Dietrich Watches, a charming micro brand watch company out of Zurich, has built a reputation of producing avant-garde watches in and around the $1,000 price range. Many of their releases in the past, although intriguing, have been slightly too much for me personally. Skin Diver 1 enters the chat. The SD-1 retails for $1,050 and comes in three dial variants, Pacific Blue, Tropic Green, and Suave Black. This watch takes the skin diver mold from the 60s and says… hmm wouldn’t this be so much better if it had been made in the world of Tron? And the answer to that question is a resounding yes. The design language screams alien technology and futuristic streamlined metal. Truly the epitome of a watch that is more than the sum of its parts.
Many watches have come out as “skin divers” and they mostly have similar water resistance, a stainless steel case, some standard steel bracelet, they glow in the dark, and have a 60 minute rotating bezel. The Dietrich has all of those things, yet manages to be like nothing else you have seen before. To accomplish that is absurdly difficult. It is akin to opening up a Lego kit meant to create a Batmobile and instead you manage to produce the Eiffel Tower. Simply preposterous.
Date Window: Open aperture at 6 o’ clock index position
Crystal: Sapphire
Bezel Insert: Sapphire bezel insert with superluminova printed indexes underneath
Movement: Sellita SW200 automatic
Dial: Sapphire dial with fumé in the centre
Crown: Signed sapphire crown with lume
Bracelet: Multilink bracelet with hexagonal elements, micro-adjustment features and secured butterfly-style double clasp with “Perlage” decoration
Rubber Strap: NBR rubber material, DIETRICH signed buckle, available in black and blue
Taper: Taper from 20mm to 16mm at buckle section
Price: USD 1050
On the Wrist
The SD-1’s thinness from caseback to crystal keeps everything sleek and streamlined. This slim profile and semi-integrated feel of the bracelet allows for an extremely comfortable wrist presence. My 7 inch wrist felt right at home with the SD-1’s 38.5mm diameter. The size is refreshing and makes it perfect for warm days in the Caribbean, where you could throw this on and snorkel somewhere shallow and colorful. Sadly, we are still in the depths of a pandemic rather than some salty blue water, otherwise you would get to see some images of the SD-1 underwater. To hear more about what I would use this watch for…. check out my adventures to the alpine with it.
Dial
The first thing that comes to mind looking at the dial of the SD-1 one is depth. The dial itself is a semi translucent sapphire with a fumé effect, fading from pitch black on the outer edges to white in the center. By using sapphire, the dial has an added 3D effect that, when combined with the indices on top, create a depth that would be otherwise impossible. Beneath the dial is a color matched date wheel that is showcased at six with a lumed perimeter. This lume of the date window has become more popular as of late and I am 100% here for it. The symmetry this creates with the rest of the dial is pleasing to stare at in passing, or pretty much every opportunity you have in a dark room. As you can tell, I savored every chance I got to take some lume photos.
The bezel has six flat sections that each carry coin edged ribs that makes gripping it very easy. Action on the bezel is sharp and very precise. This was surprising to me as many skin divers often place far less emphasis on the bezel as compared to traditional divers. The added attention to detail on the bezel shines through at first use. Within the bezel is a sapphire insert that is domed, reminiscent of bubbly vintage bakelite bezels. The crown is signed with the fishie boi logo within a sapphire insert.
The outer edges of the crown are finished in the same style as the bezel. Personally, I wish it was a little larger to make winding and time setting easier. Skin divers make me think of dinky prop planes puddle jumping around small islands in search of diving spots, and a larger crown to aid in quick time setting would add to this overall fantasy. The surface of the dial is light on text, with only Dietrich at 12 and AUTOMATIQUE above the date. Love the use of the alternate spelling here, had it just said automatic I would prefer it be left off altogether #bougie. This minimalism is possible because all those usual bits about water resistance are put between the lugs, hidden by the bracelet.
This was a first amongst all the watches I have ever seen, and I was a big fan. The information is there if you need it (Editor’s note: if you’re buying a microbrand watch, I’d presume you don’t need it) and leaves your dial clean and caseback empty, ready for an engraving.
Case, Bracelet, and Movement
Beneath the dial beats the Sellita SW200 automatic movement. At this price point, this is perfectly reasonable and I found no issues with this in use. With the movement covered, lets get to the second star of the show after the incredibly deep dial: the bracelet.
Leading from flat edge of the case, the bracelet has hexagonal middle links paired with tapered sides. Hidden beneath the hexagonal steel segments is an articulating H-link bracelet, but the visual effect is something that is totally new. Despite the two layers of center links, the bracelet remains thin and airy. The clasp will be slightly controversial, being a butterfly clasp, but it is well executed. The reason for potential controversy is that this may make it difficult to achieve the perfect sizing for some people (as butterfly clasps don’t have micro adjustment holes). I found that I was able to get a perfect fit and even if I didn’t it wouldn’t bother me as the watch is phenomenal on basically any strap.
Changing to a different strap is also easy because the bracelet comes with quick release spring bars. If you are unfamiliar with quick release bracelets, their springbars have two tabs on each side of the end link, which you can pinch with your fingers and remove the bracelet without the need for tools or the risk of scratching the back of your lugs. Additionally, Dietrich provides flat edges where the lugs meet the case, meaning any straight end link 20mm bracelet will fit the watch.
Final Thoughts
What are my conclusions on the Dietrich SD-1? Emmanuel Dietrich and his team have managed to create something that is a callback to watches of old whilst adding some very new twists, making the SD-1 entirely their own. To me that is incredibly compelling, and as an engineer and artist it’s something that I hope to accomplish someday. If you are looking to walk around with something unique and different, but still instantly recognizable as a skin diver, this is the perfect watch for you. It just happens the watch is also insanely comfortable and perfectly at home under any conditions. At the price of $1,050 the SD-1 has managed to feel upmarket and like a bargain at the same time. Hats off to Dietrich and thank you to @Marsh_Kai for getting me a review model.
Through my “prestigious” position at The Matick Blog, I was able to secure a review model of the new Dietrich Skin Diver SD-1 for me. A proper review will be coming at some point in the future. For now though, here’s a tale of my adventures with the with the new Dietrich SD-1.
Had this been a standard skin diver, I would be tempted to get the watch wet; maybe do some snorkeling in warm water while looking at pretty fish. I would talk about how the depth of the dial was mesmerizing underwater because of the way light bends. I would have raved about how easy the bezel was to grip because of the cleverly placed flat sections in the ever present polygonal shapes. But, wouldn’t that be too standard and obvious for a watch that is anything BUT standard and obvious? Instead I decided to take the Dietrich SD-1 to where the earth kisses the sky: the alpine.
