Deep Dive: The Tudor Pelagos FXD GMT (And What It Means For The Collection)

The FXD is a watch that gets under your skin. Since Tudor introduced this strange offshoot of the Pelagos collection at the end of 2021, it’s turned into something of a fan favorite, and while it’s not without its detractors, Tudor has steadily fleshed out the concept into a full fledged collection. The newest member of that collection, the FXD GMT, is arguably the most versatile of the bunch, delivering on an often-requested feature set without compromising the size of the case. On paper, the FXD GMT is the full package, but practical chops are only half the story when it comes to the ultimate charm of this watch. On personality, the latest FXD has some ground to cover, and after spending a week with the watch, it very nearly gets there.

Released into the Pelagos collection (where it remains to this day), the FXD was originally a spec-built dive watch for the French Navy, aka the Marine Nationale. Today's models represent a return to a relationship that began in the 1950s, when Tudor provided dive watches for the French Navy's Underwater Study and Research Group. As such, the watch is more than a mere co-branding exercise. The design of the watch, which uses a fixed-lug construction (FXD) for which it is named, is based on the needs of a very niche group of individuals. These needs included a bi-directional countdown bezel, a quality-of-life feature for divers navigating via dead reckoning at relatively shallow depths. The result was a rather unusual watch, but one that felt refreshingly original in a sea of dive watches playing it safe. 

Other FXD variations have been produced in the intervening years, some with other military connections, others in honor of Tudor’s commercial partnerships, but the Marine Nationale FXD stands unique as the sole watch to receive a marked and dated caseback befitting an issued timepiece. That is, until the FXD GMT came along this year. This is the second MN FXD, and the watch bears its production year proudly underneath the Marine Nationale anchor insignia, which now welcome a set of wings representing the Aéronavale, or French Naval Aviation, the naval air arm of the French Navy. As you may have guessed, this configuration is tailored around the needs of these French pilots, hence the inclusion of the GMT complication.

 Yes, the FXD is more than a dive watch, and it really has been since Tudor began using it as a vehicle for collaborative efforts with the likes of the Red Bull Racing Alinghi yachting team, and their professional cycling team helmed by Fabian Cancellara. The watches born of these relationships are unique, and even interesting (still representing the only use of carbon composite from Tudor), and they further push the diversity of what an FXD can be, begging the question of whether or not the designation should remain unique to the Pelagos collection. The once laser-focused, modern dive-watch collection hasn’t seen much love since the release of the Pelagos 39 (and even that irked some of the harcore Pelagos purists). This is a discussion for another day, but it’s worth noting that the word “Pelagos” remains at the bottom of the dial of this FXD GMT. It’s also worth noting that the watch retains its 200-meter depth rating. 

The FXD has never been a small watch, but it’s always been great on the wrist for how flat it wears. The fixed lug bows out and curves toward the wrist, so, despite the somewhat scary-sounding 51mm lug-to-lug distance, it wears a bit smaller. But make no mistake, this is still a large watch. The key takeaway here, however, is that it’s a very wearable watch. But its size ensures it won’t be as versatile as something like the Pelagos 39.

Another defining quality of the FXD is its high-contrast, ultra-legible dial that sits just under a flat sapphire crystal. It feels like an HD dial as the crystal itself almost disappears, leaving just huge hour blocks and chunky hands filling the space. This remains in place with the GMT; however, the dial is set ever so slightly deeper to allow room for a taller hand stack, which now hosts a fourth hand. Legibility remains strong, but the dial deviates from the typical clean presentation by using an off-white, eggshell color for the lume in the hands and hour markers. It doesn’t feel like it's trying to look old, but it’s certainly going for a more muted effect that we associate with aged dials. This is easily the most contentious decision made with this watch, but it’s not all that jarring in person. 

What makes it an odd choice is, once again, the fact that this is a Pelagos. This collection doesn’t really do the throwback thing. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t precedent. You’ll remember the Pelagos LHD, which used a similar lume color, and I’d classify the FXD GMT as a similar exercise. It’s not based on an old design, and it doesn’t look like patina; it just looks like a color decision based on the look the designers were going for. Truth be told, it does work well with all the extra information being thrown at you here, and it may have felt a touch aggressive in pure white on black, for instance. That said, I’d love to see a thoroughly modern rendition of this watch at some point. 

Powering everything is the MT5652, and this one is a U variant, meaning it has received METAS testing and certification, making it a Master Chronometer, as labeled on the dial. This is the first FXD to receive this distinction. Its feature set is straightforward, with a date appearing at 3 o’clock, and a 24-hour hand rendered in orange. The hour hand is independently adjustable, meaning swapping to local time when traveling is a breeze, and can be done without hacking the seconds. This is also how the date is changed. No surprises here, and it works exactly as well as you’d hope. The 24-hour hand tracks against a 24-hour scale on the bezel, which rotates bidirectionally. The bezel is a single tone, with each even hour written out between horizontal bars representing each odd hour. It’s a bit like an Explorer II or Black Bay Pro in that regard, but the bezel also rotates, technically allowing you to track a third timezone. 

All of this comes together about exactly as you’d expect. It’s an FXD with a GMT hand, and Tudor has executed it without fumbling. It’s as easy to wear and use as the time-only FXD divers, and has the built-in street cred with the Aéronavale tie-in. The manner in which the bezel has been handled brings an interesting personality trait to the table that feels unique, though there’s no real risks being taken here. There’s nothing all that funky about it. It’s a tool that feels like an instrument. One thing I wish Tudor had brought here is a better strap option, and one that continued to use a hook and loop (Velcro) type system. The strap from the black FXD is robust and infinitely adjustable, and it brought a distinct visual trait at the same time. The strap that ships with the FXD GMT is a fabric pass-through that uses a buckle system with holes on one end, and a keeper bearing the Aéronavale symbol. It doesn’t quite feel like an FXD without a great hook-and-loop strap, if you ask me, but thankfully, being an FXD, there are countless other options that can be used as long as they are 22mm wide. 

The Tudor FXD GMT retains many of the qualities that I love about the FXD, and the design language feels right at home here. It’s practical and ergonomic, two things Tudor has proven quite adept at, and it shows us that the brand can do GMT watches without the bloat. If you’re a fan of the FXD, I think you’ll find a lot to love with the GMT, even if it’s not quite as clean and modern as the divers. The colors at work aren’t nearly as dramatic as the online forums would have you believe; they are cohesive and well chosen. While I’d welcome a different strap, there’s really very little else to complain about; this watch does exactly what it needed to do, and shows there’s plenty of room for exploration and creativity within the confines of the FXD system, even if it is still within the purview of the Pelagos. 

The Tudor Pelagos FXD GMT is priced at $4,625, and is available from authorized Tudor retailers now.