I have had a bit of a think on this release, and I have to say I am delighted that it has fixed bars.
It is totally secure, and completely denies the owner the ability to dress it up as man jewellery with a bracelet.
Remember, all you need here is a pull through strap, so all sorts of things are on the table, not just nylon NATOs.
You could use rubber, Perlon, leather, canvas, elastic (like original MN straps) various velcro options or plenty of other fabrics (SteveO?), plus, there's no reason why it cannot be tapered either side to give it a more traditional look.
One thing I notice is that the bezel also has a much courser texture than the original Pelagos, which is also a bonus.
I just hope I manage to get a 21.
D
The biggest thing that bothers me about this watch is Tudor haven't 'fixed' the dial colour. I've always felt it being a little off on the Pelagos and it seems the same shade here. Shame.
Was my go-to watch for sea (and pool) use during the summer so rubber made a lot more sense. Also sits too high for my tastes on a single piece, although I have converted at least one NATO to a 2 piece specifically for this watch.
If that NATO is as brown as it looks in the photo then I think you need to do some strap re-thinking yourself..... although I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that it's just the lighting on a grey strap
I like this shade of blue. By and large not a fan of blue dials but I like the Pelagos blue:-)
On the whole the watch has kind of grown on me but not in a rush for a 21. A 22 will be perfectly fine.
I too like the idea of fixed bars- not for the same reasons as Sweets but it adds little bit of variety and would force me to use pass through straps which I have resisted so far.
Have been encouraged by some real world pics and on the whole I think it is a good release.
Somewhat intrigued by this and registered interest with my nearest AD (which had no details on when it would be available to sell). Having owned a Pelagos it was the thick slab sides that put me off and this addresses this. I'm not a fan of the included straps, but have a box full of various nato and single pass straps so that wouldn't worry me. If this were a black dial though, I'd be much more enthusiastic personally as the no-date dial and slimmer profile really does it for me. It wouldn't be hard to imagine a non-MN variant to arrive later on with the black dial/bezel combo, depending on how this sells.
Ant
My A-13A is 52mm lug to lug, it's not monstrous in the slightest
Seven inch wrist and above will carry this off absolutely fine IMO.
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I am collecting mine Monday afternoon.
7.25inch flat wrist so will post up some real world shots once I get it home from the AD. Will be having a few beers with the guys who pulled out all the stops to get me the watch first!
Fingers crossed for you, the styling is quite divisive so if he is non WIS you might be in luck.
MN21 numbers in circulation going forward will be very limited which might have an effect on future desirability, you never know with Tudor though, not the same cachet as it's parent.
I like it but too large for me. I wonder if this will drive interest in fixed bar divers and extend the market. Might be to CWC's advantage.
It’s a good looking watch
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I’m a bit fan of the original blue pelagos but I’d need to see this in the flesh, it looks great in pics
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If it had been 40mm, it would have been perfect for me as I found the standard Pelagos a bit big for my liking.
People over on wus and Reddit wailing about fixed spring bars constantly are doing my nut in.
How can spring bars be fixed? Especially when it’s essentially just the case (like the PRS40).
Fixed bars yes, fixed spring bars no!
People seem so angry that Tudor have made a tool watch rather than the exact thing they want (which seems to be a 40mm sub)
Anyway end of rant.
I like it. All my watches end up on a nato anyway and it can’t be any bigger than my Sinn UX.
And as it’ll be hard to get until well into next year I’ve got time to save. (Or buy a 58)
Last edited by acg; 11th November 2021 at 22:40.
The blue rules it out for me - never get on with blue dials!.
This aside - great re-association. No major watch manufacturer will ever pander to forum needs/wants/rants - too small a part of the customer base.
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
Regarding the NATO strap - you can get an Erika's Original strap for fixed bars at no extra cost compared to the regular EO. There are two versions for fixed bars - one that has a removable screw to allow the strap to slip through and one called "the old style for fixed bars" which is shown in the photo. It works great, is supremely comfortable and allows the case back to sit against the wrist so the watch wears slimmer.
As for the new Tudor, I'll stick with my blue 58. It is a better size for me and I'm not a fan of titanium anyway.
EO old style for fixed bars
Love that look - as something of a cheapskate (well, with regard to the pricing of elastic! :) ) I achieved the similar effect with a cheapie MN and a bit of needle work... just unpick one end... and 2 mins to re-sew. As you say, makes the watch fantastically snug to the wrist!
Looking at the Erika, what, other than friction, is in place to stop the open end unthreading?
And there are plenty of other suppliers who will do you an open-ended elastic strap without the cost of Erika, which can use a tri-slide to secure, or a simple loop like the original straps.
I like Erika's straps, but I have a real problem with her claims of originality.
Colour comparison.
Personally I prefer the look of the FXD but each to their own.
Love the simplification of the chapter ring. For me it was a bit odd on the OG Pelagos - for a tool watch, it seemed odd to have a purely cosmetic flair in it. I really like this watch.
Do we know whether its Ti or SS yet?
Zero allocation of the '21' for Vietnam. Good job I didn't want one... ... but now I do, because I can't! Oh Rolex what have you done to us all?
Last edited by Jon Kenney; 12th November 2021 at 15:05.
Good job, looks like you configured yours exactly the same way. :) I wish I could sew properly, it's a handy skill. I have to visit youtube just to re-attach a button.
Friction works fine on the EO, the material is fairly thick and stiff and doesn't come loose easily. The strap does come with an additional metal loop which is polished and did not match my other metal pieces so I initially did not use it. I've since acquired some gray Scotchbrite pads and scuffed the outer portion of the loops to a dull finish. They are installed as shown in the photo.
I don't think Erika still makes this strap for fixed bars. I emailed her last week and she said that she only now does the version with a captive screw through the strap (which I think is a mistake). Maybe she'll reconsider if she gets enough requests?
I bought one as recently as April 2020. I ordered and then sent an email referencing the order number and asked for it to be configured as "old style for fixed bars". It was at my house less than two weeks later, pretty quick for a custom order during normal times and exceptional for an overseas order during the early COVID days when a lot of shops were shuttered.
I believe she has them made in Bulgaria now so perhaps they no longer make the old style. That would be a shame.