Quandary Peak
Quandary Peak 14,265′
Residing in Colorado, I am surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenery and mountains one could ever experience. This time of year in particular is my favorite to trek up them. Snow has just started to fall and creates incredible contrast against the dark rocks beneath. The crowds and lines of human slugs attempting to summit in the summertime are gone by now. Most people are in their homes eagerly waiting for the beginning of ski season to venture back out. All of those things together means it is the PERFECT time to plan a summit attempt. Before we go any farther, I would like to provide some resources should the following write up and images urge you to try your hand at some alpine adventuring.
Packing List for 14er
Our gear wall.
For those that may not know, a 14er is a mountain with a summit of greater than 14,000′ of elevation. There are thousands of people that attempt summiting one every year, flocking to the trailhead to test their metal. There are different “Classes” of these mountains depending on the difficulty, ranging from 1 to 4. Class 1 implies there is a very low risk of rock slide, little to no “scrambling” required, and a well marked and trodden trail. Class 4 implies high risk of rock slide, a lot of “scrambling” or in extreme cases straight alpine climbing, and very little markings. A peak that is categorized as a Class 1 by no means implies “easy”, as the mountain at any given time can choose to let you know that you are nothing short of an insignificant speck that nature is allowing to exist here. Weather can shift in an instant, and being unprepared can be result in injury or death. Here is a link to a great starting point when making your gear list.
Hiking a 14er during this specific time of year brings some different challenges that you may not realize as well. Speaking from experience, you are not tougher than the sun. At this elevation there is roughly 20% more harmful UV rays than normal, because the snow-covered ground and surroundings reflects almost 90% of the light back at you and your eyeballs.
Quandary Peak trail just above the tree line.
Last summer (early season) we had not considered this and Kenzie went blind for 36 hours. Snow blindness is a common problem, especially for those not equipped with the correct eyewear. Regular sunglasses blocks approximately 5% visible light and protect your eyes during daily life, mountaineering glasses with the appropriate grade will block 95% of visible light and protect you in the alpine. These glasses will also come with side covers to prevent light from leaking in from the sides due to snow reflection. Do not be like us on our first snow-laden summit, and wear proper eye protection!
The Arrival
We arrived at Quandary Peak around 7.30am, a few minutes after sunrise. The hike has just over 3,200ft of elevation gain over 3.5 miles to the summit. The beginning of the trail takes you through what could have been a fairy forest belonging to the winter court (iykyk). The strong smell of evergreen and brisk cold filled my nose with every heavy breath I took. Small animal tracks on the fresh snow from the previous night were abundant around us. I used the SD-1 to time “moving time” and breaks. Focusing on distance or elevation gain has never been the most useful mentally for me; instead, I opt for tracking time and set small goals.
During the beginning of a hike like this, shooting for 30 minute intervals at a steady pace is my go to, refueling with water and food after each interval even if you do not feel like you need it. As we climb higher and higher the time goals get smaller and smaller. After roughly 1.5 hours, we cleared the tree line, with the remainder of the hike being completely exposed until the summit. The day was absolutely perfect, a clear “Blue Bird” CO day with not a cloud in sight. The weather forecast called for a high of 30 and low of 12, but exposed against the harsh sun we may as well have been in Florida. Slowly, I stripped layers off until only a long sleeved shirt remained, and my Dietrich. I wore the SD-1 on a leather NATO style strap from Nomad Watch Works. The thought of the cold stainless steel case against my skin during the hike was enough for me to opt for leather. Leather NATOs are fantastic because they look great, and you get all the benefits of a bund (no metal against skin) without any of the negatives. The negatives of course being that it is hideous and implies that you carry deep seeded self loathing. Also, as you climb higher your appendages swell tremendously: by the time we reached the summit, I had loosened my strap by four holes.
Last Stretch
The last stretch to the summit was a slushy mess of steep incline over large rocks. Our micro-spikes crunched at every step.
The SD-1 notified me that we summitted at approximately 1pm. Atop Quandary, we had the full view to ourselves, save a few Pikas. We took our time and enjoyed the summit while snacking and lazily taking a few images of the Skin Diver. I couldn’t help but giggle thinking of what a preposterous trip this watch has now taken, and just how at home it seemed in these conditions. Additionally, the SD-1 proved far more useful than my typical alpine watch, the Rolex Explorer II. With the dive bezel of the skin diver, timing your breaks and hiking stints are way more useful than a GMT function, no matter what ads Switzerland shows me. The thinness, as opposed to the chunkiness of a traditional diver, due to the the reduced water resistance of the skin diver is also perfect for the alpine.
After our time soaking in as much of the view as possible, we began our trip down back to reality. About 2 hours later and we were back at the car, legs sore, out of breath, hungry, and eternally grateful. Also, sad; Happy that when I look down at the Skin Diver, I will never be able to detach my incredible memories staring off the top of a mountain, but sadness that I will have to mail this watch back.
Thank you to the folks over at Dietrich for sending the SD-1 to me to check out, and thank you @xkenzie for tagging along on this awesome adventure.
A few weeks back, Praesidus reached out to me on Instagram @frendymgee (I am sorry but the req. to be on The Matick Team is to shamelessly plug at every opportunity, just give KC & JonJon a listen) and asked if I would be interested in reviewing the A-11. Along with their message they sent along some literature on the watch and how it came to be. I don’t feel this review would be complete without a significant portion dedicated to providing some historical context. By no means am I a historian, however, I will give my best effort.
This story takes us to the beginning of WWII in the United States. The allied forces were in need of a wristwatch to issue across the warfront. The watch that ended up on the wrists of thousands of Allied soldiers was the A-11. There was no actual watch called the “A-11”, the term refers to the military specifications put forth by the United States Government titled “TM 9-1575 War Department Technical Manual for Wrist Watches, Pocket Watches, Stop Watches, And Clocks” I have embedded a link to the downloadable PDFs if you are interested in checking out the original document. Watches were produced to these specifications by a number of brands including Bulova, Elgin, Hamilton, and Waltham. This watch soon became famous for its durability and performance in the field, earning the reputation as “the watch that won the war” for its key contributions.
The Praesidus A-11 specifically, follows the story of one Tom Rice, an American paratrooper during WWII. Tom was a former athlete at San Diego State University and would go on to join the ranks of one of the most demanding regiments of this era. He was deployed overseas and fought in a number of theatres including the battle of Normandy, where he famously lost his watch while jumping from a C-47. You can read more about Tom’s story on the Praesidus site here. In short, the man is remarkable and he exemplifies the traits that defined a generation that stood as tall as giants.
Specifications
RRP: USD 195.00
Case Diameter: 42mm (also comes in 38mm)
Lug Width: 22mm
Lug to Lug Length: 49.6mm (Frendy’s Measurement)
Movement: NH35
Power Reserve: 42 Hours
Case Material: 316L Stainless Steel
Luminous: Swiss Super Luminova
Features: Stop Seconds (Hacking) and Manual Wind
Straps: Leather and Nato
Dial & Case
At first glance with the A-11, you are met with a beautifully clean and utilitarian watch. It becomes apparent immediately why this watch was so beloved during wartime for its ease of use. There are no unneeded frills, simply a watch with the time. The dial lacks any sort of logo or additional writing. To me, this is an awesome feature that adds to the legibility and authenticity of the watch. The caseback will reveal the name of the watch and Praesidus branding.
