Tudor: Pelagos FXD Chrono “Yellow”

Born to Ride

PRESS RELEASE | 1378 WORDS | 14 MINUTE READ

2016 was the last year that Fabian Cancellara competed in France. Now in 2025, he’s returning to the absolute pinnacle of professional cycling not as a rider—but as a team owner. To celebrate his exceptional record during past years he’ll be wearing a touch of yellow on his wrist, a brand new Pelagos FXD Chrono produced in extremely limited quantities.

Photo Courtsey: Tudor

Fabian Cancellara has a special relationship with the most storied cycling event in the world, having led the race -- or worn the yellow jersey as cycling afficionados say -- for a total of 29 days, not to mention eight stage victories. His return to France this year as a team owner running a team that was simply an idea three years ago points to the powerful notion that progress doesn’t happen by accident. It’s a product of commitment and consistency. On his wrist is the Pelagos FXD Chrono “Yellow”, a totem to his days battling France’s most challenging roads in the brutal summer heat. You could also say it’s his lucky charm when facing challenges to come. Just 300 numbered examples of this watch will be produced. Number 7 is already spoken for, as that’s Fabian Cancellara’s signature number.

Professional cycling isn’t for the faint of heart. Riders’ bodies and minds are pushed to the absolute limit with every pedal stroke, not to mention inherent dangers of the sport. A watch engineered with professional cycling in mind must withstand these extreme demands, while remaining easy to operate. It’s no secret that the fastest bikes are made of carbon fibre, and that’s why TUDOR has opted for a carbon composite case for the new chronograph, designed with daring riders in mind. Titanium elements enhance the watch’s robustness, as it will certainly face the unpredictable conditions of the road.

It’s not only the durability of the watch that was considered during its design phase. The watch also had to be genuinely useful while riding. It’s typical for the tachymetric scale of a chronograph to be calibrated for automobile speeds; indeed, many TUDOR chronographs feature a scale typically associated with motorsport. What makes the Pelagos FXD Chrono “Yellow” exceptional is that its scale is tailored to the speeds that cyclists can sustain. The chronograph scale wraps around the dial in a spiral, allowing cyclists to read average speeds at a glance. The tachymeter function on the Pelagos FXD Chrono “Yellow” has been specifically engineered for cycling.

KEY POINTS

1.     43mm black matt-finished carbon composite case with fixed strap bars

2.     Fixed bezel with 60-minute graduation

3.     Cycling-specific tachymeter scale on dial

4.     Black matt dial with luminescent ceramic composite monobloc applied hour markers and yellow accents

5.     Manufacture Calibre MT5813 certified by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC) with a hairspring in silicon and a 70-hour power reserve

6.     “Snowflake” hands, one of the hallmarks of the TUDOR divers’ watches introduced in 1969, with Grade X1 Swiss Super-LumiNova® luminous material

7.     One-piece technical fabric strap in black with matching hardware

RACE READY DIALS

The matt black dial with yellow accents puts legibility first and foremost and is reminiscent of the colours associated with the most challenging race in cycling. The signature square hour-markers and “Snowflake” hands, designed back in the sixties by TUDOR to offer larger luminous surfaces and thus improve legibility, are fashioned from luminescent ceramic composite for optimal legibility in challenging conditions. Around the circumference of the dial, printed on a 45°-angled rehaut, is a recalibrated tachymeter with inner ring focused on the speeds cyclists reach.

 A FABRIC STRAP FOR RIDING

The single-piece fabric strap is one of the hallmarks of TUDOR, which in 2010, became one of the first watchmaking brands to offer this option. Woven in France on 19th century Jacquard looms by the Julien Faure company in the St-Etienne region, the strap’s manufacturing quality, robustness and comfort on the wrist are unmatched. For the Pelagos FXD models, a highly technical strap construction was developed by TUDOR and Julien Faure. Made up of a 22mm black jacquard-woven technical fabric with a yellow stripe and a traditional buckle, it’s perfect for putting in time on the bike.

