The 37th America’s Cup is highlighted by a partnership between the watch brand TUDOR and the sailing team Alinghi Red Bull Racing. This collaboration emphasizes the commitment of both parties to excellence and precision in sailing. Specifically for this occasion, TUDOR has released the Pelagos FXD “Alinghi Red Bull Racing Edition,” a watch inspired by the high-performance world of AC75 racing yachts and incorporating materials like titanium, carbon, and stainless steel in its production. This edition demonstrates the desire to support not only through sponsorship but also by creating a product that reflects the values and spirit of the team.
The America’s Cup, which has been held since the mid-19th century, is not only one of the oldest but also one of the most prestigious sailing regattas in the world. Teams from various countries compete for the trophy, also known as the “Auld Mug.” The race is characterized by its high-tech yachts and challenging conditions on the open water.
This year, the final race for the 37th America’s Cup will take place off the coast of Barcelona. In the coming weeks, it will be decided who will face the defending champion from New Zealand. The competition attracts sailing enthusiasts from around the world who want to witness the best sailing teams compete on state-of-the-art yachts.
The partnership between TUDOR and Alinghi Red Bull Racing, along with the specially designed edition of the TUDOR Pelagos FXD, exemplifies the link between the world of high-quality watches and sailing. Both fields are characterized by high precision, innovation, and the pursuit of perfection. This synergy will undoubtedly help to further increase interest and excitement for the America’s Cup.
Pelagos FXD & Pelagos FXD Chrono “Alinghi Red Bull Racing Edition”
To celebrate its partnership with Alinghi Red Bull Racing, TUDOR unveiled two brand new Pelagos FXD models: a chronograph and a time-only watch inspired by yacht racing. With cases made from carbon composite, titanium, and stainless steel and fitted with Manufacture Calibres, these watches embody the daring spirit that is needed to be a contender in the most competitive yacht race in history.
The Pelagos FXD “Alinghi Red Bull Racing Edition” models come with several firsts for TUDOR, that go beyond just the watches. A long-term partnership between TUDOR and Alinghi Red Bull Racing was launched in 2022, the first time TUDOR ventured into the world of competitive yacht racing. In this centuries-old sport, victory comes by fusing a resolutely daring human spirit with the most cutting-edge technology. The watches were born out of this philosophy, by combining a high-tech carbon composite, a first for TUDOR, with titanium and stainless steel, just like on an AC75 (America’s Cup 75) hydrofoil racing yacht. It’s also the first time TUDOR has integrated a chronograph Calibre into a fixed strap-bars case.
The daring and innovative spirit of TUDOR is on full display when it comes to the two new Pelagos FXD and Pelagos FXD Chrono models. The watches are imbued with the spirit of TUDOR and Alinghi Red Bull Racing; two separate entities that share the vision of pushing traditional boundaries.
Key points
- 42mm (25707KN) and 43mm (25807KN) black matte-finished carbon composite cases with fixed strap bars and Alinghi Red Bull Racing logo engraved on the stainless steel case back
- Bi-directional rotatable bezel in titanium with black matte-finished carbon composite insert and grade X1 Swiss Super-LumiNova® luminous material filled retrograde 60-minute graduation
- Blue matte dial with luminescent ceramic composite monobloc applied hour markers
- Manufacture Calibres MT5602 (25707KN) and MT5813 (25807KN), certified by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC) with a hairspring in silicon and a 70-hour power reserve
- “Snowflake” hands, one of the hallmarks of the TUDOR divers’ watches introduced in 1969, with grade X1 Swiss Super-LumiNova® luminous material filling
- One-piece fabric strap in blue with red accents with self-gripping fastening system
Boat key points
- 20.7m Alinghi Red Bull Racing Blue carbon fiber hull
- 26.5m carbon fiber mast
- Stainless steel hydrofoil blades
- Titanium hydrofoil and hull fittings
- 90m2 head sail
- 53.3kts (about 98 kmh) speed record
- 8 crew members (700kg)
The Alinghi Red Bull Racing AC75 represents the very best in cutting-edge maritime engineering, utilizing a proprietary blend of carbon, titanium and stainless steel to give shape to a hull that leaps out of the water at speed. The same pursuit of technical mastery is applied to the Pelagos FXD models, which similarly combine a high-tech carbon composite for the case and bezel insert, an extremely light and robust material, with titanium for the bezel, crown and direct-action pushers and 316L stainless steel for the case back and movement container. Using the 200-meter water-resistant FXD case design, characterized 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 utilizes Swiss 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 above package results in distinctive, high-tech mechanical sports watches with the Alinghi Red Bull Racing logo engraved on the case back to further enhance the collaboration.
Race ready dials
Wearing the same hue of the hull of the AC75, the matte dials put legibility first and foremost. 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 AC75, 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 by TUDOR to offer larger luminous surfaces and thus improve legibility, are fashioned from luminescent ceramic composite for optimal legibility in challenging conditions.