On the 42mm version that I have, the hands have been proportionally sized up and are the standard A-11 type hands that can be seen on original versions of these watches. A generous amount of fauxtina lume (lume made to look vintage) has been applied to both the hands and indices. Generally I am not the biggest fan of fauxtina lume, however, on a watch like this, I think it adds to the aesthetic and helps contribute to the overall vibe of the watch.
The case and bezel are smooth, bead blasted stainless steel, the sole polishing coming on the tops of the lugs and crown. The polished lugs are a nice addition to the plain bezel; it creates great separation between the case and rest of the watch. The distinction between case and lugs is reminiscent of turn-of-the-century converted pocket watches, especially on this larger version of the A-11. Between the lugs, the finishing mimics that of the rest of the case, a nice touch considering this watch in my collection will spend virtually all of its time on a NATO strap. The numerals and indices are crisp and clear, legible from all angles through the domed crystal. The crystal is a sapphire and appears to have some blue hue at certain angles, indicative of an anti-glare coating of sorts. This is a departure from the original A-11 mineral crystals or acrylic but remains consistent with producing a watch that is as legible and tough as possible. I most likely am not alone though in wishing Praesidus went with a more period-appropriate acrylic or mineral crystal in lieu of modern sapphire.
Straps
Along with the A-11, two straps came in the box: one leather and one nylon. Both straps are stiff and you can tell will hold up well over time. The nylon can be seen in the above image. I very quickly opted for a swap to the new UTE two piece NATO. In my humble opinion, this is the perfect combination for this watch. Terry at UTE always has the best hardware and this strap matches the case and design of this piece spectacularly.
Wear & Experience
Regularly, I found this to be my new go-to climbing watch, replacing my SKX009. I was asking, “Do I really NEED to be wearing a G-Shock to the gym?” or “Is my SKX really the best thing to wear climbing?”, undoubtedly silly questions. BUT, the answer to them was usually “No, I have this kickass A-11 and if it was sufficient for Tom Rice why would it not be enough for me?”. If Praesidus was going for an experience where the owner would look down at their watch box and find absolutely zero reason to NOT wear this watch during the daily rigors of everyday life… they knocked it out of the park. On wrist, I found the thinness of the watch compensates for the substantial 42mm diameter. This thinness is part of the reason why I stuck to the two piece NATO rather than a more traditional NATO. Giving up that extra few millimeters was not something I ever wanted to concede.
Thus far, my fondest memory with the watch was during Denver’s Oktoberfest a few weeks ago. Going downtown in a crowd of fairly intoxicated people and being a little intoxicated myself has never made me lust for wearing a luxury watch. Typically, these types of nights would find me opting for a G-Shock or maybe some other micro brand, but with the A-11 in my box the choice was obvious. Less than a few hours in I found myself on the main stage of Oktoberfest whilst hoisting full steins of beer in competition. Easily, I prevailed in the event (nice flex – Ed). The sole motivation I needed to overcome my fellow competitors was glancing down at the A-11 on my wrist.
Truly, most everyday life moments pale in comparison to the experiences watches like these (or their descendants, as it were – Ed) have had in the past. I think it’s important as well to touch on the price of the watch. Currently, the original watches produced during the era of WWII are soaring in price (rightfully so, IMO) but, this does take away from the experience of the watch. You no longer feel the same sorts of urges to wear the watch and put it through its paces when they’re fetching thousands of dollars and a few hundred for servicing. Not to mention the potential for knocking lume off of vintage watches with a slight jostle. For these reasons I am glad to see the Praesidus come in at $195. The watch would not have remained as faithful to the original at a $1,000 despite maybe having to sacrifice some areas to meet that price point.
Conclusion
After having the Praesidus A-11 for a few weeks now and giving it a fair share of wrist time, hopefully I can give thoughts on the watch as a whole. Admittedly, from my first interaction with Praesidus and learning just a tiny bit about the watch, I was excited and smitten before the watch even arrived. That enthusiasm after arrival did not fade. It has been obvious throughout, this is the type of watch that you tie your experiences too and the intrinsic value to you will inevitably far outweigh the price tag of the watch itself. Virtually every person I interact with, watch person or non alike is brought to a smile at the story. All that being said… I received this watch at no cost, but would I spend my own money on it?
Short answer, YES.
Long answer; should I have spent my own money to bring this watch home, I’d have most likely opted for the 38mm version as I think the smaller size would have felt slightly more at home for this category of watch. If you have the wrist size for a 42mm watch that is mostly dial then absolutely go for the larger version. I cannot thank Praesidus enough for the opportunity to see this watch in person and for the education this experience has given me. I had no clue the place watches actually had in the war effort prior to writing this article (a lot went unmentioned in this article). At virtually every great moment in history, especially in the 20th century, there was a watch involved playing a key role. In this case, genuinely helping contribute to winning a war that has since shaped the modern world as we know it.
Added commentary: Leave a comment with what you think I should do with the Praesidus A-11. I am thinking of either giving the watch away on my Instagram @frendymgee, giving to a lucky non-wis friend as their first mechanical watch, auctioning the watch off and donating the money towards a veterans charity (if you have a recommendation for charity include that as well), or keeping it!
Special thanks: Praesidus of course and obviously the great Tom Price for the incredible contributions and sacrifices that you made in your life. For more info, please check them out here.
Hello all and future me. I am writing possibly an open letter to my future self or the general public. A version of me that is now poor, but owns a number of fantastical keyboards. I recently have started down the path of becoming one of the emphatic followers of the great and powerful mechanical keyboard (read “keebs”). This article is to discuss why. The argument is one I know extremely well because it is the same one that causes me to care deeply about my mechanical time piece, or obsess over with making the best cup of coffee every day. I realize now that this argument is why I will inevitably pursue keebs the same way I pursue those aforementioned hobbies. Should I decide to overlook that argument and NOT obsess over creating the best possible board, I would invalidate all of my other hobbies. A corner stone of my personality would crumble. So… to the point.
NovelKeys NK65 with Signature Plastics SA-P Industrial keycaps
Why keebs?
I am a firm believer in that the items in our life and the tools of our trades that we’re spending the bulk of our time with, we should strive to make them the best possible. We have such a short time on this planet and a major chunk (for me) is spent at the computer clacking on a keyboard. Similarly there is not a day that goes by I am not wearing a watch. I drink a cup of coffee every single day, and am scribbling in my notebook with a mechanical pencil.
