpg)
Grade 2 Greatness
The Tudor Pelagos 39’s Case
The Tudor Pelagos 39 is constructed around a 39mm case crafted from grade 2 titanium. Waterproof down to 200 meters (or 660’), this titanium construction has been complemented via an all-brushed satin finish that’s been applied in an incredibly uniform and consistent manner. Equipped with a steel case back and a screw-down Tudor Rose-logoed crown made from matching grade 2 titanium, the case is just 11.9mm thick and sports a 47mm lug-to-lug. Taking inspiration from vintage dive watches, this timepiece’s crown is largely unprotected, with just two small nibs shielding the component. Further complimenting the grade 2 titanium case is a grade 2 titanium, a unidirectional-rotating bezel that features a sunray satin finish luminous ceramic insert.
As its name suggests, the new Pelagos 39-spec comes in at a more compact 39mm sizing compared to its 42mm predecessor. The 39 model also does away with the older and slightly larger reference’s dedicated helium release valve. This makes the watch more conducive to everyday use, though does compromise its water resistance rating, being 300m short of the Pelagos 42’s 500m capabilities. All in all, it’s a thoroughly handsome case that takes a less is more approach in terms of design, while also sporting some obvious old-school influence.
![Tudor Pelagos 39mm Review 1](https://cdn.hiconsumption.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Tudor-Pelagos-39mm-Review-1.jpg)
Simple Yet Sophisticated
The Tudor Pelagos 39’s Dial
Though it can still be recognized as being of the Pelagos variety, the Pelagos 39 has been treated to some major updates as far as its dial is concerned. Tudor has opted to do away with the date window at 3 o’clock. Same goes for the chapter ring that once encroached on the indices, with this setup having been replaced with four clean lines of text. The dial also sports some red Submariner text — a nod to the Rolex Submariner 1680 which was produced for approximately eight years beginning in the late 1960’s. In typical Tudor fashion, the brand’s logo and home city are printed in text just beneath 12 o’clock while the words “Swiss” and “made” are separated by the baton-style marker at 6 o’clock.
The dial sports a black sunray satin finish with sandblasted flange, along with Tudor’s classic snowflake hand-set paired with a triangular 12 o’clock marker, batons at 3, 6 and 9, and square indices located at every other hour — all of which are of the monobloc luminescent ceramic composite variety. Rounding out the dial is generously applied bright blue-glowing luminescent paint adorning its indices, bezel markers, and snow-flake hands. It’s simple, but it’s an undeniably elegant and attractive dial that speaks to how cohesively this watch was designed as a whole. We will mention that some of the lume is a bit inconsistent, with certain areas glowing brighter and longer than others — at least with the watch we tested.
![Tudor Pelagos 39mm Review 4](https://cdn.hiconsumption.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Tudor-Pelagos-39mm-Review-4.jpg)
In-House Automatic
The Tudor Pelagos 39’s Movement
The Tudor Pelagos 39 is powered by an in-house-made Manufacture Calibre MT5400 movement. Also found in the Black Bay 58, the MT5400 is a COSC-certified automatic self-winding motor that ticks at 28,800bph or (4 hz) and boasts 27 jewels. Made in Switzerland, this no-date three-hander is equipped with a variable inertia balance with a silicon balance spring. Paired with a bidirectional rotor system, this setup ultimately results in impressive levels of both durability and magnetic resistance, while also delivering an equally impressive 70-hour power reserve. Additionally, this automatic movement is said to boast an accuracy of between -2 and +4 seconds per day — nearly twice as accurate as the regular COSC-certified standard of -4 and +6 seconds. So, while this watch may sport some obvious vintage visual influence, the movement the things houses is modern — and top-shelf — through and through.
![Tudor Pelagos 39mm Review 3](https://cdn.hiconsumption.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Tudor-Pelagos-39mm-Review-3.jpg)
Staggered & Brushed
The Tudor Pelagos 39’s Bracelet
Sporting a 21mm lug width, the Tudor Pelagos 39’s band consist of a staggered titanium three-link bracelet that shares its fully brushed titanium finish with the watch’s case. And, while it was briefly touched on above, we really can’t overstate how immensely comfortable this watch is to wear. Hell, we even found ourselves occasionally falling asleep with the thing still on wrist. The watch’s immesne comfort is owed to a few key areas, including the use of lightweight titanium — for both the watch and the bracelet’s constructions — as well as the bracelet’s overall design and its use of Tudor’s T-Fit clasp as it allows for an ultra-precise fit that can be dialed in on the fly without needing tools. The Pelagos 39 is also sold with an included second 21mm rubber divers strap for use beneath the waves.
![Tudor Pelagos 39mm Review 05](https://cdn.hiconsumption.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Tudor-Pelagos-39mm-Review-05-1000x667.jpg)
Reaching A Conclusion
Final Thoughts On The Tudor Pelagos 39
As a watch enthusiast, the Pelagos 39 is easy to like, however, as a hardcore everyday carry aficionado, the thing is almost impossible not to love. The immense comfort, durability, and lack of weight offered by the titanium bracelet and case constructions, coupled with the timepiece’s highly-accurate workhorse of a movement, more compact sizing, and jettisoning of features non-vital for EDC, have ultimately allowed Tudor to take an already wildly impressive watch, and deliver an even more desirable GADA-focused variant that retains the spirit and fit and finish of its predecessors in an ultra-everyday carry-friendly package. Add to this the fact that the watch dresses down surprisingly well when paired with a rubber or textile band — and does an equally flawless job of lending itself to weddings, board meetings, and more formal occasions — and it’s not hard to see why the Tudor Pelagos 39 is one of our new favorite watches.
![Tudor Pelagos 39mm Recap](https://cdn.hiconsumption.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Tudor-Pelagos-39mm-Recap.jpg)
Recap
Tudor Pelagos 39
A vintage-inspired all-titanium dive watch that’s received a host of tweaks that make it incredibly conducive to everyday use. With a more compact 39mm case and matching 3-link bracelet, the Pelagos 39 is an upscale option for anyone that’s in the market for a GADA watch — though it’s ability to be dressed down with its included rubber dive strap also make it an objectively versatile timepiece.
Pros
- All grade 2 titanium case, crown, bezel, & bracelet
- Beautiful all-brushed finish
- Fantastic for everyday use
- Incredibly comfortable even when worn all day
- Outstanding build quality and fit & finish
- Ultra-accurate automatic in-house-made movement w/ 70-hour power reserve
Cons
- No date window
- Inconsistant lume
- Largely unprotected crown
- No exhibition case back