Nodus Sector II Dive GMT Horizon Review

Months ago we reviewed the Retrospect III from Los Angeles based Nodus. We left the review blown away with how solid of a diver the watch was especially for its price point of just under five hundred dollars. Recently Nodus released their new Sector II Dive GMT which really grabbed my attention, so I instantly reached out to Nodus to see if we could get one in to review, which they graciously agreed to.

Before we get into the review of the Section II Dive GMT, let's first go over the history of Nodus. Nodus was founded in Los Angeles, California by watch enthusiasts Wesley Kwok and Cullen Chen. Both shared a love for vintage and modern watches, especially tool watches and divers. The core value of Nodus was to produce extremely high quality tool watches that were accessible price wise to everyone.



Another very important aspect to Nodus' business is that all of their watches are assembled, tested and regulated in Los Angeles. Not only does this allow Nodus to have fine control of how well their watches are running when they leave to be delivered to their customers, but it also does a small part in reviving the American watchmaking industry. In the decades prior to the quartz crisis of the 1970s the US was a major player in the watchmaking world. Following the quartz crisis the watchmaking industry in the United States is just a shadow of what it used to be, so it's great to see brands like Nodus taking pride in having their timepieces assembled domestically.

By delivering high quality solid watches at obtainable prices, Nodus soon started to grow quickly amongst microbrand watch collectors. Nodus was also known for their great customer service as well as their championing of microbrands. In 2021 Nodus created the Intersect watch show which showcases the best of the microbrand world and provides a great space for collectors to get together to not only see new watch releases but also interact with fellow collectors. Intersect has grown quickly since its inception and now is backed by Nodus, Formex and Jack Mason.



Nodus knows the importance of collaboration within the microbrand space and established their Design Lab with the goal of sharing design and innovation with other brands, designers and collectors. This type of collaboration not only leads to more interesting releases from Nodus but also advances the industry as a whole.

NodeX is Nodus' watch research division which encompasses all of the brand's research and development efforts. NodeX is constantly pushing the boundaries of watch development and while still in its infancy has already produced some interesting innovations. New solutions for bezel mechanisms, crown tubes, crystal shapes and most well known clasp extensions are now credited to NodeX development.



In less than a decade Nodus has evolved from a watch brand created by enthusiasts to being an all encompassing force in the watch world. Not only are they producing high quality tool watches at affordable prices, but they are also pushing forward watch development and created one of the most respected watch shows in the industry.



Initial Thoughts

Having gone over the history of Nodus, let's now take a closer look at the Sector II Dive GMT. When the watch arrived the first thing I noticed about it was the amazing dial. The Sector II Dive GMT features a brilliant gradient dial that transitions from yellow at its center to a rich orange at the edge of the dial. Adding to the stunning dial is its sand like texture. The Horizon colored dial will definitely get noticed from across the room and is something that I couldn't stop myself looking at while on wrist.



The next thing I noticed about the watch was the array of hands on the dial. The use of arrows on both the hour and GMT hands seems somewhat uncommon to me and it's nice that Nodus used a skeleton hand for the GMT hand since it isn't something that is always used and can get in the way of simple time telling.

The final thing I noticed about the Nodus Sector II Dive GMT during my initial time with the watch was the NodeX clasp system. Having grown up in Texas where it can be in the 60s indoors and over 100 outside during the summer, I have grown to hate bracelets on a watch. This was back in the 2000s when there was no such thing as an adjustable clasp. This led to watches that fit while inside becoming unbearably tight when outdoors. The NodeX system is one of the easiest to use and most functional of all the micro-adjustment systems that I have used and made wearing a bracelet much more pleasurable for me. Now don't get me wrong, I'd still prefer the Sector II Dive GMT on a rubber strap.