A seafaring fabric strap
The single-piece fabric strap is one of the hallmarks of TUDOR, which in 2010, became one of the first watchmaking brands to offer it with its watches. Woven in France on 19th century Jacquard looms by the Julien Faure company in the St-Etienne region, its manufacturing quality, robustness and comfort on the wrist are unique. For the Pelagos FXD models, a highly technical strap construction was developed by TUDOR and Julien Faure. Made up of a 22 mm “Team Blue” jacquard-woven ribbon with red accents and a titanium “D” buckle with a self-gripping fastening system, it adapts to different wrist sizes and is very comfortable to wear.
The manufacture Calibre MT5602
The Manufacture Calibre MT5602, which powers the Pelagos FXD, displays hour, minute and seconds functions. It offers the signature look and feel of TUDOR Manufacture Calibres. Its rotor in tungsten monobloc is openwork and its bridges and mainplate have alternate sand-blasted and polished surfaces topped with laser decorations.
Its build is designed to ensure robustness and precision. To do this, the variable inertia balance wheel is maintained by a sturdy traversing bridge with two-point anchoring. This system, together with its non-magnetic silicon hairspring, means the Manufacture Calibre MT5602 is both certified by the COSC and able to function beyond the specification of that standard, that is within a tolerance range of 6 seconds (-2/+4) per day, always tested on every single fully assembled watch.
Another notable feature is that the power reserve of the Manufacture Calibre MT5602 is “weekend-proof”; it enables the wearer to take the watch off on a Friday evening and put it back on again on Monday morning without having to wind it. Even if you need a weekend away, your watch does not.
Manufacture chronograph Calibre MT5813
The Manufacture Calibre MT5813, powering the Pelagos FXD Chrono, displays hours, minutes, seconds, chronograph and date functions. It also bears the matte finish typical of TUDOR Manufacture Calibres and comes complete with a signature tungsten openwork monobloc rotor.
Boasting a “weekend-proof” 70-hour power reserve and a silicon balance spring, the Manufacture Chronograph Calibre MT5813 is certified by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC), with its performance exceeding the standards set by this independent institute at -2 and +4 seconds’ variation per day, tested on every fully assembled chronograph. A high-performance movement, it was crafted in the purest watchmaking tradition, with a column wheel mechanism and vertical clutch. In keeping with the TUDOR philosophy of quality, it presents extraordinary robustness and reliability, guaranteed by the array of extreme tests applied to all TUDOR products.
Derived from the Manufacture Calibre Breitling 01 chronograph, with a high-precision regulating organ developed by TUDOR and exclusive finishes, this movement is the result of a lasting collaboration between the two brands.
The Tudor Manufacture
Every TUDOR watch is assembled and fully tested to TUDOR’s superior standards at the new TUDOR Manufacture located in Le Locle, Switzerland. This new state of the art facility, bringing together the know-how of watchmakers with the best in production management and automated testing systems, was completed in 2021 after three years of construction. All decked out in TUDOR red, the Manufacture spans over four levels totalling more than 5,500 square meters and is physically and visually connected to the neighbouring Kenissi Manufacture, the TUDOR movement production facility founded in 2016. With Kenissi and a network of TUDOR-owned affiliates, the brand has been able to integrate the development and production of high-performance mechanical Calibres. As a consequence, TUDOR now fully masters the manufacturing of strategic components and can guarantee their quality.
The Tudor Guarantee
Since the brand’s creation by Hans Wilsdorf in 1926, and in line with his vision of the ideal timepiece, TUDOR has been ceaselessly creating watches that are as robust, durable, reliable and precise as possible. On the strength of this experience, and confident in the superior quality of its watches, TUDOR offers a five-year guarantee for all its products. This guarantee does not require the watch to be registered or submitted to periodic checks and is transferable. TUDOR also recommends that its watches should be serviced approximately every ten years depending on the model and the extent of its use on a day-to-day basis.
Tudor Is #BORNTODARE
In 2017, TUDOR launched a new campaign with the #BornToDare signature. It reflects both the history of the brand and what it stands for today. It tells the adventures of individuals who have achieved the extraordinary on land, on ice, in the air or underwater, with a TUDOR watch on their wrists. It also refers to the vision of Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of TUDOR, who manufactured TUDOR watches to withstand the most extreme conditions, watches made for the most daring lifestyles. It is testimony to TUDOR’s singular approach to watchmaking, which has made it what it is today. At the cutting edge of the watchmaking industry, its innovations are now essential benchmarks. The TUDOR #BornToDare spirit is supported throughout the world by first class ambassadors, whose life achievements result directly from a daring approach to life.
About Tudor
TUDOR is an award-winning Swiss-made watch brand, offering mechanical watches with sophisticated style, proven reliability and unmatched value for money. The origins of TUDOR date back to 1926, when “The Tudor” was first registered as a brand on behalf of the founder of Rolex, Hans Wilsdorf. He officially set up the Montres TUDOR SA company in 1946 to produce watches that respect the traditional Rolex philosophy of quality at a more affordable price point. Throughout their history, thanks to their robustness and affordability, TUDOR watches have been chosen by some of the boldest adventurers, on land, in the air, underwater and on ice. Today, the TUDOR collection includes iconic lines such as Black Bay, Pelagos, 1926 and Royal. Since 2015, TUDOR has also offered models with mechanical Manufacture Calibres with multiple functions and superior performance.