Open-Ended Racing Strap for the Tudor Pelagos FXD
The Tudor Pelagos FXD does not have spring bars. It has fixed bars machined into the case — that is what the FXD stands for — and it is the whole reason the watch exists in that form. It is also the reason a normal watch strap is useless on it: there is no gap to thread the leather through and no bar to pop out. An open-ended strap for the Tudor Pelagos FXD is the fix, and this order from the UAE wanted one in racing trim.
Build sheet
| Watch | Tudor Pelagos FXD Alinghi Red Bull Racing, time-only (ref. 25707KN) |
| Strap type | Custom open-ended |
| Leather | Navy Epsom |
| Style | Racing |
| Strap length | 65/105 mm (2.56 in / 4.13 in) |
| Buckle width | 20 mm (0.79 in) |
| Buckle | Curved style, black |
| Stitching | Box stitching, red |
| Padding | Padded |
| Tip end | Round |
Why these choices
Open-ended is not a style choice here, it is the only thing that works. The strap end is left open rather than being sewn into a closed loop, so it slides onto the fixed bar from the side and is held by the keepers. That is the same solution we cut for vintage watches with soldered lugs, and it is why a Pelagos FXD owner does not have to live with the fabric strap forever.
Epsom is a stamped-grain calfskin — the same leather family used for Hermès bags. It is light and it resists scratches, which suits a titanium tool watch that gets worn hard. The racing cut adds the perforations and the contrast stitch, and the red box stitching against the navy is a direct nod to the Alinghi Red Bull Racing livery on the dial. The customer chose the colours; we just cut them.
At 65/105 mm this is a shorter-than-standard strap, and the padding keeps the profile from looking thin under a 42 mm case. The black curved-style buckle is a buckle shape, not a curved strap end — worth separating those two, because they get confused constantly.
★★★★★
“These straps fix the issue with NATO straps, which sit higher than regular spring bar lugged bracelets and straps. Vgreen also makes my Pelagos FXD GMT into a watch I can wear a suit with.”
Jonathan F. · Verified purchase · Custom open-ended strap
Questions we get about this build
Why can't I just use a normal strap on a Pelagos FXD? The bars are fixed to the case, so there is nothing to remove and no way to feed a closed strap end around them. An open-ended strap for the Tudor Pelagos FXD is cut with the end left open so it slips over the bar instead.
Does it fit the GMT and the other FXD variants? The bar spacing is what matters, not the dial. Give us the width across the fixed bars and we cut to it. If you are unsure, measure it or have a watchmaker measure it — we build to the number you send.
Every strap is cut to order — allow 2–3 weeks to delivery. Build yours from the custom open-ended straps page, or see the rest of the Epsom leather watch straps and the wider custom leather watch straps range.