Each one of these items involved in the above when improved even a tiny bit improves my mood, my happiness, the whole gambit. If you know something can do that for you, how do you not pursue it? Before a few months ago I never saw my keyboard as something like this. I never thought too hard about them, I mindlessly used them. Enter Camron Lazanich @camronlaz, sending me DMs on Instagram about a build or project he was working on and before you know it, he was convincing me to let him mail me a board to just try (spoiler: I bought it eventually, sigh). The first day using the board, the first THOCK, I realized this would immediately impact me positively. My hands undoubtedly touch a keyboard more than anything else in my life. Why would I not want to have the best possible experience? Still unconvinced? Just in this short column I have already touched my keyboard over 2500 times (or more, I think). If every single one of those touches were improved how could that not positively impact you. Those little tiny improved experience accumulate for an exponentially larger impact over time. For these reasons I am starting down the rabbit hole. I will keep everyone updated as I grow in the hobby and hopefully write follow up articles about builds or ambitions. Also, none of what I laid out about above touches on how satisfying keyboards are to photograph.
Special Thanks – Cameron thanks for starting me on another expensive and illogical hobby. Thanks Nick and Marsh for their encouragement and endless keeb knowledge. @camronlaz @marsh_kai @nickthelard
Brutal60 WKL Navy with KineticLabs Whale PBT keycaps
The latest iteration of the Zelos Hammerhead, the Hammerhead V3 Teal Fume, from the microbrand out of Singapore landed on my doorstep for a field review earlier this year. I have owned a number of Zelos watches in the past including the Mako, Avant, and an earlier issue of this Hammerhead (in titanium), and have always been able to see the constant progression between models. When lining up potential watches to review while diving this year, Zelos immediately jumped to mind as a brand to highlight. Their releases continuously push the boundaries of what can be accomplished in the microbrand space, whether it is experimenting with different materials, or even launching their very own tourbillon. So lets talk about the Hammerhead that I have in the metal. A full list of specs will be at the bottom but I will highlight what has jumped out to me.
Specifications
Case: 44mm Diameter, 22mm Lug width, 48mm Lug to Lug Length, 13mm thickness without crystal
Water Resistance: 300m
Date Window: 6 o’clock position, colour matched date wheel
Crystal: Sapphire, Double domed with inner AR coating
Bezel Insert: Ceramic/SS depending on model, fully lumed
Movement: Seiko NH35 with color matched date wheel
Dial: Sunburst with C3 X1 and BGW9 lume
Crown: Signed crown with lume
Bracelet: 316L SS with quick adjust clasp with dive extension clasp
Price: USD 449
Overview
The watch is an absolute unit on the wrist in terms of size and heft, but the short lug to lug allows the watch to remain wearable even for smaller wrists. Although the bracelet is pretty great, I preferred the watch on a rubber Barton or a NATO style because my preferences are for a lighter watch on wrist. The case is a good crossover between that of a tourneau case seen by the likes of a Doxa, a Seiko Turtle cushion case, and something all their own with the inclusion of sharp edges and dodecagonal shape (I am an engineer, but yes, I too needed to google what a 12 sided polygon is called, so don’t you feel bad). The lugs curve down and meet the bottom of the caseback before ending, meaning the watch will sit completely flat against your wrist. The entire case is brushed steel, however, because of the sharp edges it can appear polished depending on the lighting. The bottom of the case is a hair higher than the bottom of the caseback in profile and the edge of the case is sharp, following the same design language as the other edges. The sharpness of the case at this location can cause some mild discomfort when articulating your wrist, this was a small complaint I had when handling the previous version of the Hammerhead too. This is only noticeable when the watch is on the bracelet or rubber but a strap change to NATO solves this problem. For future iterations, I would prefer to see a slight chamfer at the bottom of the case to reduce the potential chafing against wrist and increase comfort.
Bracelet
The dive extension clap seen above I found to be an added value on these hot Denver summer days. The mechanism itself requires you to take the watch off the wrist, which is a slight inconvenience, but at this price point you cannot expect much more. If you shop around in this range or even a little higher you will find there are less than a handful of options that include this type of clasp. The clasp did not allow for the amount of extension I required for my 7mm wet suit (mountain water is COLD) so during this I opted for a NATO. Although I didn’t test this, I am sure it is adequate for a 3mm suit which is much more common for tropical diving and is what I wore during my Lorier field review.
The bracelet is a solid stainless steel with edges following the same multiple-edged polygonal design language. The end links are solid and the bracelet drops off at 90 degrees from the case, accentuating the 48mm lug width and allowing the watch to accommodate smaller wrists. At the case, there are quick release spring bars built into the end links of the bracelet. I found the bars on this review model to be a hair too short, and given enough pressure they would pop off. I am assuming that this is a small defect on the review model and not something that is likely to be seen in the production models (I checked with a few friends that have purchased one to be sure) but is worth mentioning. If we work under the assumption that this was corrected for production pieces, it is a great addition to the watch. Quick release spring bars allow you to swap the bracelet without use of a tool or risk of scratching the lugs.
Caseback
On the caseback you will find a detailed depiction of a hammerhead shark in polished steel against a bead blasted background. I am always a sucker for a well done case back and Zelos always packs a punch in this department. By continuously doing this they hold the market accountable as brands should care about all the areas of the watch and not just what is immediately visible. The caseback is a perfect treat for just the owner to appreciate, unannounced to casual onlookers.
Dial
The teal sunburst dial sings with even just a small amount of light, and the oversized hands and lume plots allow for easy legibility. The date remains out of sight unless you are looking for it due to the meticulous color matching done by Zelos. It is truly a wonder how Zelos are able to put out a watch at $449 that accomplishes a better date application than watches in the multi-thousand dollar range; it speaks to the value you get when you decide to purchase a microbrand watch.
I believe that is enough about the watch itself, this is meant to be a field review. So let’s get wet.
Diving with the Hammerhead
This story takes us to the bottom of a frigid Colorado reservoir. Water temperature of 50 degrees and dropping with every bit of added depth. I coaxed fiancée (herein after referred to as Kenzie) to wade out into the murky green massive ice bath with promises of finding a sunken bi-plane and some post dive chipotle. Spoiler alert, she got neither. There was a storm the night before and visibility was absolutely horrendous. We waddled into the cold water in our thick 7mm full wetsuits equipped with the latest and greatest of micro brand divers to brave the less than ideal conditions. Sitting at about 45ft and a few hundred feet off shore, there is supposedly a sunken bi-plane that I thought would make for phenomenal pictures with the ever vibrant teal Zelos. Due to the 3ft of visibility, the teal dial and loads of crayfish were the highlight of the dive.
When conditions are this poor, you must stay within physical reach of your dive buddy or risk losing them. Kenzie utilized the Hammerheads dive bezel in addition to counting flutter kicks in an attempt to gauge distance. Meanwhile I remained vigilantly staring at my underwater compass desperately trying to maintain the heading required to find the bi-plane. The watch proved to be waterproof (at least to 20 meters) and a perfect companion for a stressful dive like this. When conditions are less than adequate the absolute last thing you want to concern yourself with is your back up dive timer. A watch that can hold its own and is there when you need it and does not require additional consideration is a must. The Hammerhead passed this test with flying colors. During use you are met with an incredibly stiff and precise bezel, maintaining grip is not a problem due to the proportion of bezel to case. Your fingers will slide to the bezel from the case regardless of gripping position. The turning of the bezel underwater did not prove to be difficult with gloves on and is also able to be done above water with ease. So what does the teal sunburst dial look like at depth?