Technical Specifications

Now that we've gone over my initial thoughts of the Nodus Sector II Dive GMT, let's take a look at the technical specs of the Sector II Dive GMT. The watch is crafted out of 316L surgical-grade stainless steel with a case diameter of 38 mm and 40 mm when including the bezel that slightly overhangs the case. The lug to lug length of the Sector II Dive GMT is a compact 47.1 mm. At its thickest point the watch is 11.8 mm tall and when sized for my 7.25 inch wrist weighs 133 grams.

The Sector II Dive GMT uses a domed box crystal that has blued anti-reflective coating applied to its underside. Under the crystal clear sapphire is a brilliant gradient fume dial that shifts from yellow at its center to a rich orange towards the edge of the dial. Looking closely at the dial you can tell that there is a granular sand-like finishing to the dial that elevates it past a standard flat finished dial.



Around the outside of the dial is a black printed minutes track that lines up to a GMT scale around the rehaut. Nodus uses large stick hour markers that are coated in grade A Super-Luminova which glow a brilliant aqua blue in low light. The hands are also satin in finish and the hour, minute and seconds hands are all coated with lume as well. The hour hand is a large arrow while the minute hand is done in the sword style. The caller GMT hand is done with a skeletonized arrow hand to limit dial obstruction when not being used.

There is a dial color backed date window at 4:30 which I'm actually used to since my Blancpain Fifty Fathoms 500 Fathoms has the same date window placement. It is nice that Nodus was able to so nicely match the color of the date window with the dial, a small design element that is often overlooked by even the most expensive watches. Finishing off the dial is NODUS and Sector branding at 12 o'clock and GMT at 6.



Moving on from the dial is the uni-directional 120 click dive bezel. Unlike so many brands that have shifted to ceramic bezels, Nodus sticks with a steel bezel on the Sector II Dive GMT. I think ceramic can sometimes look a bit clinical and lacks the character that steel and aluminum have, so I applaud the decision of bezel material. The bezel has traditional dive scale markings with every ten minutes marked with an Arabic numeral and each in-between five minute increment being marked with a stick. Each other minute is done with a dot. 0/60 has been replaced with a lumed circle that helps with low light bezel use.

The bezel ratchets with extreme precession and makes a very audible and rewarding click on each turn. There is also very little back play with the bezel which is something even the most luxurious watches seem to not be able to achieve, once again see my 500 Fathoms. The bezel is nicely scalloped and having it hang over the case really helps with the available grip. The Sector II Dive GMT should easily be able to be operated while wearing dive gloves.



Being a tool dive watch, most of the surfaces of the Nodus Sector II Dive GMT have a brushed finish to them. The only place you see any polished surfaces are on the chamfers, this does give the watch a bit more visual interest as the polished areas catch the light nicely. Looking at the profile of the case, you can see that the case has a three part construction and the lugs follow the curve of your wrist nicely. It is also apparent just how thin the watch is as well.

The right hand side of the watch features the once again nicely scalloped screw down crown topped with the Nodus logo. Unscrewing the crown allows you to manually wind the movement in its resting position. Pulling the crown out to position one lets you set the date by turning the crown towards you. Turning the crown away from you advances the GMT hand independently of the local hour hand. Pulling the crown out to position two stops the seconds hand and lets you set the time. Pushing the crown back in causes no jump in the minute hand and winding the crown requires no extra care to get the crown to catch.



Flipping the watch over shows off the solid screw down case back that aids in the 100 meters of water resistance. The caseback is decorated with a series of concentric circles and is engraved with "Designed and Assembled in Los Angeles". Underneath the caseback beats the TMI (Seiko) NH34 automatic movement. The movement beats a 21,600 vph (3Hz) and has a power reserve of 41 hours. Nodus quotes an accuracy of +/- 10 seconds per day and on our timegrapher the watch showed an accuracy of -7 seconds per day when averaged out over several positions, which is well within the specs Nodus aims for.

