Tudor Pelagos LHD 25610TNL Review & Complete Guide

Tudor Pelagos LHD 25610TNL Review

In, 2012 Tudor released its Pelagos model. Since then, the Pelagos model has undergone several changes. Initially, the Pelagos was only available in black and with an ETA movement. But some time after its launch, Tudor introduced an in-house version of the model, as well as added a blue dial version to the Pelagos lineup.

Then, of course, came a Pelagos version that not a lot of people saw coming, and a watch that is very unique and special in nature. We’re of course talking about the Tudor Pelagos LHD 25610TNL (Left-handed). The LHD actually stands for “Left Hand Drive”.

When most people think of Tudor, they think about Tudor’s close relationship with Rolex, and then, of course, their vintage-inspired dive watches, which take inspiration from the 50s and 60s watches. The center of attention here is, of course, the Black Bay model.

But another model that has taken inspiration from Tudor’s history is the Pelagos, and more specifically, in this case, the Tudor Pelagos LHD. Now, the thing that stands out the most with this watch is the fact that it is a ”left-handed” watch. This means that the crown and crown guards have been moved to the left side of the case instead so that left-handed people can wear the watch on their right wrist. Of course, the LHD is worn by far more people than only those who are left-handed. But the idea of a left-handed watch is actually not a new concept.

In fact, Tudor’s decision to make a left-handed Pelagos is actually a nod to Tudor’s past, paying tribute to a watch made for the French navy in 1961, the Tudor 9401 left-hand. This watch features a black dial and snowflake hands, just like the modern Pelagos do, so there’s obviously more inspiration from that watch than simply making it left-handed. Looking at the Tudor 9401 and comparing it with the Tudor LHD, you can see a clear resemblance. Tudor took a lot of inspiration from vintage Tudor elements and borrowed design features where deemed fit. Things like the lugs, crown guards, hour markers, etc. on the Pelagos LHD all have vintage-inspired looks taken from Tudor’s past. But really, why would you want to change a winning concept?

Tudor Pelagos LHD – Why left-handed?

As the name suggests, the LHD is developed for left-handed people who want to wear their watch on the right wrist, and have the crown on the side that it should be.

If we go back a while, to 1961, Tudor developed their first left-handed watch because some left-handed divers reported issues when wearing the watch on their left arm. The solution was that these divers wore their watch upside down on their wrists. Doing so allowed them to use the elapsed minute function (the bezel function) whilst leaving their dominant hand free to access the bezel and crown. Soon thereafter, Tudor developed a watch specifically made for left-handed people, featuring the crown on the opposite side of the case.

Of course, as you can imagine the majority of people who will buy the Pelagos LHD will not be left-handed people who plan to wear their watch on the right wrist.

In fact, if you don’t need quick and easy access to the watch’s crown while wearing it, wearing an LHD watch on the left wrist is actually very comfortable since you prevent the crown and crown guards from digging into your hand. Or, it can just be a great watch for people who prefer to wear their watches on the right wrist.

Tudor Pelagos LHD 25610TNL

Now that you know the backstory, it is time to look closer at the modern interpretation of this vintage Tudor Submariner left-handed watch. We’re looking closer at the Tudor Pelagos LHD (Left-handed) with full reference M25610TNL-0001.

When Tudor introduced the Pelagos, they had already released a diver’s watch – the Black Bay, which had become a huge success. And with the release of the first Pelagos, Tudor introduced another diver’s watch. But the Pelagos is actually meant to fill a different gap in Tudor’s lineup of watches. Just like Rolex’s ”Deep-sea Sea-Dweller” and ”Sea-Dweller” fills the gap that the Submariner leaves, the Tudor Pelagos fills the gap as a more serious, rugged, and efficient dive watch for professional divers. In the case of the LHD, for left-handed divers, or simply people who find the LHD more appealing, unique, and interesting.

This tool watch idea can be seen by looking at the watch’s water resistance. The Tudor Pelagos LHD is water-resistant down to 500m. It is equipped with a helium escape valve and has lots of design features meant to help improve the legibility and usability of the watch in serious conditions.

While the Black Bay is more focused on design aesthetics and vintage-inspired elements, the Pelagos LHD is focused more on practicality than anything else.

