Earlier this year, in the middle of our Windup Watch Fair in Chicago, Benrus put together a dive trip in the cold waters of Lake Michigan in celebration of their Ultra-Deep dive watch. You can see my photo report from the morning expedition right here. While diving has always been on my periphery, a side effect of writing about scores of dive watches over the years, I had never truly confronted the idea of getting dive certified myself until the experience of seeing those divers, many of them friends, take their turns stepping off the boat and into the depths. So, not long after returning back to New York, I scheduled time to get my open water dive certification through NAUI instructors. The only decision left was which watch I’d use during the process. 

I’ll confess, the final kick to get certified came upon learning of a dive trip that was being planned by Tudor, something off the coast of Florida in the Gulf, potentially around a new watch release (which of course ended up being the case). With that knowledge in mind, it felt appropriate to complete my training with a Tudor Pelagos FXD on one wrist, and the Apple Watch Ultra on the other. The idea of putting these things to use in such a manner was half the excitement, allowing me the opportunity to experience them as intended, and creating an additional layer of context within which I could assess them as tools. And not just the Tudor, but all of my divers. 

Having access to more seasoned divers during this process proved invaluable, with help from master diver Chris Sohl (@sohl) in particular giving me insights to my blind spots, and answering any all gear related questions. As I mentioned in my photo report, this is a gear intensive sport, and every set up is a little different, catering to the individual diver.

Training began not in the pool, but in front of a computer. The e-learning portion took about 8 hours to complete, and believe it or not, the use of watches in particular was a subject for review. Not just dive computers, but watches the likes of which we talk about around here. The length of straps, using the bezel, how the color spectrum fades at depth, the redundancy it provides… it’s all there. In fact, a considerable portion of the e-learning was focused on analog planning, using charts, air consumption calculations, and more. Pretty much everything divers rely on a dive computer for, you should have a general understanding of how to perform yourself. A second watch is a part of that planning. 

Finally jumping into the pool is where that knowledge is put to practical use, and as Mike Tyson once said “everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face”. All the reading in the world can’t quite prepare you for the feeling of managing scuba gear underwater, and the exercises that comprise open water dive training. From mask clearing skills and second stage recovery, to controlled emergency swimming ascents and unresponsive diver rescue – training spans a range of wide range of maneuvers meant to prepare you for as many scenarios as possible when diving with a buddy, for whom you are reliant upon and is in turn reliant upon you. None of this to mention skills like equalizing, trim, and buoyancy control which require a finer touch to master, if such a thing is ever possible. 

Finding places to dive in NYC is less than straightforward, as you might imagine, though the somewhat challenging conditions can provide new divers a broad range of experiences to learn from. My first open water dives took place in Lake Minnewaska, set in the beautiful Shawangunk Ridge. At 1,650ft above sea level, this location just skirts into high altitude dive territory, which can exert increased decompression stress. The cooler water, which gets colder below the thermocline at around 20 feet of depth, typically calls for a dry suit, or a thick exposure suit and hood. As dry suit diving requires its own training, I donned a 7mm suit, making buoyancy control an extra challenge right off the bat.

Lake Minnewaska, NY – credit: Juliancolton

The thick suit and gloves made the watch situation a bit hairier than usual, with the Ocean rubber strap of the Apple Watch Ultra barely fitting into the last buckle slot, and the old nato I had fitted to the FXD ill prepared for the compression that my wrist was about to endure. Midway through the dive I glanced at the watch to see it loosely dangling by the stretched holes of the aging piece of fabric. Those old straps look great in photos, but I quickly learned that they present a major compromise under stress. Lesson learned on both counts. Back to the OEM hook and loop strap for the FXD, and a swap over to the stretchy Trail Loop velcro strap for the Apple Watch Ultra. 

Setting aside the strap mishap with the FXD, the watch itself offered an impressive level of contrast even in low visibility water. The bezel was a bit trickier to manipulate with a pair of thick gloves on, as was the crown of the Apple Watch Ultra, but fine tuning my dexterity was the least of my concerns on this initial outing. Following the lead of my instructor and passing each test thrown at me while maintaining a steady heart rate and sense of composure is where most of my energy was expended. 

