TUDOR · Pelagos
TUDOR Pelagos Ultra M2543C1A7NU-0001: specifications and what to check
A saturation-diving specification in titanium: rated to 1,000 metres, fitted with a helium escape valve, and 14.5mm deep across a 43mm case. Built for a job almost no buyer will ask it to do.
Reference M2543C1A7NU-0001 · specifications read from the manufacturer on 2026-09-22 · listed as current
Specifications
As published by TUDOR. A field the manufacturer does not state is left out rather than filled in.
- Case
- 43mm titanium case with satin finish and helium escape valve
- Diameter
- 43 mm
- Thickness
- 14.5 mm
- Lug width
- 22 mm
- Water resistance
- Waterproof to 1,000m (3,280 ft)
- Crystal
- Domed sapphire crystal
- Bezel
- Unidirectional rotating bezel in titanium with matte ceramic insert and luminous material
- Dial
- Black matte dial with sandblasted flange
- Crown
- Titanium screw-down crown, adorned with the TUDOR shield in relief
- Bracelet
- Titanium three-link bracelet with safety catch and diver's extension with new visual indicator system
- Clasp
- TUDOR "T-fit" folding clasp
Movement
- Calibre
- Manufacture Calibre MT5612-U
- Type
- Self-winding mechanical movement with bidirectional rotor system
- Power reserve
- 65-hour power reserve
- Certification
- COSC and METAS certified
What to check before you buy
- Test the helium escape valve turns freely and seats. It is a functional component on a saturation-rated case, not decoration, and a seized one is a service item.
- Check the diver's extension and its visual indicator operate through the full range — it is the mechanism most likely to have been fiddled with and least likely to have been used properly.
- Look at the titanium closely under light. It marks differently from steel, takes a scuff more readily, and refinishing it is not the routine job that polishing steel is.
- Confirm the ceramic bezel insert has no chips at the edge. Ceramic resists scratching and fails by chipping instead, which is a harder fault to disguise and a costlier one to fix.
- Measure before you promise a fit. At 43mm wide and 14.5mm deep this is a large watch, and a buyer used to the Black Bay line will find it a different proposition on the wrist.
A specification built for a job
1,000 metres and a helium escape valve describe a watch intended for saturation diving, where a diver lives for days in a pressurised habitat breathing a helium mixture. Helium atoms are small enough to work their way into a sealed case, and the valve lets them out during decompression instead of forcing the crystal off.
Almost no buyer of this reference will ever need that. The specification still matters commercially, because it is what the watch is, and because both the valve and the extension are mechanisms that can be broken — which puts them firmly on the inspection list rather than in the marketing copy.
Titanium changes the conversation
The case, bezel, crown and bracelet are titanium. It is lighter than steel and noticeably more forgiving on the wrist at this size, which is much of the appeal at 43mm across and 14.5mm deep.
It is also less forgiving to own. Titanium picks up marks more readily than steel does, and restoring a satin titanium finish is a specialist job rather than a routine polish. A dealer should price a scuffed titanium case on that basis, and describe it plainly rather than optimistically.
Ceramic fails differently
The bezel insert is matte ceramic with luminous material, not aluminium. Ceramic essentially does not scratch, which is why it is used — but it chips, and a chipped insert is both obvious and expensive.
So the inspection is the opposite of the one you run on an aluminium bezel. Stop looking for scratches and start looking at the edges.
The clasp does more here
The bracelet carries a safety catch and a diver's extension with a visual indicator, on top of the T-fit adjustment. That is three separate mechanisms in one clasp, and each is a thing that can be worn, forced or incorrectly reassembled.
Work all of it before you buy. On a watch bought largely for its over-engineering, a clasp that does not function correctly undermines the only reason someone chose it.
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Sources
Not affiliated with TUDOR. Specifications are read from the manufacturer's own published documentation on the date shown and may change; the manufacturer's current documentation governs.