TUDOR and Alinghi Red Bull Racing mark a new era in yacht racing timepieces By Anandhi Gopinath
TUDOR has always been a name that resonates with precision, robustness, and innovation. Now, the esteemed watchmaker is making waves with its latest offerings: the Pelagos FXD “Alinghi Red Bull Racing Edition” models. These timepieces are not just a testament to TUDOR’s engineering prowess but also celebrate its dynamic partnership with Alinghi Red Bull Racing. Its composite case and fabric strap make this a watch that must be personally experienced to be truly appreciated, which can now be done in the new Suria KLCC TUDOR Boutique. Managed by Swiss Watch by Valiram, the stunning new space is designed to reflect TUDOR’s modern yet timeless aesthetic and offers enthusiasts a firsthand experience of the brand’s exceptional craftsmanship and design.
While TUDOR’s partnership with Alinghi Red Bull Racing is new, its association with seafaring timekeepers is anything but – something interested visitors are able to further investigate at the boutique. TUDOR’s rich history of maritime partnerships has resulted in watches that withstand the most challenging conditions. This legacy dates back to the brand’s early years, focusing on creating robust timepieces for professional divers. Over the decades, TUDOR has refined its expertise, culminating in the Pelagos FXD line, a beacon of innovation and durability.
It was as recent as 2022 that TUDOR established its relationship with Alingi Red Bull Racing – a team that embodies the spirit of adventure and the relentless pursuit of excellence. With a history of success in the America’s Cup, Alinghi Red Bull Racing represents cutting-edge technology and unyielding determination. The partnership between TUDOR and the Swiss sailing team is a natural fit, bringing together two entities that share a commitment to pushing the limits of what is possible.
The Pelagos FXD “Alinghi Red Bull Racing Edition” models represent many firsts for TUDOR, most critically its entry into the world of competitive yacht racing – a centuries-old sport where victory is achieved by fusing a resolutely daring human spirit with cutting-edge technology. These Pelagos FXD watches are born out of this philosophy, starting with the case construction – never before has Tudor combined a high-tech carbon composite with titanium and stainless-steel, an idea drawn from the team’s AC75 hydrofoil racing yacht.
Using the 200m water-resistant FXD case design, characterised by its fixed strap bars and initially developed with French navy combat divers, these models both come with a bidirectional 120-notch rotatable bezel that utilises Super-LumiNova Grade X1, a luminous material showing a performance increase of up to 60% after two hours compared to standard grades. These bezels are graduated from 60 to 0, so as to allow for easy tracking of countdowns, a key moment before the start of a regatta. The Alinghi Red Bull Racing logo is engraved on the stainless-steel caseback.
In the same hue of the hull of the AC75, the matte dials focus on legibility. While both dials are finished in Alinghi Red Bull Racing Team Blue with a red-tipped second hand, the chronograph model features red accents around the counters to further hint at the aesthetics of the sailing vessel, namely the red stripes on the hull. On the 45° angled rehaut, between 10 and 2, a subtle “Alinghi Red Bull Racing” mention overarches the dial’s layout. The signature square hour-markers and Snowflake hands, designed back in the sixties to offer larger luminous surfaces and thus improve legibility, are fashioned from luminescent ceramic composite for optimal legibility in challenging conditions.
The manufacture calibre MT5602, which powers the 42mm time-only model, displays hour, minute, and seconds functions while the calibre MT5813 powers the 43mm chronograph, displaying the hours, minutes, seconds, chronograph, and date functions. Both calibres feature openworked tungsten rotors, beautifully finished mainplates and a variable inertia balance wheel maintained by a sturdy traversing bridge with two-point anchoring. Together with its non-magnetic silicon hairspring, this construction makes both calibres COSC-certified and functioning within a tolerance range of 6 seconds (-2/+4) per day. Packing in 70 hours of power, the calibres are also weekend proof – take the watch off on a Friday evening and put it back on again on Monday morning without having to wind it.
These Pelagos FXD watches are completed by the single-piece fabric straps that are hallmarks of TUDOR. The highly technical straps consist of a 22mm “Team Blue” jacquard-woven ribbon with red accents and a titanium “D” buckle with a self-gripping fastening system, adapting to different wrist sizes easily and comfortably.
