BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
It was only on the 5th of May that we last published about Tudor, and we’re here once again because they’ve released another limited edition chronograph watch.
The Giro d’Italia is Italy’s premier bike race, and it kicks off on the 9th of May in, strangely, Durazzo (Durrës) in Albania. The race is split into 21 stages, the first three in Albania, before moving to Italy, where the longest stretch of the race is 227km (141m) from Potenza to Naples. The race’s total length is 3,443.3km (2140m), and the riders will climb a total of 52,350m (171,752ft) during the race, which is the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest six times. Although on bikes and roads.
If you’ve ever tried a full-on road racing bike, you’ll know they weigh next to nothing thanks to their carbon fibre construction. Tudor opted for a carbon composite case with fixed strap bars for their new Pelagos FXD Chrono “Pink” edition watches, which means they weigh, well, who knows, as Tudor didn’t send us that spec. The watches measure 43mm x 13.2mm and come on a fabric strap with a pink stripe.
The pink, which extends onto the dial, relates to the “Maglia Rosa” or pink jersey, symbolising victory in the race. The black dial seems legible in the photos Tudor sent us, with the chronograph tachymeter calibrated for calculating the cyclist’s speeds, which is a neat touch.
Powering the watch is the self-winding calibre MT5813, which is based on Breitling’s B01 calibre. That means it benefits from the B01’s column wheel and vertical clutch for its chronograph, which allows for accurate and smooth use of the chronograph while meaning there’s no potential damage from running it constantly. The movement runs at 4Hz for around 70 hours unless the chronograph is in constant use, and it’s obscured by a closed caseback with a depiction of racing cyclists.
Tudor’s Pelagos FXD Chrono “Pink” watch, marking their sponsorship of Italy’s premier bike race, is limited to 300 examples only. They’re priced at €5,550 or £4,650.
