90 Tudor Rare and Limited Edition, Pelagos FXD, Automatic Wristwatch in Titanium, Made for the Marine Nationale, With Box, Papers, Invoice, Compass, Timer and Dive Timetable Card, Reference 25797B

Estimate: €40,000 –⁠ 80,000

Model: Pelagos FXD “Marine Nationale”
Reference: 25797B
Case Material: Titanium
Bracelet Material: Nato Strap
Year: 2021
Movement: Automatic
Caliber: MT5602
Case N°: M.N 21, 744, 08208N5
Dimensions: 42 mm
Signed: Dial, Case and Movement
Accessories: Box, Papers, Tag, Invoice, Compass, Timer and Card

Since the 1950s when Tudor created one of the first modern professional diving watches and up until the 1980s, the brand has regularly supplied watches to the French Navy. With the Pelagos FXD model, where the contraction of the English “fixed” alludes to the robust fixed bars for attaching the strap, Tudor revives this historic collaboration. The brand presented a technical watch that meets an exclusive set of specifications and was developed with the cooperation of the prestigious Commando Hubert, the combat swimmer unit of the French Navy. The present lot is a Tudor Pelagos FXD “Marine Nationale”. The Pelagos was distinctive for the use of titanium for the case and the great waterproofness of up to 200M. The early Pelagos also utilized the ETA movement till 2015, where it was replaced by an in-house movement. Tudor has long had a military relationship, specifically with the French Navy (Marine Nationale). Indeed, in 2021, this relationship has intensified even more continuing a collaboration that dates back to 1956. Developed together with the French Navy’s frogmen, the Pelagos FXD model is based on a series of technical specifications that are as precise as they are demanding, such as the over mentioned fixed bars, a titanium case and a rotating bezel. Bidirectional, with retrograde graduation from 60 to 0, this electric blue bezel with a larger diameter compared to the case does not meet the standard but to the specific needs of the method called “submarine navigation”, one of the specialties of combat swimmers. The dial has a navy-blue color, square/rectangular hour markers and angular shaped hands known as “Snowflake”: two unmistakable elements introduced by the brand in 1969 to make the overall luminescence of its watches more intense in conditions of poor visibility. To underline the official character of the watch, there is the engraving “M.N.21”, of historical inspiration, which stands for “Marine Nationale 2021” and the diver’s assignment number (in this case 744). The watch also comes with the original box, papers, tag, invoice, compass, timer and dive timetable card.