I've been a fan of the Tudor Pelagos ever since my friend let me borrow his blue one for an extended period a few years ago. It's well-built, has great specs, plus it looks cool! It also comes with a great bracelet that has the most advanced clasp I've ever seen. Thus, when Tudor released the Pelagos FXD in 2021, featuring fixed lug bars, I didn't quite get it. It seemed a bit too niche for such an expensive watch, and it lost one of its best aspects.
Fast forward to 2026, and I ended up buying one despite this. I wanted a watch specifically to wear with StrapHabit pass-through straps, and the FXD concept had really grown on me.
Tudor Pelagos FXD First Impressions
The standard Pelagos is available in a blue standard variant, and black standard, LHD, larger Ultra, and slimmer 39mm variants. FXD models were originally available only in Marine Nationale navy blue. These featured a bidirectional countdown bezel and MN emblem on the back. For the later black variant, Tudor installed a traditional unidirectional dive bezel. It then added a GMT variant to the lineup, as well as a carbon-fiber chronograph model (plus some other now-discontinued carbon special editions).
Tudor Pelagos FXD Details
As you might have guessed, the name FXD refers to the fixed lugs, which are the most noticeable change from the original Pelagos. Designed to provide ultimate security, these eliminate the rare chance of a springbar popping out or failing. If something breaks through the solid titanium, you likely have bigger problems than losing your watch. I was familiar with this through my Prevail Onward Future Field Watch, but it has 20mm lugs and a much less conventional design.
At first glance, the dial doesn't appear to have changed much. While the shape of the hands and hour markers is similar, the FXD also uses a more traditional (and much slimmer) chapter ring. The standard model has a large chapter ring with cutouts for the hour markers (not unlike a Seiko Monster or Nodus Sector Deep).
Everything is monochromatic other than the red Pelagos text, which I find to be just the right amount of color. I wish Tudor (and Rolex) would lose the officially certified text on its dials, but I guess they think we might not trust them.
The bezel has a coin edge for easy grip, and the insert is matte-black ceramic. Its 60 clicks are very precise, and more tactile than the fluid, smooth clicks you'll feel on its big brother, the Submariner.
The entire case is brushed grade-2 titanium with mostly hard edges, but a small chamfer down the tops of the lugs.
Wearing the Tudor Pelagos FXD
Like the standard Pelagos, the FXD has a large 42mm diameter titanium case. To me, it's an appropriate size for the watch's purpose. The fixed lugs do add a bit to the total height of the watch (up from about 50mm to 52), but some of that is hidden from view by the strap passing over it.
Because the LHD was originally intended as a Marine Nationale watch for use while snorkeling, Tudor removed the helium escape valve from the case and reduced the water resistance from 500m to a still-more-than-enough-for-almost-anyone, 200m. The benefit of this is that it's about 1.5mm thinner than the OG Pelagos, coming in at under 13mm (thickness is a complaint of other Tudor divers, like the Black Bay). This is especially helpful since the strap passing under it does add some height off the wrist.
Tudor Pelagos FXD Bracelet and Replacement Straps
Unlike standard Pelagos models, FXD models lack the fixed lug bars, which eliminates the possibility of installing a bracelet. Luckily, Tudor is known for making nice straps. This version of the FXD comes with a green fabric pass-through strap featuring a red stripe and a hook-and-loop closure.
Tudor also provides a second option of a black rubber single-pass strap with a titanium buckle
Having fixed lug limits the strap options, but the 22mm lug still allows a variety of options, proving they can be fed through the bars. I've been wearing mine on an AWWC Charity Strap, but I will be swapping to a few new options once StrapHabit has them in stock.
Here is a list of straps that would look great with this watch. You can also view our Guide to Choosing a Watch Strap.
-Ribbed FKM Pass-Through (22mm coming soon)
-Elastic
-Seatbelt
-Standard H
-Dessert Warrior
-Single-pass Hook and Loop (coming soon)
Tudor Pelagos FXD Movement
Most of Tudor's current non-chronograph watches are powered by a version of the brand's automatic manufacture caliber MT56xx series. They are produced by movement maker Kenissi. Although it supplies movements to other brands, the company was founded by Tudor, making it a bit of a gray area if these movements should be considered "in-house." Whatever you choose to call it, the movements feature a solid spec list, especially compared to many other watches at this price.
The Pelagos FXD uses MT5602, which is the no date variant (the North Flag was the first to use this movement, but it had MT5621, which also had date and power reserve displays). It sits behind a solid caseback.
All movements in the series have a 70-hour power reserve and operate at 28,800 vph, with this version featuring 25 jewels. They are also all COSC-certified, in part thanks to a variable-inertia oscillator. A silicon balance spring sits under a full bridge, providing operational stability and robustness.
Tudor Pelagos FXD Conclusion
The overbuilt nature of the Tudor FXD makes it a great watch for professionals who need something beefy and bulletproof with fixed lugs. Many of those people are likely to buy a less expensive replacement if the worst happens, but it's great that this option exists. If you're like me, however, you'll only use a fraction of the capabilities of the overbuilt FXD. So should you buy this watch to use in everyday situations?
If you're looking for a dive watch to wear in a variety of situations, the standard Tudor Pelagos (or, better yet, the Black Bay) would be a better choice because it can be worn on a bracelet or any strap. Because I have a few other watches that can fill that space, I found the FXD to be a more interesting addition to my collection. I like its simpler nature and look forward to wearing it securely on a pass-through strap while swimming this summer.
Tudor Pelagos FXD Specifications
Name: Tudor Pelagos FXD Black
Reference Number: M25717N-0001
MSRP: $4,900
Diameter: 42mm
Height: 52mm
Thickness: 12.75mm
Lug Width: 22mm
Weight: 82g (fabric strap), 92g (rubber strap)
Movement: Tudor Manufacture Calibre MT5602
Power Reserve: 70 hours
Water Resistance: 200m
Crystal: Sapphire with inner AR coating
Crown: Screw-down
Bezel: Unidirectional, 60 clicks
Straps: Green and red fabric pass-through with hook and loop, and black rubber with titanium buckle