Hands-On: Tudor Pelagos Ultra Watch

Only now that the frenetic energy of Watches & Wonders 2025 is in the rear-view and the Pedialyte has worked its restorative magic after a week of traversing the sprawling Palexpo can we fully take stock of the best new releases from the year’s biggest watch event. With the benefit of hindsight, it’s fair to say that Tudor had a much different (some say overall less compelling) roster of new releases compared to previous years. Several of its releases combined to cover as many bases as possible, reflective of the “play it safe” strategy many brands seemed to employ in 2025. Unlike last year’s Black Bay 58 GMT or 2023’s Black Bay 54, this year’s crop of Tudor watches seemed to lack a superstar that really got collector’s buzzing. However, in the absence of any “traditional” hype the Tudor Pelagos Ultra has made a run at the title. As the dust settles in Geneva, its emerging as the brand’s annual champion thanks to some high-level specs, fan-service updates, and technical improvements that may signal what’s to come across Tudor’s broader catalog.

The Pelagos Ultra is well-named, given its focus on performance, and rightfully so. Tudor is marketing it as the brand’s “most technically advanced dive watch to date,” but they could just as easily offer it as the highest value proposition diver on the market today. Managing 1,000 meters of water-resistance in a 43mm case is no mean feat, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find another in-house, METAS-certified movement at this price point. The closest competitor is Omega’s discontinued Planet Ocean ref. 232.92.42.21.03.001, which, while smaller and made fully from Grade 5 titanium (more on that later), had less water resistance, wasn’t available on a bracelet, and retailed at a higher price point. In the current market — and really, we can include the recent market — there’s nothing that competes with the Ultra on specs and price. Like that old chestnut, “You can get a job done right, fast, or cheap. Pick two,” the Pelagos Ultra’s competitors are available in sub-44mm titanium cases, with in-house movements, rated to 100 ATM, and under $6k. Pick three. On paper, the Ultra is one of the most impressive watches from Tudor this year. But paper specs will only get you so far. What’s this watch like in the metal?

As the first update to the classic Pelagos line since 2022’s 39mm version, the Pelagos Ultra does a few things differently from previous versions. Like the Pelagos 39, the notched rehaute is gone, replaced by a raised one with minute markings. It gives a cleaner look at the expense of some character, but because it’s elevated above the dial, the Ultra retains some of the depth of previous versions. As with the 39, Tudor has made baby steps toward cleaning up the dial. Collectors bellyached loudly about the original Pelly’s five lines of text above the 6 o’clock marker, and Tudor compromised by cutting it down to four with the Pelagos 39. With the Ultra, we’re down to just three lines, one of which appears in a new turquoise-green color that seems a perfect fit for the otherwise monochrome aesthetic. All the other key elements of the original dial format are present: a matte motif, dimensional monobloc lume hour markers, and Tudor’s famous “Snowflake” hands. These are slightly tweaked for 2025, with the minute hand now filled with green SuperLumi-Nova paint to make time-telling even easier.

The case is a source of interest. Expanded to 43mm, it’s the biggest Pelagos to date, but not by much. At about the same thickness as the 14.3mm originals, the Ultra’s larger diameter makes it feel less bulky overall. Like previous models, there’s not much downward curvature to the lugs, meaning it still wears big, but given the Pelagos pedigree, that’s easily forgivable. Dimensionally, the watch makes sense. Materially, it’s a bit of a head-scratcher. Like previous versions, the Pelagos Ultra’s case is made from Grade 2 titanium, which is easier to shape, lighter, and slightly cheaper than Grade 5 titanium. But where the original Pelagos models featured casebacks of stainless steel, the new Ultras have Grade 5 casebacks. Why? Any weight savings are likely in the fractions of ounces, and a harder, more scratch-resistant caseback seems unnecessary. By all accounts, it’s a specs-flex and one that likely adds cost.

Aside from the case and its improved water-resistance, the Pelagos Ultra seems to have few actual technical improvements. The clasp, however, is one of them, and it’s possibly the best part of the watch. It’s a T-fit folding clasp, the same type that Tudor fans have loved for years, and it features the same type of diver’s extension system as the original Pelagos models. But for 2025, Tudor has cleaned up the clasp’s look and added a visual indicator system that’s both functional and very pleasing aesthetically. Ostensibly, it’s designed to show divers to see which setting the clasp is on, but in reality, it’d have to be an awfully boring dive to make you even consider this at any depth, much less one that’s near 1,000 meters. But like watches that add lume in other unexpected places, catching a glimpse of the luminous indicator on the clasp is somehow just a lot of damn fun. As with the previous “Pelagi,” the Ultra comes with the 3-link titanium bracelet and a black rubber strap with titanium endlinks. Again, it’s the sort of thing we wish more brands considered and adds value to the Ultra’s stock.

Altogether, the Pelagos Ultra may yet prove to be Tudor’s “Best In Show” from Watches & Wonders 2025. It’s hard to argue with an all-titanium 1,000-meter diver sporting a METAS movement (the MT5612-U for those keeping score at home) at just under $6,000 USD. Each of its closest competitors, like the Sinn U1, Rolex Sea-Dweller, Breitling Superocean 46, and Omega Planet Ocean check some — but not all — of the boxes, and with the exception of Sinn, each is priced higher than the Pelagos Ultra. And none includes an extra strap. The Tudor Pelagos Ultra is priced at $5,950 USD. For more information, please visit the Tudor website.