As a diver, the chance to review a relatively new diving watch is always exciting, and first impressions of the NODUS Sector Deep 500 are good. As the name implies, the 'Deep 500' on the dial refers to the depth rating of 500m. Now, once we get to this depth rating on a watch the rules change, and it really needs to perform more on a professional basis. I feel that a few words on NODUS Watches may be in order before continuing further.
NODUS Sector Deep 500 - Credit WatchGecko
Established in 2017, NODUS is a relatively new watch company based in Los Angeles, California, and it's mission is to design and produce ultra-durable watches. There's very little else I can say, so it may be better to let the Sector Deep 500 put forward the case on behalf of NODUS. Firstly, let's take a quick look at the dimensions, but I can tell just by looking at the watch that these will be somewhat misleading.
The bead-blasted case comes in at 38mm when measured between the 9 & 3 positions, with a distance over the crown of 42mm. The lug-to-lug distance is 47mm, the lug width is 20mm and the overall thickness of the watch is a very manageable 13,6mm. The diameter of the bezel is 42mm with a substantial, protruding coin-edge. The crown diameter is 7,5mm and has enough traction to take the skin off your fingers. A flat, sapphire crystal with a bevelled outer edge and anti-reflective coating protects the dial; this sits very, very slightly below the top of the bezel. The lugs are drilled through and this, I feel, is the correct decision for a functional tool watch, allowing a set of stronger spring-bars to be fitted if required. A solid, bead-blasted, engraved and enamelled screw-down caseback completes a very presentable package. The weight on the full bracelet is 171g but it feels much lighter. Now that we've got all that out of the way, let's get down to it.
NODUS Sector Deep 500 - Credit WatchGecko
The fact that this watch has a 500m depth rating means that we'll be focusing on how well it's likely to perform below the waves rather than above them. The Sector Deep 500 has some nice touches that may not be immediately apparent. Let's start by taking a closer look at the bezel. The bezel on the Deep 500 has a double track. The inner track is numbered 1-12 and facilitates the observation of a second time zone; the outer track serves as a conventional time-elapsed ring, with the first 15 minutes being in minute increments, and the remainder in 5 minute blocks. All markings are luminescent and nicely executed. The bezel material is stainless steel with the outer 60 minute track DLC coated in black, while the inner 12 hour track is PVD coated in grey. The bezel overhangs the case somewhat and offers excellent traction in either wet or dry conditions, with dive gloves or without. The coin-edge does tend to resist accidental movement exceptionally well and offers a good deal of reassurance. The bezel action is good with no slack or back-play anywhere in the system; the rotation is firm but not over-firm, and all of the 120 clicks are clearly definable. It is, of course, uni-directional and lines up perfectly with every marker. The crown is DLC coated to compliment the bezel and offers excellent traction. The case has no crown guards but the bezel overhang takes care of things nicely on this front. A healthy 3,75 turns (or 1350 degrees) ensures that the screw-down crown is absolutely rock solid. So far, there's nothing to fault!
The Looks!
NODUS Sector Deep 500 - Credit WatchGecko
This is a difficult one and will take a little explaining! The bezel has a hint of Sinn, the blue fade dial, along with the 'DEEP' in green, screams Rolex Deep-Sea, the recessed rehaut for the hour markers is distinctly Tudor Pelagos and the hand-set bears more than a passing resemblance to the Seiko 'Tuna'. Strangely, the Sector Deep 500 has a unique look and seems to have brought all these features together in a well thought out package that looks completely original. The Sector Deep 500 is also available with a black dial and the crown on the left. NODUS refer to this as the 'Black Destro'. The word 'destro' is derived from the Latin word 'dextrum' meaning 'right'. Yes, yes, I know.. Why is it referred to as 'destro' when the crown is on the left? Well, a watch is normally worn on the left wrist and the crown is therefore facing toward your fingers. Some people choose to wear their watch on the right wrist and the 'destro' keeps the crown facing toward the fingers in the conventional manner. So, while it all seems back-to-front, the 'destro' bit is predominantly for left-handed people who choose to wear their watch on their right wrist. I really don't know why I get into this, as there's probably only about three people on the entire planet that are interested. Nevertheless, for the other two out there, this is for you! Never let it be said that the WatchGecko Magazine team don't cater for the minority.
How Does It Wear?
Again, this isn't as straight forward as it may sound. The Sector Deep 500 wears like a 38mm but has the appearance of a more 'beefy' 42mm due to the overhanging bezel. The lug-to-lug is also somewhat misleading due to the bracelet's female fitted end-links, ensuring that the bracelet pulls down sharply for those that may have a smaller wrist. Sized-up for my wrist, the weight comes in at 151g but actually feels much lighter than my Rolex Submariner did. All in all, very nicely done.
The Bracelet
The stainless steel bracelet itself is quite well executed; it's comfortable and the fitted end links offer a nice change as they don't try to 'blend in' with the case directly. The clasp is functional with a built-in, concealed button-operated micro-adjust. The twin, recessed clasp release buttons are also a nice, practical touch; however, the clasp just seems to fall a little short. That said, we have to remember here that this watch is £599! In reality, the clasp is functional and more than up to the job in hand. The clasp and bracelet sport the same bead-blasted finish as the case; quick-release spring-bars that require no tools are also a standard fitment on the Sector Deep 500.
NODUS Sector Deep 500 - Credit WatchGecko
The Movement
The movement is the Seiko NH35A and is regulated by NODUS in four positions: Crown up, crown down, 12H down and dial up to an overall accuracy of +/- 10 secs./day. We have now reached the point where the movement snobs leave the article! Okay, it's a Seiko NH35A, but it's worth mentioning that this movement has no inherent problems whatsoever! Many think that it's the cost of this movement that attracts many manufacturers and to be fair, this does play a significant part; however, the real reason is that this movement has an incredibly impressive reliability record along with being extremely robust. I have a few watches with this movement and all have performed admirably under challenging conditions, therefore I have no problems whatsoever with this movement powering the Sector Deep 500. The date is at the six o'clock position and on this particular specimen, clicked-over crisply between 23:59 and midnight, now you can't complain at that!
Luminescence
NODUS Sector Deep 500 - Credit WatchGecko
The luminescence on any watch is important, but on a dive watch it's even more so. The 500m depth rating on the Sector Deep 500 means that 'good' is about the lowest standard that's acceptable. The Sector Deep 500 has no worries in this department and performs excellently; the lume is, as John Mason Neale describes the snow in Good King Wenceslas, deep, and crisp and even.
What About the Downside?
I have to come up with something here, or Richard will give me the sack and that would never do! Joking apart, there's very little to complain about with the NODUS Deep 500. The bead-blasted finish looks lovely and suits the watch incredibly well; my only concern here is that this will become marked over time, especially as the watch is more than capable of going where you go and doing what you do! All of my watches get used in anger, but I do like to keep them in 'as new' condition. Is it a deal-breaker? No, I wouldn't say so.
In the Future
This has been a relatively compact review, unlike some of my others where the watch accompanies me over a seven day period doing all sorts of things. I may have the chance of taking the Sector Deep 500 on a diving excursion in the future, and should this be the case I'll come back with how it actually performs in a somewhat more moist environment. It seems to have all the right features and I've certainly enjoyed wearing it during our few days together. It certainly looks the part!
