Tudor’s Pelagos diver’s watch is the choice of daring, big-wave surfers
When Nic von Rupp was a kid, he was scared of the water. Which makes it all the more extraordinary that this native of Portugal is now one of the world’s most successful big-wave surfers. ‘It’s not natural to face big waves,’ he confesses. ‘You know, like as a kid you’re told to be careful of the ocean.’ So how do you prepare? ‘You’re never 100 per cent prepared,’ he says. ‘I mean, you’re dealing with a superior power of nature… So you’re never prepared. You assess the risks, and you make choices depending on the assessment you make.’
If this sounds technical, then that’s because it is. This type of surfing is not of the laid-back beach-boy school, all VW camper vans and board shorts. Instead, it sees the participants towed by jetski to catch monster waves that can be as large as nearly 30m, or 100ft. The sport requires teams of two to alternate as jetski drivers and surfers, with other crew also on jetskis for when the ride is over.
Tudor Pelagos, ceramic matt black disc, £4,600
Von Rupp is part of a team called Mountains of the Sea, which is supported by Tudor watches, also the firm that sponsors the only annual big wave surf competition, the Tudor Nazaré Big Wave Challenge. This takes place each winter season at Nazaré in Portugal, about 100 miles from Lisbon, where the conditions are specifically suited to the creation of what are believed to be some of the largest waves in the world, and at present certainly the largest waves you can surf anywhere on the planet. Nazaré has become something of a phenomenon over the past few years, attracting people wanting to watch one of nature’s most impressive and daunting sights and those brave and skilled enough to tackle it on a surfboard.
The kit for this challenge is important, from the short boards, where you have straps to hold your feet in place for the bumpy ride down the face of the wave, to the tailored wetsuits and clever self-inflating vests that will help raise up a submerged – even unconscious – surfer. Another piece of equipment von Rupp is never without is his Tudor Pelagos black-dialled diving watch.
The Tudor Pelagos references the firm’s dive watches of old – it has a history of kitting out military divers and has expertise in deep-sea diving technology. Pelagos actually means “open sea” in Greek (and earlier this year, the line introduced the FXD GMT, inspired by the French Navy), and the watch von Rupp wears is water resistant to 500m. It is also tough and lightweight, made from titanium with a titanium bracelet and scratch-resistant ceramic bezel. The helium escape valve feature, pioneered by Rolex in the 1960s, allows the release of pressure that might otherwise build up, causing the watch to literally explode. Tudor was launched by Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf in 1926 as its sister brand, making tough, tool watches at accessible prices.
Von Rupp’s team surfing partner, Frenchman Clément Roseyro, also a Pelagos wearer, says, ‘I think we are the most stylish surfers because we wear a nice watch on top of our wetsuits’. But it’s not just about looks, he explains: ‘As a big-wave surfer, when we’re under the water, we’re not gonna spend an hour there [like a diver]. It’s pretty short. But I feel connected to the seconds ticking on my watch under the water. It’s something that sometimes has helped me – I’m thinking under the water, for a few seconds, that I’m very connected to my watch and she’s gonna breathe with me when I arrive to the surface again.’
Tudor Pelagos Ultra, £5,070 and Tudor Pelagos, £4,600; tudorwatch.com