Much to my surprise the Nodus Sector II Dive GMT uses drilled lugs, which is something I hardly ever seen on cases. Making changing straps even easier, the watch also has a quick release stainless steel bracelet featuring tabs on each side which can release the bracelet without tools. The watch comes on a brushed stainless steel bracelet with a three part construction that tapers from 20 mm at the lugs down to 16 mm at the deployant clasp. The Sector II Dive GMT features the NodeX clasp with twin pushers to release the clasp. The NodeX clasp is best known for its extremely simple micro-adjustment system that just requires you to depress a button to slide the adjustable link in and out. The NodeX clasp provides just over 7 mm of adjustments which is more than most micro-adjustment systems since part of the link that extends is a flat piece of steel which can be concealed under the clasp. While it isn't enough to clear a wetsuit, the NodeX clasp does offer an exceptional adjustment length.





On The Wrist

The 47.1 mm lug to lug length is about 3 mm smaller than the typical lug to lug measurement I prefer. Since I base this preference off of watches on straps, when a watch is on a bracelet I feel smaller watches than 50 mm lug to lug can suit my wrist nicely. On my 7.25 inch wrist with a 55 mm flat area the Sector II Dive GMT seemed to look just fine. I typically can't stand when a smaller watch favors one side of my wrist over the other and I didn't run into that with the Sector II Dive GMT. Maybe on a rubber strap I might have felt the watch appeared small, but I didn't try that out.

At 133 grams the Sector II Dive GMT isn't a feather weight, especially given its effective 38 mm case size. This isn't too much of a surprise given it is a stainless steel watch on a full stainless steel bracelet. While not a heavy watch the Sector II Dive GMT does make itself known on the wrist, but it never gave me any wrist fatigue. Most people would look at the watch having some heft a positive quality, but personally I prefer lightweight watches made out of titanium, carbon or ceramic.



The stainless steel case and bracelet along with the black bezel did a lot to allow the Sector II Dive GMT to go with any outfit I paired it with, which was mostly a black t-shirt, shorts and sneakers. The bright yellow and orange dial didn't really clash with anything either. I took the watch on a lot of little errands and the Sector II Dive GMT was a great wrist companion the entire time. Now with the weather starting to get hot in Austin, the NodeX adjustable clasp came in handy a few times as well.

Not too surprising the Sector II Dive GMT easily passed my legibility test of driving and quickly glancing at the watch to tell the time. The dial color does somewhat blend in with the color of the lume on the hands and hour markers so the legibility isn't as high as say a black dialed watch with white hands though. The lume on the Sector II Dive GMT is extremely strong and time telling in low light wasn't an issue at all.



When I wore the watch out to dinner and drinks I did notice the watch got looked at a few times. I had one person come up and ask me about the watch which is pretty rare unless I'm wearing something crazy like a Ulysse Nardin Freak. I also showed the watch to a few friends when out and they all fell in love the dial. They were also blown away with the price of the watch…



Value and Position in the Market

Speaking of price, the Nodus Sector II Dive GMT retails for $525. For that price you are getting a solidly built stainless steel dive watch with an amazing gradient fume dial. You're also getting a workhorse movement in the NH34 that can worked on by any watchmaker and also offers the convenient caller GMT function. The fact that the Sector II Dive GMT is assembled in the US is a very nice added bonus as well. Now would be a good time to take a look at some other divers and see how the Sector II Dive GMT stacks up in terms of features and value.



First up is the Lorier HYDRA which has a 41 mm case diameter and is crafted out of stainless steel. The HYDRA also offers a GMT function powered by a Miyota movement which is on a similar level as the Seiko found in the Sector II Dive GMT. The HYDRA does offer slightly more water resistance at 200 meters though. The Lorier is also a bit more expensive than the Nodus at $599.

Next up is the Seiko 5 Sports SSK003 which has a 42.5 mm case diameter and is crafted out of stainless steel as well. The Seiko 5 Sports is powered by a similar movement as the Nodus and also contains a GMT complication. The Seiko has the same water resistance as the Nodus at 100 meters as well. The Seiko 5 does cost a little bit less than the Nodus at $475, but is mass produced and doesn't have the same charm as the Sector II Dive GMT.