Here is a color by depth chart that indicates what colors are visible at given depth. Without getting too scientific, different colors are filtered out as you descend into greater depths until pretty much everything (without added light) is colorless. The teal of the Hammerhead was noticeably fainter at around 40ft, however, because the dial is already blue, you do not really notice the change. The dial tends to blend into the surroundings because everything else is also blue. Although in this particular instance, everything appeared green (lol).
Around 45 minutes went by as clumsily meandered through the cold water looking for the bi-plane. Every passing minute made it abundantly clear, we were not going to find anything. Even bad dives are better than no dives, we transitioned to playing with the massive cray fish and performing sub-aquatic acrobatic maneuvers. Despite my superior athletic ability, Kenzie far out shines me in this field. A few more minutes went by and we defeatedly returned to the shore. The group of nearby that was participating in a men’s water polo league locked eyes with us as we fumbled with our fins and came out of the water like aliens. The only thought in either of our minds was “wow those people are surely crazy”.
Conclusion
Despite our massive failure to complete our secondary dive objective, what are my final thoughts on the Zelos Hammerhead? Plunging into the water with a dive watch is a whimsical experience. One does this for the nostalgia, and enjoyment. All the greater reason to have one with you, especially during a stressful dive. The mechanical timepiece strapped to Kenzie’s wrist was a constant reminder that despite the circumstance, we were still out there for fun. Pretty much any dive watch $50 and up will maintain water tightness and function as a timing instrument, so what should you use as your deciding factor? To me, this comes back to the above words about a fun and whimsical experience. The Hammerhead shines in this regard. The teal dial and massive wrist presence never failed to bring a smile to my face. So much so, that a little air would even leak out of my regulator along with a small chuckle. Whether diving or just merely heading out for groceries, when looking down at the dial and massive hands I couldn’t help but feel similarly. For me, I would think of those moments giggling to myself through my regulator with the giddiness of a child, but had I not dove with it? Or not been a diver at all? This would definitely be a watch that would let me pretend, at least while it was on wrist.
PS. Special thanks to Zelos for the incredible patience while I struggled to finish this review. To KC for editing my babbling nonsense, and finally Marsh continuing to publish my work despite me giving you riddling anxiety with every keystroke I make. Leave a comment or drop @Marsh_kai a line on Instagram if you would like him to publish my article “WIS Tips to Getting Robbed Abroad”
For more info on the Zelos Hammerhead, check them out here.
A few weeks back I had the immense joy and privilege to splash a few times in the great deep blue. After more than a year departed from my last big dive trip, returning to the ocean was nothing short of spectacular. What made this all the more special was the opportunity to take what is possibly the best modern interpretation of a vintage diver on the market, the Lorier Neptune. The Neptune comes in at $499, a great price point, in what is becoming an increasingly competitive market for sub-$1,000 divers. Although the space is definitely crowded with options, there are few other modern watches that are as faithfully vintage as the Lorier. The 39mm diver is a joy on wrist and reminiscent of great skin divers from the 60s. On Loriers’ site, they are very transparent on the types of watches they drew inspiration from. There is a fine line between pulling inspiration to create something unique and creating an homage. The Neptune walks this line perfectly, I can easily make comparisons to a number of different watches but I never think “oh, this is clearly just a copy of XXX watch”. The variant I was fortunate enough to have on loan is the gilt dial; gilt, on a no date diver absolutely drips cool, possibly an all time favorite combination.
Specifications
Case Size: 39mm case width
Case Thickness: 10.3mm case thickness + 2.4mm dome crystal
Lug to Lug: 47mm case length / lug-to-lug
Lug Width: 20mm lug width tapers to 16mm at clasp
Bracelet: 316L marine-grade stainless steel, fits up to 8-inch wrists, button clasp with 3 microadjustment slots
Movement: Miyota 90S5 automatic movement (no-date), 28800 bph
Case Material: 316L marine-grade stainless steel case
Water Resistance: 200 meters / 660 feet, screwn-down crown
Bezel: 120-click unidirectional bezel
Crystal: Dome plexiglass crystal
Lume: Swiss Superluminova BGW9 luminous
Included extras: Microsuede travel pouch, screwdriver for resizing bracelet
Crown / Case Side Profile
The Neptune encapsulates a ton of vintage styling in a modern package. One of these elements is the oversized crown with the Lorier logo embossed on the side.
The over-sizing of the crown makes it a joy to use and is accentuated by the lack of pesky crown guards. The lugs are long and sharp, protruding from the case. They curve downwards subtly to match the shape of your wrist, not compromising on comfort while maintaining this classic vintage aesthetic. Without question, the star of the show is the plexiglass crystal. Although plexi has long been loved for the warmth and clarity it brings to watch aesthetics, it comes with the certainty of scratches. With time, the plexi will bear the scars of day to day life, even more so when taken out in the field. Without further ado, let’s talk about the Neptune underwater.
Relevance of Dive Watches today
Dive watches originated in the mid 20th century and grew alongside the popularization of recreational diving. For those unaware, the bezel on your dive watch was used to measure elapsed time during diving. This helped avoid the dreaded “bends” or decompression sickness. Modern divers are equipped with a dive computer, these devices track your elapsed time the moment they are submerged, along with depth, temperature, and algorithmically computing your no-decompression times given your current dive profile. All that being said, does a classic mechanical watch still have a place on your wrist during a modern dive? Overwhelmingly, the answer is yes! Aside from just the awesome nostalgia and joy it brings to glance down and see a mechanical watch on your wrist… you absolutely can have a need for a dive watch. For me, my mechanical watch is utilized for navigational purposes. Generally, divers doing guided dives with a dive master do not perform their own navigation and would therefore use the Lorier as a backup dive timer in the event your computer fails or is inaccurate. However, for diving without a guide — a dive watch to measure elapsed time spent traveling in a particular direction is a must. The Lorier was perfectly suited for this purpose, the simplicity of this vintage diver makes the legibility clear as day while doing complex dive patterns around the reefs, or through submerged lava tubes in my case.
