September 5th, 2023 | Words and photography by DAHTT
The Pelagos 39 is not a Sub' substitute.
Why the weird Tudor Pelagos 39mm is the perfect tool for me.
I've seen the Tudor Pelagos 39 compared to the Rolex Submariner in quite a few reviews. To my mind it's nothing like a Submariner, differentiated by the titanium construction, square frameless indices, snowflake hands, fully lumed bezel - it's very forward looking whereas the Submariner leans on its heritage and takes quite the opposite approach.
I have a great deal of respect for the Submariner, but its ubiquitousness puts me off owning one. Maybe I'm a hipster, but I'd rather wear a vintage Heuer Carrera than a Daytona, an original Glycine Airman than a GMT master II, and I would take a Tudor Sub' over a Rolex Sub' every time.
The "why" instigates conversation, and I love talking about and sharing my passion for watches, so maybe that's it.
The Pelagos serves a very important role in my collection. It's one of the most valuable tools I use when I'm working. As a professional musician, I've spent this year touring the festival circuit. For reasons I won't delve into involving contracts and mandated sound curfews, timing is crucial.
Finish your set a few minutes too early - you're in breach of contract and won't be paid in full, too late and they'll pull the plug making you look bad and annoying everybody involved.
Some artists have a big digital clock at the side of the stage, but they don't have the watch collecting disease and I've never thought it was a particularly good look when audiences can see a big clock ticking down. Hardly conducive to getting lost in the moment. So, I like lots of other professional performers use a watch.
By far the most important attribute for a stage tool watch is legibility. I've used a Rolex in the past but the white gold hands aren't always the most legible in low light, I briefly switched to a Smiths W10 reissue for it's fantastic field watch legibility. I've always wanted something highly legible with a dive time bezel though, and the Pelagos 39 is just that.
As I walk onstage I click the bezel to the current minute, knowing how long I have to play for (usually an hour). Periodically I check the minute hands progress against the bezel, lengthening or shortening the performance as required.
The divisive snowflake hour hand perfectly differentiates itself from the minute hand, meaning at a glance (which is all you get) you can locate the minute hand easily. In combination with the fully lumed bezel, on a dimly lit stage, in a second you know where you are in the alloted hour. Then as your attention diverts back to the performance, the lightweight titanium construction means the watch disappears from your consciousness until you need it again.
The sunburst on both the dial and bezel is so subtly executed that it doesn't affect legibility whatsoever. In the moments that it matters, it's invisible. It appears only under close scrutiny, and in those moments it's a captivating detail that I thoroughly enjoy.
The indices are applied, but have no frame, they are perfectly square applications of lume without anything containing them so to speak. I've never seen that before and it's a delightful detail.
The overall feeling of quality is absolutely comparable to Rolex when they're at their best, from bezel action to bracelet articulation, winding and screwing the crown...it's all there. Details like the ceramic ball-bearings in the bezel and clasp speak to the thinking when designing this watch. It's supposed to last. I respect that approach a lot.
I have a concern though. Both the T- fit adjustment system and fold over clasp use mechanisms which are spring loaded. I can absolutely imagine these springs weakening over years of use. They are clever systems, but also possible points of failure. My concerns might turn out to be unjustified, I'll report back in a decade or so.
I love this watch. There's nothing like going into a stressful situation knowing you have the best tools for the job, and this is the perfect tool for my job. I wouldn't give it a universal recommendation though.
For most people the Black Bay 58 might be a better all rounder. The Rolex Sub' might be a bit less weird. Any steel dive watch might stand up to scratches better and feel more expensive due to the added mass. A Seiko SBP143 might deliver lots of the same things for a quarter of the price. A Glycine Combat Sub' for even less.
I feel like a lot of the Pelagos 39 reviews (of which there are many) don't quite communicate what a "specific" watch this is. They don't get across that this isn't a ubiquitous dive watch, it's unusual, quirky. So light it can initially feel cheap. So modern and utilitarian that it can lack classic charm. So susceptible to scratches that it will always be a tool over a jewl. For a lot of people the Pelagos 39 will be confusing. It will miss the mark.
There will be others for whom this strange little watch is perfect though. Those people will struggle to find another watch which delivers what the Pelagos 39 does. I'm one of them.