With experience, that equation begins to shift, and things tend to slow down. Veteran diver, published author, podcast alum, and good friend Jason Heaton, has this to say about the shifting stresses of diving over years of experience:

“Diving is a true exercise in mindfulness. You cannot be anywhere but in the present moment, not unlike meditation. You become conscious of your every breath, your decreasing air supply, the embrace of the water, the temperature, the current, the depth, and the life forms all around you. As you gain experience, these things merge and you almost become one with the environment, and your enjoyment and comfort only increases.”

The second of my open water dives took place at Rockaway Beach in Queens, New York. Slightly warmer water meant a 3mm suit would suffice, a shift that felt like driving a sedan compared to the bus of the 7mm suit. It was here that diving began to take a more enjoyable form, as we took time to explore the shelf structure and observe wildlife between the more stressful skill checks. The FXD presented no problems this time out thanks to the oem velcro strap, which allows for quick and precise adjustments, even under water. Legibility was again stellar and I used the countdown bezel to ensure a minimum 15 minutes of bottom time. 

The Apple Watch Ultra also proved useful here (though it’s not a suitable dive computer for all needs), with the Oceanic+ app providing a depth reading at the top, and trio of screens to choose from at the bottom, most important being a compass. With the compass active you can use the bright orange action button to set a lubber line to track a course, and a 180 marking to make a return. Using this feature means you need your trim in check, with hands positioned directly in front of you. When navigating a route, your dive buddy will generally keep an eye on the depth as you lead the path ahead. 

In both cases, using these tools underwater gives you a mental focal point that I found to reduce any stress about other factors outside of my control. I found myself finding a rhythm to maintain focus. Check the SPG for tank status, AWU for depth and bearing, FXD for time, mind my surroundings, keep breathing patterns in control… and in the space between, try to enjoy myself.

What does that rhythm look like for Jason?

“As with any sport involving life support equipment and skills, it’s important to trust your gear, your instruments, and your training. Scanning gauges becomes second nature, and you find that, with experience, you learn to detect small changes in depth merely from the pressure in your ears. There is a deep satisfaction to being fully dialed in–weights, instruments, and buoyancy–and then the dive becomes more about everything around you instead of managing your own dive.” 

At the conclusion of my Rockaway dive, I was officially open water certified. That evening I received my digital certification card, and an email was immediately sent to my contact at Tudor for clearance to join the upcoming dive in Florida.

Tudor likes to keep their cards close to the vest when it comes to their releases. Oftentimes, we receive details of a release under embargo, allowing us to prepare our thoughts in an introduction beforehand, but not Tudor. Trust me, we find out at the same time that you find out. With this trip to Florida, our limited intel pointed toward a dive watch of some sort given the diving activities planned, and speculation around the proximity to the Man in the Sea museum (home of SEALAB I), and the US Naval Diving & Salvage Training Center. 

SEALAB I

That speculation wasn’t far off, as we ended up at the Man in the Sea military diving museum, where we found a selection of vintage Tudor Submariner references that were issued to service members in the ‘60s and ‘70s. These watches form the foundation of Tudor’s dive watch heritage, references like the 7924, and 7928, which were issued and used by members of the US Navy. One such member by the name of William Jebb, former Commander of the Underwater Demolition Team (aka frogmen, or what are now SEALs) 12, was in attendance, and spoke alongside Tudor’s Cole Pennington about his use of Tudor watches during his tenure. Jebb served three tours of Vietnam in addition to being Commander of the UDT, and went through two issued Tudor watches, which he viewed in the same vein as his KA-BAR knife, or compass, which is to say it was a pure tool to keep him on time for crucial moments and rendezvous points. 

Former UDT Commander William Jebb

Those early US Navy issued watches were about as straightforward as a dive watch can get. Black dial, rotating bezel, and highly legible hands and hour plots. No date or other complications to get in the way, and fixed spring bars to remove a potential fail point from the case. The case quickly evolved crown guards to protect a more vulnerable element as well, a feature that, while nearly taken for granted these days, doesn’t appear in the Black Bay family, but is present within the Pelagos family. The Pelagos serves as the modern day Tudor diver that builds on the same utilitarian principles that places function at the forefront, and with watches like the FXD, the collection shows its range by catering to a specific use case for divers of the Marine Nationale, and members of the Red Bull Alinghi Racing Team, but it has yet to appear as a standalone watch free of any affiliation. That of course changes with the newest FXD, which serves in a similar manner to the original military Submariners of the past – as straightforward as you can get. 