Case Thickness / Movement
The thickness of the Neptune at 10.3mm + 2.4mm crystal allows a sleek profile that does not get in the way. The thickness was reduced from the series II to III when Lorier switched to the Miyota 90S5 no-date movement. This no-date movement doesn’t have a phantom date when pulling out the crown to set the time which is definitely a nice touch, and I love the commitment to a no-date model from Lorier. When diving you have a tremendous amount of added thickness from the wetsuit, and as pictured above, a NATO. The added gear is roughly 6mm in total, so a chunky 15mm-thick building of a dive watch would now be 21mm! Yeah, it has to be 15mm thick to get 1000m of water resistance, but for recreational diving… I’d much prefer the thinner profile of the Neptune and the more than sufficient 200m of water resistance. Even with the added thickness, the Neptune comes in at about 18.7mm thick, saving the watch from added beating and keeping it out of the way unless needed.
Bezel
The most important feature of a dive watch other than being water resistant is the bezel. Lorier opted for a thin coin-edge finished bezel with an aluminum insert. Above water the bezel is firm with very little play in either direction, it is aligned properly and is no issue to turn. In the water, the bezel is a breeze to turn with or without gloves on the first dive of the day. I specified the first dive because after time spent in salt water, crystallized salt will work its way into the bezel mechanism and make turning the bezel extremely difficult. This happens with most watches, and is nothing an overnight soak in fresh water won’t solve. However, if you have three dives planned for the day it is definitely a draw back. There are a number of solutions to this issue, one would be increasing the bezel thickness/diameter. Currently on the Neptune III the bezel diameter is slightly less than the diameter of the case, if that were reversed the bezel would be much easier to grasp. Thickening the bezel would have the same effect. An alternative that would pair phenomenally with the vintage styling is a notch in the bezel for the wearer to easily pop off the bezel between dives for cleaning. A notch like this was provided on a few old divers for this exact purpose. Somewhere along the way companies stopped doing this, no fault of Lorier in particular, and I am not sure if any modern diver has this feature. By adding a notch you would be able to solve all issues pertaining to salt buildup while maintaining the same proportions.
Lume
You can’t talk about a dive watch without talking about lume. Lume was originally for visibility at night, or in deep water with low light. Naturally, I HAD to take the Neptune on a night dive to see how the lume stacked up!
The first image below was from that night dive done in Kona, HI. In Kona, divers come with baskets filled with multiple 10,000+ lumen torches that illuminate the dark water. This late night illumination causes plankton to amass in this location every night of the week. Kona is home to a fleet of Manta Rays that have come to know this location for the night buffet of plankton and will swoop in mercilessly consuming the illuminated plankton. Truly, a grand spectacle for any diver. In the dark ocean a quick charge with your torch will allow you to see the luminescent markers, hands on the dial, and triangular pip of the Neptune’s bezel. The blue lume seemed to fade fairly quickly, and I found myself needing to charge it frequently, and the pip glows slightly less intensely than the hands. The pip is one of the few small gripes I had with the Neptune, it seemed slightly too small, and is not raised. I would like to see a circular pip protruding from the triangle indices. This would mesh well with the vintage look, however, it is purely a personal preference. I would give the lume a B grade for intensity and visibility during the night dive, that being said, the lack of intensity did not have any adverse impact on the experience or dive. Honestly, vintage divers never glowed with the intensity of modern divers, so comparing the Neptune to a Seiko Monster or something isn’t really fair. The Neptune is not trying to be the brightest watch out there, it is instead an incredible modern production of a vintage vision and the lume matches that perfectly. A torch would be a little out of place.
Dial
Besides, a small amount of light from your torch allows you to get a glimpse of that gilty goodness, so I did not mind recharging it. The third image above is my fiancée wearing the Neptune during the night dive. Her patience for me to position and photograph watches underwater is incredible. It does help that she was enamored with the Neptune from the moment the watch came in. The sizing and style appealed to her, the Neptune firmly resides in an area where anyone will be able to wear it with comfort.
Bracelet
The bracelet is a flat link tapering stainless steel with a folding clasp and push button unlocking mechanism. The clasp may be the one area that is a massive departure from a vintage watch.
Prior to the 2000’s clasps and bracelets were exceedingly light weight and flimsy, typically being stamped of thin gauge metal for the clasp and accompanied by hollowed end links at the case. The bracelet may look vintage with the flat link style and taper but it is completely modern in construction. This is a welcomed improvement for sure. The clasp does not allow for extension over a wetsuit unfortunately so it did not come along with me underwater. I/my fiancée wore a myriad of straps from nato styled, barton silicone, and vintage tropic rubber straps (psstttt sponsor us, strap daddies). Stainless steel bands are my preference for daily wear but while diving, the aforementioned combinations seemed much more appropriate.
Overall Experience
Finally, I’d like to touch on what the watch was actually like experientially. Traveling across time zones with this watch was a breeze due to the lack of date and large crown. I never felt as particular about setting the time as I did with other watches and found the lack of date to be an overall de-stresser. No longer was I confined to the structured day of the month or needlessly tracking exactly how many seconds my watch was off with a spreadsheet and the trusty NIST website (National Institute of Standards and Technology). Looking down at the simple time-only Neptune and seeing the small distortions around the edge of the dial from the plexi brought about a nostalgia I didn’t realize was in me. I haven’t owned many vintage watches, so this may just be from reading articles about the golden era of divers. A secret longing to have been one of those original cool guys getting in the water with a tank on my back as one of the firsts, a real pioneer and explorer. Diving with the Lorier Neptune made me feel like that. Putting a monetary value to a feeling is exceedingly difficult, but at $499, it feels like a bargain to be transported (at least mentally) to a completely different era in time. With all that said, we should talk about what 12 dives and a dozen hours underwater in the ocean does to that pristine plexi.
Closing Thoughts
In addition to the many sea urchins imbedded in our feet and lava rock scratches to our knees, the ocean demands sacrifice. In this case, after over 12 hours spent on scuba with a healthy amount of cave and lava tube exploring, the plexi on the Lorier shows a number of large nicks and scratches. This had absolutely zero effect on the watches ability to complete the task at hand but was a tell tale sign of the adventures it has been on. Should this have been my own watch, likely I would opt to not remove the scratches. They would remain on the crystal as a reminder of where the watch had been with me. No watch can really be a “vintage” until it has some miles on it. The pristine plexi was borderline odd along with the watch being perfectly clean of scratches when opening the packaging. Now, everything about it seems to flow together perfectly, finally complete in its design language.
For more info on the Lorier Neptune, check them out here.
The Nodus Contrail II was released late 2020 for $675 and provided a phenomenal pick-me-up to what was an otherwise awful year. The Los Angeles based company made a number of huge splashes this past year from launching their podcast Long Roads, the Retrospect II release, this updated Contrail II, and a number of special editions. Nodus also made an impact locally (U.S) with their philanthropic work during the pandemic. I’m sure there are quite a few I am missing, but you get the gist. The Contrail II was a follow up to the original Contrail. Nodus took the Contrail and improved virtually all aspects of the watch, the result is something unique. Take a gander at the specs below to familiarize yourself with the dimensions of the watch. Also, there are a ridiculous number of hidden gems within the specifications below that speak to how special this watch is. Let’s quickly start with the specifications and work our way down.
