Tudor Unveils a Pelagos FXD Carbon Chrono ‘Cycling Edition’ Ahead of Giro d’Italia
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Rolex’s younger sibling, Tudor Watches, has launched a new Pelagos FXD model ahead of its pro cycling team’s first go at the Giro d’Italia. The Giro is one of three grand tours, along with the well-known Tour de France and the lesser-known Vuelta a España. Each of these grand tours lasts three weeks, climbing Alps, Dolomites, and Pyrenees in epic day-long stages that, when added together, total well over 3,000 kilometers for each race. If you know tennis, you might think of the Giro as an equivalent to Roland Garros, an all-important competition with the top players, yet in the shadow of better-known events—especially for Americans.
The 42 mm watch may be familiar to those who follow The America’s Cup sailing teams, which Tudor also sponsors, as this watch is similar to one released last year. It is a carbon fiber Pelagos FXD chronograph, here themed with the Tudor Pro Cycling Team’s colors and a unique outer timing scale made more useful for cyclists by bringing the range within slower speeds.
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The watch is exceptionally light, which riders from the team told us is mandatory for anyone riding and training at the elite level. It is equipped with the caliber MT5813 made in conjunction with Breitling, which Tudor modifies to achieve above-chronometer performance. The FXD is known for using solid slots for the strap, rather than removable spring bars—originally a feature of early military watches Tudor made for French SCUBA divers. The strap is by Julien Faure, acclaimed ribbon maker from France.
We are on the ground in Turin, embedded with the Tudor Pro Cycling team. As a former cyclist who raced in Italy back in 2000, I am especially thrilled to spend time with these elite cyclists, their incredible carbon fiber BMC bicycles, and the 26-person team that supports the riders who will give their all trying to snatch up Giro stages during the next three weeks.
Tudor’s team was founded in 2018 in partnership with Swiss retired cycling star Fabian Cancellara, who dominated professional cycling’s Classics—fabled, grueling, one-day races, some dating back to the late 1800s. Cancellara’s Tudor Pro Cycling Team is dedicated to developing young riders, especially Swiss ones. With that said, Tudor’s two lead riders are both Italian: Alberto Dainese, a gifted sprinter who has won two stages for other teams at the Giro d’Italia, and Matteo Trentin who has won stages at the Tour de France and the Giro d’Italia, also for other teams. The stated goal: use these more seasoned riders to gain Tudor first place in at least one of the 21 days of racing ahead.
The partnership with Tudor feels seamless, natural, and sincere. This is the kind of synergy that I’ve seen other sponsor-team pairings try to fake before, and the shared focus on performance, precision, technology, and detail between watchmaking and running a professional cycling team strikes me as entirely authentic. This kind of collaboration is all too rare in professional sports that rely on corporate sponsorship.
It is tempting to draw a comparison between the carbon Pelagos FXD watch and the carbon fiber BMC bicycles the Tudor team will ride, but I think the more apt comparison is between the watches and the riders themselves. These elite endurance athletes are as finely tuned as any Swiss watch.
The level of scientific insight into their biological state coming from constant testing combined with high-tech nutrition carried out by Tudor’s traveling chef and nutritionist is on par with the endless research and development carried out by Rolex and Tudor.
The Tudor Pelagos FXD Carbon Chrono Cycling Edition will retail for $5,275.00.
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