TUDOR and Alinghi Red Bull Racing mark a new era in yacht racing timepieces By Anandhi Gopinath
TUDOR has always been a name that resonates with precision, robustness, and innovation. Now, the esteemed watchmaker is making waves with its latest offerings: the Pelagos FXD “Alinghi Red Bull Racing Edition” models. These timepieces are not just a testament to TUDOR’s engineering prowess but also celebrate its dynamic partnership with Alinghi Red Bull Racing. Its composite case and fabric strap make this a watch that must be personally experienced to be truly appreciated, which can now be done in the new Suria KLCC TUDOR Boutique. Managed by Swiss Watch by Valiram, the stunning new space is designed to reflect TUDOR’s modern yet timeless aesthetic and offers enthusiasts a firsthand experience of the brand’s exceptional craftsmanship and design.
While TUDOR’s partnership with Alinghi is new, its association with seafaring timekeepers is anything but – something interested visitors are able to further investigate at the boutique. TUDOR’s rich history of maritime partnerships has resulted in watches that withstand the most challenging conditions. This legacy dates back to the brand’s early years, focusing on creating robust timepieces for professional divers. Over the decades, TUDOR has refined its expertise, culminating in the Pelagos FXD line, a beacon of innovation and durability.
To properly fete the dynamism of Team Alinghi and the two dedicated Pelagos FXD watches, Swiss Watch will be hosting an exclusive exhibition in the centre court of Suria KLCC from July 19 to 24, 2024. This thrilling experience will feature interactive displays, live demonstrations, and the opportunity to see the Pelagos FXD watches up close – an immersive experience in the exciting world of yacht racing and high-performance watchmaking.
It was as recent as 2022 that TUDOR established its relationship with Alingi Red Bull Racing – a team that embodies the spirit of adventure and the relentless pursuit of excellence. With a history of success in the America’s Cup, Alinghi Red Bull Racing represents cutting-edge technology and unyielding determination. The partnership between TUDOR and the Swiss sailing team is a natural fit, bringing together two entities that share a commitment to pushing the limits of what is possible.
The Pelagos FXD “Alinghi Red Bull Racing Edition” models represent many firsts for TUDOR, most critically its entry into the world of competitive yacht racing – a centuries-old sport where victory is achieved by fusing a resolutely daring human spirit with cutting-edge technology. These Pelagos FXD watches are born out of this philosophy, starting with the case construction – never before has Tudor combined a high-tech carbon composite with titanium and stainless-steel, an idea drawn from the team’s AC75 hydrofoil racing yacht.
Using the 200m water-resistant FXD case design, characterised by its fixed strap bars and initially developed with French navy combat divers, these models both come with a bidirectional 120-notch rotatable bezel that utilises Super-LumiNova Grade X1, a luminous material showing a performance increase of up to 60% after two hours compared to standard grades. These bezels are graduated from 60 to 0, so as to allow for easy tracking of countdowns, a key moment before the start of a regatta. The Alinghi Red Bull Racing logo is engraved on the stainless-steel caseback.
In the same hue of the hull of the AC75, the matte dials focus on legibility. While both dials are finished in Alinghi Red Bull Racing Team Blue with a red-tipped second hand, the chronograph model features red accents around the counters to further hint at the aesthetics of the sailing vessel, namely the red stripes on the hull. On the 45° angled rehaut, between 10 and 2, a subtle “Alinghi Red Bull Racing” mention overarches the dial’s layout. The signature square hour-markers and Snowflake hands, designed back in the sixties to offer larger luminous surfaces and thus improve legibility, are fashioned from luminescent ceramic composite for optimal legibility in challenging conditions.
The manufacture calibre MT5602, which powers the 42mm time-only model, displays hour, minute, and seconds functions while the calibre MT5813 powers the 43mm chronograph, displaying the hours, minutes, seconds, chronograph, and date functions. Both calibres feature openworked tungsten rotors, beautifully finished mainplates and a variable inertia balance wheel maintained by a sturdy traversing bridge with two-point anchoring. Together with its non-magnetic silicon hairspring, this construction makes both calibres COSC-certified and functioning within a tolerance range of 6 seconds (-2/+4) per day. Packing in 70 hours of power, the calibres are also weekend proof – take the watch off on a Friday evening and put it back on again on Monday morning without having to wind it.
These Pelagos FXD watches are completed by the single-piece fabric straps that are hallmarks of TUDOR. The highly technical straps consist of a 22mm “Team Blue” jacquard-woven ribbon with red accents and a titanium “D” buckle with a self-gripping fastening system, adapting to different wrist sizes easily and comfortably.
To properly fete the dynamism of Team Alinghi and the two dedicated Pelagos FXD watches, Swiss Watch will be hosting an exclusive exhibition in the centre court of Suria KLCC from July 19 to 24, 2024. This thrilling experience will feature interactive displays, live demonstrations, and the opportunity to see the Pelagos FXD watches up close – an immersive experience in the exciting world of yacht racing and high-performance watchmaking.