“Nodus us senpai, please sponsor us”
– KC and Jon Jon Podcast, 2021
Specifications
Case: 316L surgical-grade stainless steel Dimensions: 39mm case width, 12.6mm thickness, 47.5mm lug-to-lug, 20mm lug width Crown: Screw-down Movement: Miyota 9015 automatic movement, regulated in four positions (+/- 8 secs/day) Crystal: Flat-top box-shaped sapphire crystal, Blue anti-reflecting coating on underside. Bezel: Bi-Directional with ceramic ball bearings, sloped sapphire insert OR stainless steel insert Luminescence: Swiss Super-Luminova C3 Water Resistance: 200 meters / 660 feet Bracelet: Solid H-Links, Push-bottom clasp with micro-adjustment holes Hands: Diamond-cut, Polished gilt hands Other: Viton caseback gasket, Drilled-through lugs, two-tone date wheel Warranty: 24 months Full kit: Nodus watch box, Microfiber cleaning cloth, Warranty and regulation cards
Case
The case of this watch has been meticulously designed. Within the dimensions of the case there are some absolute strokes of genius. A 39mm case width will bring a smile to just about every enthusiasts’ face. Take a stroll through the Instagram comments of just about any 40mm plus release by an enthusiast brand and you will see comments “I’d buy if it was 39”, “Are you guys going to make a 39mm version?”, and so on. If 39mm sold as well as comments like that would make you believe, more 39mm watches would be made. Contrail II enters the chat. Yes, this watch is 39mm but in the specs this is accompanied by the additional description of the bezel diameter being 40.5mm. Oh wow, 1.5mm difference, big deal, who cares. Nodus cares, and you 100% should too. On wrist this is undoubtedly the most comfortable watch I have ever owned. I could not figure out why it was so comfortable, and even put off writing this review until I did. The secret lies in this 1.5mm difference and the curved lugs that we will get to. Take a look at this watch on wrist from straight on.
The 1.5mm is subtle, however, you realize when looking at the watch straight on that only the top is visible. The top of the watch makes the outermost line your eyes follow. You are not able to see any portion of the watch that is actually touching your wrist. The entire case slopes inward on all sides. Sloping inward like this is not common, many watches have the opposite effect. The reason this is important is because when you think about why a watch feels a certain way on wrist, the skin contact is important. The footprint of the Contrail II on my wrist is that of a 39mm watch and has the comfort of one. The visual imprint on your eyes/brain is that of a 40-ish mm watch. Nodus has managed to bottle all the benefits of that mythical 39mm feel while maintaining the aesthetic advantages of a 40mm-ish watch.
The lugs curve downwards from the case to hug your wrist. This curvature is something Nodus has incorporated into most of their watches and lets the watch finally show that affection back to you that you show it. The watch is literally hugging you at all times. Straight lugs work just fine and are a classic design, but the comfort of these curved lugs is undeniable. Once you have your watch hug you like this all day, it can be difficult to go back to a watch with straight lugs. The top of the lugs are beveled and polished, which continue into the bracelet. There are drilled lug holes to make strap changing without scraping up your lugs easy. I truly do not understand why this is not an industry-wide standard. There are plenty of brands that do this, but many forgo the lug holes. In my opinion, the people who are never swapping straps and bracelets fall into the general public, of which most would not notice the holes anyways. On the other hand, the community that does enjoy changing them is faced with the minor inconvenience of not having them. There is truly no downside to having them, but a minor inconvenience in their absence.
Between the lugs you will find a polished case edge, a nice touch for a watch that comes on a bracelet. Nodus does not just acknowledge that their customer base may change straps and provide drilled lugs, but they go one step further with polishing this space normally covered by the bracelet, making sure your watch looks fantastic regardless of your preference of strap or bracelet. Probably the starkest contrast would be something in line with Rolex, even with their dress watches (Datejust, Oyster Perpetuals) they do not finish between the lugs at all. Even at an arm’s length, when a Datejust is on leather, the space between the lugs being unfinished is noticeable. That watch is around $8,000 while the above pictured Nodus is $675.
Lastly let’s talk about the work of art that is the Contrail’s caseback. I mean come on. The combination of the polished contrail with the textured metal is fantastic. Possibly my favorite quality of Nodus watches in general is exploring the typically ignored details of a watch that Nodus decides to run with. This is much improved from the previous case back of the original Contrail and I expect it to be further updated when the inevitable Contrail III is released.
Dial
The specific color way I chose was the Gilt/Obsidian Black. The black was also offered in silver rather than gilt. I have long been in the market for a gilt dial though. I remember vividly when my father bought a two-tone Rolex sub. It was his first “nice” watch and definitely the first watch I ever remember him wearing. He bought that watch, put it on, and never took it off. He works construction and still grinds daily, and that two-tone sub is still on his wrist regardless of circumstance, over a decade later. The ultimate cool guy move (lol). Needless to say, when my personal favorite microbrand dropped a gilt dial, I couldn’t help myself. The indices are raised with gilt on both sides of a generous application of lume. This is mimicked on the handset as well. A thin second hand is all gilt aside from the tip, but this is a small gripe because it tends to get lost in the dial. Depending on the angle, the second hand may shine with great visibility or appear completely invisible. Not a huge deal for most but it has been slightly annoying while photographing. In typical Nodus fashion, all text on the dial is also raised. The perimeter of the dial is a light grey that provides a fantastic boundary between the deep black of the dial and silver chapter ring. The chapter ring slopes inwards towards the dial center and has markers running from 13 to 24. If you don’t know why, the reason for this is to provide a quick conversion from military time to 12 hr. time, i.e. 13 is 1p.m.
Date
The trapezoidal date window also has gilt along the entire perimeter, forgoing the lumed perimeter on the Retrospect II. Within this window is not only a color matched date wheel but something else oh-so-enticing. This date wheel is what one could call a “Roulette Date”. Bear with me while we take a trip down memory lane through the mid-20th century to explain what exactly a roulette date is. If it is of no consequence to you, feel free to jump to the next section. At the minimum, peruse the pictures to get a sense of what this does for you aesthetically.
What a roulette date entails is an alternation in color from red to black on odd and even days of the month. My Contrail II, specifically, alternates between red on even days and gold on odd days. Each dial variant has different date colors.
This was popularized by Rolex’s 1945 Datejust, which featured this alternating color of the date. These were never outright called a roulette date by Rolex and the term was coined by enthusiasts. So why did Rolex do this? There are a couple theories but none are 100% certain and I was not able to find anything from Rolex directly. If you know for sure, have a different fun theory or think I am totally off base with my research, please do hit me up at @frendymgee. One theory is that this was done for rationing. During WWII, much of Europe was under ration restrictions for purchasing certain necessities i.e. milk, sugar, and the like. If you had one of these watches, you would be able to look down at your wrist and quickly realize it was an odd or even day by the color and know whether you could go and purchase your milk.