MANUFACTURE CHRONOGRAPH CALIBRE MT5813

The Manufacture Calibre MT5813, powering the Pelagos FXD Chrono, displays hours, minutes, seconds, chronograph and date functions. It also bears the matt finish typical of TUDOR Manufacture Calibres and comes complete with a signature tungsten openwork monobloc rotor.

Boasting a “weekend-proof” 70-hour power reserve and a silicon balance spring, the Manufacture Chronograph Calibre MT5813 is certified by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC), with its performance exceeding the standards set by this independent institute at -2 and +4 seconds’ variation per day, tested on every fully assembled chronograph. A high-performance movement, it was crafted in the purest watchmaking tradition, with a column wheel mechanism and vertical clutch. In line with TUDOR’s philosophy of, it ensures extraordinary robustness and reliability, guaranteed by the array of extreme tests applied to all TUDOR products.

Derived from the Manufacture Calibre Breitling 01 chronograph, with a high-precision regulating organ developed by TUDOR and exclusive finishes, this movement is the result of a lasting collaboration between the two brands.

THE TUDOR MANUFACTURE

Every TUDOR watch is assembled and fully tested to TUDOR’s superior standards at the new TUDOR Manufacture located in Le Locle, Switzerland. This new state-of-the-art facility, bringing together the know-how of watchmakers with the best in production management and automated testing systems, was completed in 2021 after three years of construction. All decked out in TUDOR red, the Manufacture spans over four levels totalling 5,500 square meters and is physically and visually connected to the neighbouring Kenissi Manufacture, the TUDOR movement production facility founded in 2016. With Kenissi and a network of TUDOR-owned affiliates, the brand has been able to integrate the development and production of high-performance mechanical calibres. As a consequence, TUDOR now fully masters the manufacturing of strategic components and can guarantee their quality.

THE TUDOR GUARANTEE

Since its creation by Hans Wilsdorf in 1926, and in line with his vision of an ideal watchmaking product, TUDOR has never stopped producing the most robust, durable, reliable and precise watches in existence today. Bolstered by this experience, and confident in the knowledge of the superior quality of its watches, TUDOR offers a five-year guarantee on all its products. This guarantee does not require the watch to be registered or any periodic maintenance checks to be performed and is transferable should the watch change ownership during coverage. TUDOR also recommends that its watches should be serviced approximately every 10 years depending on the model and the extent of its use on a day-to-day basis.

TUDOR IS “BORN TO DARE”

In 2017, TUDOR launched a new campaign with the “Born To Dare” signature. It reflects both the history of the brand and what it stands for today. It tells the adventures of individuals who have achieved the extraordinary on land, on ice, in the air and underwater, with a TUDOR watch on their wrists. It also refers to the vision of Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of TUDOR, who manufactured TUDOR watches to withstand the most extreme conditions, watches made for the most daring lifestyles. It is testimony to TUDOR’s singular approach to watchmaking, which has made it what it is today. At the cutting edge of the watchmaking industry, its innovations are now essential benchmarks. The TUDOR “Born To Dare” spirit is supported throughout the world by first class ambassadors, whose achievements result directly from a daring approach to life.

ABOUT TUDOR

TUDOR is an award-winning Swiss-made watch brand, offering watches with refined aesthetics, proven reliability and unique value for money. The origins of TUDOR date back to 1926, when “The Tudor” was first registered as a brand on behalf of the founder of Rolex, Hans Wilsdorf. He created the Montres TUDOR SA Company in 1946 to offer watches with the quality and dependability of a Rolex, at a more affordable price point. Because of their robustness and affordability, throughout their history TUDOR watches have been chosen by the boldest adventurers on land, underwater and on ice. Today, the TUDOR collection includes emblematic models such as Black Bay, Pelagos, 1926 and TUDOR Royal. Since 2015, TUDOR has also offered mechanical Manufacture Calibres with multiple functions and superior performance.

For further information visit tudorwatch.com