In terms of design, the Tudor Pelagos LHD is not much different from the regular right-handed Pelagos that was before it – the M25600tn-0001. In other words, Tudor continued to build on a winning concept and an already popular model and making it more appealing and unique by looking at its history and doing something that not a lot of people expect.

The key difference is, of course, the relocation of the crown and crown guards, but the LHD also had a few other aesthetic changes, which include cream-colored indices, the Pelagos text printed in red as opposed to white, and then a few other minor changes.

The case of the Pelagos LHD is 42mm, just like its predecessors. The watch is made of grade 2 titanium and has an entirely satin finish. The Pelagos is equipped with a helium escape valve to improve its water resistance and it is delivered on a titanium bracelet that comes with a really handy bracelet extension system. The watch also comes with a black rubber strap with an extra extension. The satin titanium case and bracelet give the watch a really sporty look, but at the same time, doesn’t make it bulky and heavy on the wrist due to the light weight of titanium. Many people may see this as combining the best of both worlds.

In Tudor’s own words “Titanium was chosen for the external parts of the TUDOR Pelagos for its intrinsic qualities of lightness – approximately 60% of the weight of stainless steel – and great resistance to corrosion by seawater.”

Tudor Pelagos LHD Movement

The Pelagos LHD is powered by the same movement as the regular Pelagos, which is the in-house Calibre MT5612. Now, to make it a left-hand watch, the movement has been turned 180 degrees to put the crown at 9. The movement offers 70 hours of power-reserve and beats at 4Hz. The movement is also COSC-certified. 

Pelagos LHD Dial

The dial of the Pelagos LHD is a special thing. First off, as mentioned, the LHD features some design changes compared to the standard Pelagos.

One of the most defining features of the Pelagos is of course the large snowflake indices that are inspired by Tudor’s vintage dive watches and which offer great legibility. On the LHD, these indices are cream-colored to give the watch a vintage effect. The watch has a matte black dial with great texture. This not only adds to the vintage feel of the watch, but also adds more personality. The Pelagos LHD has four lines of text underneath the center of the dial, where it says:

• CHRONOMETER
• OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED
• ROTOR SELF-WINDING
• 500M-1640FT

These lines of text have been subject to quite a lot of criticism since it is a 100% line increase from the previous model which only had two lines of text. In other words, people find the dial too cluttered with all the text. The addition of a red ”Pelagos” text on the dial was, however, a good decision, since it adds so much character to the watch. The red is a tribute to earlier vintage editions, and the red color can be seen on the date wheel too, with even days printed in red and uneven days printed in black.

Bezel

The bezel of the Tudor LHD is made of black ceramic. Most people perhaps mistake it for a matte aluminum bezel at first since it is matte, however, it’s actually a matte ceramic bezel. The scale on the bezel is made in a beige color to match the indices and hands. While “fake patina” is always debated, the Pelagos LHD uses a more discreet “cream color” that isn’t screaming wannabee vintage”, also known as fake patina, but instead just looks great. Plus, the off-white color makes the watch more toned down and easier to look at as opposed to the very bright white of the standard Pelagos model – yet still offers great legibility.

The bezel is unidirectional, as you’d expect from a serious dive watch, and maybe the most unique thing about it is that the markers on the bezel are luminous.

Numbered series

The Pelagos LHD is actually a numbered series and thus features its unique production number engraved in large Arabic numerals on the caseback. The watch is actually not a limited edition, but it is a numbered edition. As such, all watches will be unique.

Bracelet

As mentioned, the bracelet is made completely in satin titanium and is a sporty and robust bracelet. It is an Oyster-type bracelet, but the most impressive thing about it is its adjustment system.

First off, the watch has a fold-out extension. This is like a traditional diver’s extension which extends the bracelet a bit. Then we come to the more technical part, which is the multi-setting extension in the deployment clasp, which is spring-loaded. The idea of this patented dive clasp is that you can put the bracelet in a few “locked” positions. This means that the spring system is locked, or it is put into “spring” mode. When you have it in spring mode, the clasp can expand a bit. This is especially great when you wear it over a wet suit during diving.

Watch the presentation video of the Tudor Pelagos LHD

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