There are several issues with this theory, for one Rolex didn’t release this watch officially until after the official end of the war in Europe. Perhaps the watch was in production and by the time they finished the war was over. To me, the idea in general that someone would be purchasing a Rolex to keep track of their rations just seems like a ludicrous idea, but we enthusiasts know any reason can be used to justify our luxury watch purchases if we try hard enough. The other popular theory is that it has nothing to do with the war and was simply a cool aesthetic that Rolex used. The alternating date is used on all colorways of the Contrail II and harkens back to the above theory on rationing. 2020 was crumby and we can all remember what it was like trying to source toilet paper, the idea of being put on rations at any point last year was not too farfetched. Personally, I could not take the chance and picked up a Contrail II to be safe. (wink)
Regardless of whether we were put on rations, looking down at my watch now in 2021 this serves as a constant reminder that we were able to get through 2020. It also reminds me of all the small businesses the world over that struggled with all their might, clawing and scraping to get by, Nodus being no exception. A true testament to humanity’s perseverance, there is nothing that exemplifies the human spirit more to me than putting forth the effort to do something special and unnecessary to our survival during dark times. History has taught us that a great measurement for the stability of society can often be measured by the pursuit of the arts, sciences, and the like. The Contrail II serves as a reminder that even during what we considered an awful year, humanity not only got by, but was thriving. If not, how do you explain the production of what should be rightfully described as art for the masses. I do not mean to belittle all the bad in the world or the lives that were lost, only trying to add a little bit of optimism with a different perspective.
Bracelet
In a constant pursuit of improvement, the bracelet on the Contrail II is an upgraded H link to what was used on the Duality and Retrospect II. The end links fit with tighter tolerances to the case than either of the aforementioned models. Additionally, the clasp has been upgraded to a push button release, forgoing the folding lock. The sides of the bracelet are beveled and polished in a continuation from the lugs. This prohibits any irritation on your skin from any sharp unfinished edges of the bracelet. The polished edges also upscale the bracelet to a bit dressier of a look. If the bracelet is not your thing, the Contrail II also comes with a rubber strap and I picked up a TecTuff direct from Nodus.
Other Straps
The TecTuff strap has a rubber liner giving it added resistance to water, oil, and stains. It is flexible and comfortable. When first wearing it, the band was a little stiff but after a few wears it quickly became my go-to for 20mm watches.
The Contrail II also crushes it on NATO or other leather, it is truly a strap monster. Personally, I can’t beat it on the original bracelet though. It feels like such a complete watch on metal. I will take breaks from the metal and wear other straps, but it consistently finds its way back to the bracelet.
Bezel
The bezel is a 12 hour, 90 click bi-directional bezel with ceramic ball bearings. What this means is you can rotate the bezel in either direction to quickly track a second time zone. Pictured above and in all the other photos I am tracking EST while I reside in MST (2 hours behind EST). For those that have seen 12 hour bezels around and are not sure how to use them and are too afraid to ask a “dumb question” I’ll explain quickly. Seen in the above photo the watch reads 10:08. If you read the hour hand off the bezel rather than the dial indices, the watch reads 12:08. By rotating the bezel forward or backwards you can adjust the separate time zone.
This method differs from a GMT watch in that you do not have an additional hand, to me this is easier to read than a GMT watch but when tracking a time zone more than a few hours it can be difficult to tell whether it is AM or PM in the second location. For example, tracking EST for me doubles as tracking Malaysian time which is 14 hours difference for me. I consistently forget if its AM or PM though, so when I message my friends over at KC&JonJon a lot of times they are sleeping. The edge of the bezel is very easy to grasp because of that 1.5mm difference between case diameter and bezel diameter. The bezel definitely has a different feel than a traditional click-spring bezel, but the 90 clicks is a great medium between 60 and 120. 120 clicks is what a tradition dive bezel would be but seems like overkill for 12 hour tracking, while 60 clicks feels too few for the bezel to be used as an egg timer.
The bezel insert is a fully lumed sloped sapphire insert. I chose to emphasize the word sloped because this was one of the features Nodus worked hard to upgrade from the previous contrail. The insert slopes down and away from the crystal in all directions, something difficult to achieve with a material like sapphire. By sloping the sapphire, the result is a more refined aesthetic compared to a flat bezel, giving the watch greater depth and creating more contrast between bezel and the boxed crystal. Numerals on the bezel are color matched to the gilt dial and lumed. This is a feat that to my knowledge has not been attempted by any other brand, micro or otherwise. A color-matching lumed sapphire insert is notoriously difficult, let alone to do so with something like gold. Typically, what would be done is there would be a lumed pip with a different color accompanied by a metal inlay for numerals to achieve the correct color matching. While this would ensure proper color matching, you are forfeiting the lume. So, with something completely new and difficult how did Nodus do?
Lume
The color is ever so slightly off and the lume on the bezel could be brighter. This is probably the biggest shortcoming of the watch, however, understanding that this was a huge risk I give them a pass. When these were initially released Nodus sent out an email and said the gilt variant would be delayed. The reason was they were not happy with the color matching and opted to reorder all new for the gilt and delay the shipping. To go to such lengths to do everything in your power to create something great is something I can appreciate. I am not sure if this is something across the other variants that is also lacking in terms of lume brightness so I cannot comment.
An addition of a raised lumed pip at twelve would at least allow use of the bezel in the dark after the dimmer lume of the numerals faded. The lume / color issue is something that I am sure they are continuously working on improving, so potentially a non-issue for restocked models. Within the Contrail II is a Miyota 9015 movement that like all other models is regulated in four positions during assembly. It is something I haven’t seen many other microbrands do, and ultimately, it’s them going above and beyond the standard.
Conclusion
The Contrail II is jam packed with details and features that have not ceased to leave me surprised and smiling. The watch is an absolute joy to photograph and wear. In fact, it has even developed a completely new role within my collection that I was not even aware I needed. Because of how comfortable the watch is and the type of other watches I tend to wear, the Contrail II is the perfect “breather” watch for me. Maybe one day I feel like wearing my hulking 44.3mm Doxa 750t GMT, by the end of the day sometimes I don’t even want to wear anything at all. The Doxa is so bulky and heavy I’m borderline tired from wearing it. I throw on the Contrail II and it’s like a taking a breath of fresh air. Light and unassuming on the wrist, the lugs hug your wrist and the watch just melts away. The watch I wear most is an Explorer II 216570 and the Contrail II has the exact same effect after wearing that a few days in a row. With the alternating date, there’s a 100% chance it feels like a different watch than it did yesterday too. I find myself gushing over the whimsical date constantly, working it into conversations where no one asked. I would go so far as to say this is the best and most complete watch for under $1,000 I have ever owned. I am continuously surprised by how much Nodus can achieve at this price point. The other dial variants can be found on their site, if you are not interested in something not as serious as gilt and want something truly unique, check out the laguna sand dial.