The newest FXD gets a high contrast black dial dial with white lume in the hands and hour markers, as well as a fully indexed bezel that now accounts for elapsed time, and turns in only one direction. The fixed lug case is designed as a single component, and will only accept passthrough straps as a result. It is exactly what Tudor would be issuing to Navy divers were it around back in the ‘60s, and it is in fact in use by Navy divers of today.

With the release of the newest member of the FXD family, we were invited to put the watch through its paces in its natural environment, under 70 feet of water in the Gulf of Mexico. With my newly minted certification card in hand, I was able to join the group of divers making the descent to dive a prototype Amphibious Assault Landing Craft (AALC) designed for the United States Navy in 1979 called the Jeff-A Hovercraft. The craft was intentionally sunk as an artificial reef in 1995, hosting a diverse range of wildlife for recreational divers to explore. 

The descent to what would be my deepest dive to date happened quickly, with a few equalizing stops clearing the way to the comfortable 85º dive site at around 75 feet of depth. The warm water meant no need to don an exposure suit, an arguably better, more nimble experience than dealing with a full suit. My dive buddy, the incomparable Benjamin Lowry (@submersiblewrist) led the way touring each corner of the wreck, which revealed itself in sections due to the somewhat limited visibility. An abundance of fish would come and go, enveloping the space between us with little warning, and moving along just as quickly.

credit: Jason Heaton

The watch was just as legible at depth as it was at the surface, though devoid of its few red accents, as red is the first wavelength to be absorbed under water. All that matters below the surface is contrast, which the FXD offers in spades. I set the bezel at the surface to mark down time against my regular SPG (submersible pressure gauge) and AWU throughout the dive, like a new driver keeping hands at 10 and 2, with regular checks of the rear view mirror. The watch was a seamless part of the process, and the newest hook and loop strap performs even better than the unit fitted to the original FXD thanks to the more robust attachment points. 

This dive offered a unique lens through which to experience the watch for the first time, and created an instant bond that’s difficult to replicate under normal wearing circumstances. If you’ve read this far you’re likely already aware of my affinity for the FXD, and this latest reference largely falls along the same lines so it should come as no surprise that I find the same fondness here. If you were unsure of the FXD as a platform, or never quite cared for the original, there’s likely little here that will win you over, unless of course, you simply prefer black watches.

Seen in the context of the FXD family, and the Pelagos collection as a whole, this latest example makes a lot of sense, and likely would have made for a perfect introductory reference released prior to the Marine Nationale. There’s a comparison to be made with the Pelagos 39, another watch that leaves a strong impression, but the FXD experience is preserved well even in the new colorway, meaning it’s less of a daily go-to like the P39. It still wears a bit larger, and is limited to pass through straps, and the fully indexed bezel doesn’t exactly shrink on the wrist. All of these things make the FXD unique in a way that could be polarizing, but it’s also what makes it special, not to mention the performance benefits underwater compared to the smaller P39.

This crystalizes the difference between a dive watch that’s great for actual diving, and a dive watch that’s best experienced in a more casual manner. Qualities that make a great dive watch often make a great every day tool watch, but there’s more to it than that. Not all great dive watches make that transition as smoothly, and they offer a less compromised experience underwater, while being less concerned with the everyday part of the equation. Further, watches don’t need to be a homogenized element of our wardrobe, fitting into as many as possible experiences as allowed. They can be niche, and still be great. The FXD walks that line, without much care to being on one side of it. 

Thanks to Tudor for the experience, and the inspiration to get my certification, something I’d encourage anyone reading to consider if you enjoy spending time in the water. Special thanks to Chris Sohl for helping every step of the way; to Benjamin Lowry for the great dive experience; and finally to Jason Heaton for volunteering his wisdom for this article. Keep an eye out for more dive reports coming soon, until then you can learn more about the new FXD from Tudor.