Moving on is the Timex Expedition GMT which has a 41 mm case diameter and is made out of titanium. The watch is powered by a Seiko automatic movement similar to the Nodus and also has a GMT function. The Expedition GMT has a bit more water resistance than the Sector II Dive GMT at 200 meters. The Timex also retails for a bit more than the Nodus at $549.

Finally we have the Christopher Ward C63 Sealander GMT which has 39 mm case diameter and is made out stainless steel. The C63 is powered by a Swiss Made Sellita SW330-2 movement with GMT functionality and 56 hours of power reserve which is seen as a step up from the Seiko and Miyota movements powering the other watches. The Christopher Ward also has a bit more water resistance at 150 meters. Naturally the C63 Sealander GMT is a good deal more expensive than the Sector II Dive GMT at $1,275.



When comparing these watches you can see that the Nodus Section II Dive GMT offers a great value for its specs. Some of the watches do offer more water resistance, but 100 meters is more than enough for anything but the most hardcore scuba divers. Even the most advanced recreational divers never go past 40 meters which a 100 meter rated watch should easily be able to cover. The Nodus also has a very comparable movement to the other watches except for the Christopher Ward which uses a Swiss Made movement and has a price to reflect that.



Closing Thoughts

So in the end is the Nodus Sector II Dive GMT for me? While I am a big fan of the watch and just love the dial, stainless steel watches (especially those on bracelets) are just not for me personally. If the Sector II Dive GMT was available in titanium and came with an optional rubber strap I think the watch would be near ideal for me. While the watch's lug to lug length is a bit less than I prefer, the bracelet did make it wear a tad bit larger and covered my wrist nicely. As with anytime I review a watch that has any combination of the following: under 50 mm lug to lug length, stainless steel case and/or on a bracelet my personal bias will crop up which is no fault of the watch. Finally I'm also not the biggest fan of the GMT complication, as I never use it, even while traveling.



So would I recommend the Sector II Dive GMT to somebody looking for a well built great looking everyday dive watch? Honestly for the price of $525 I really can't see anything to ding the watch on. Removing my personal collecting bias from the equation the Sector II Dive GMT is an extremely well executed watch. The movement is more than accurate enough and a lot of collectors value the GMT function. The watch is very comfortable and the NodeX system does a lot to make a bracelet hater such as myself tolerate a bracelet. Once again the yellow to orange gradient fume dial is something that needs to be seen in person and will make me remember this watch much more than if it came with a plain black dial. So yeah I would feel 100% confident in recommending the Sector II Dive GMT to somebody looking for a dive watch in this segment of the market, even probably up to people looking at $2,000 dive watches.

I'd really like to thank Nodus for sending us this Sector II Dive GMT to review. This is now the second Nodus we have reviewed and like the Retrospect III we reviewed earlier the watch is an exceptional value for the asking price. I did see that Nodus was teasing a soon to be released titanium Sector, so I'd be really interested to see what that is and possibly review it as well. I already know it is crafted out of titanium and comes on a rubber strap… two huge pluses for me.



For more information about the Sector II Dive GMT please visit : Nodus

Technical Specifications

Reference Number: NA

Retail Price: $525

Case Size: 38 mm (40 mm with the Bezel)

Lug to Lug: 47.1 mm

Thickness: 11.8 mm

Weight: 133 Grams

Case Material: Stainless Steel

Bezel: Stainless Steel

Strap: Stainless Steel with NodeX Adjustable Deployant Clasp

Movement: TMI (Seiko) NH34 Japanese Made Automatic

Functions: Hours, Minutes, Seconds, Date, GMT (Caller)

Power Reserve: 41 Hours

Water Resistance: 100 Meters