In Review: The Nodus Avalon II Automatic Dive Watch

Nodus Avalon II – $700

Note: At post time, these are unsurprisingly sold out. Read on to find out why. Word is a re-stock is coming sometime in May, when they will undoubtedly sell out again. 

Nodus keeps getting better at designing and assembling watched here in the USA, and they’ve stayed true to their ethos though every step of their evolution:

They somehow make great looking, terrific feeling, well built watches that can attract both value minded AND luxury collectors.

The watch world is full of snobs as well as anti-snobs. (Who are therefor in their own way snobbish about not being snobs. I am one. I can say this.) To make a watch that appeals to both sides of that divide is exceedingly rare.

Four color options.
Restocks coming in May.

Built like a brick sh*t house with 300m worth of water resistance and a beefy cushion-shaped stainless steel case, the Nodus Avalon II is a substantial upgrade over the original Avalon (speaking as someone who personally bought and wears one, I can say the original Avalon is no slouch).

Double domed sapphire crystal.

The case width is 43.5mm, but with a relatively moderate thickness of 12.75mm, it’s noticeably more svelte than a Seiko Samurai or Turtle. That thoughtful geometry’s end result is a watch that’s sizeable, yet somehow not cumbersome or clunky. It has an undoubtedly strong presence, but it’s still leaned out. Like The Rock training for a superhero movie.

Screw down crown. 300m of water resistance. 

Materials, build-feel, and details all max out value to the dollar. The subtly branded screw down crown is unignorably solid and operates like it shot out of the big bang, forged as its very own element, unwavering in its capability to operate, which it has since the beginning of time. Yes, some of us really like solid feeling watch crowns.

12.75mm (when obviously not stacked on itself).
Decently svelte for a substantial watch.

That crown is attached to a made in Japan Miyota 9015 automatic movement, which is regulated in four positions (+/- 8 secs/day) during the Avalon’s assembly and finishing process in Los Angels. It hacks, it hand winds, and it has a power reserve of 42 hours.

Diameters Left to Right: 45.5mm, 43.5mm, 41mm

The movement also comes with a date function, which is positioned at 6 o’clock, balancing out the waffle-textured(!) dial. Now, a logo and or the size of a logo can really throw off the look of a watch, but Nodus nails it here as they always do. Everything looks just right. Including the contrasting red AVALON above the 300M water resistance rating. There’s an extra drip of color on the seconds hand just beneath the lume chamber. That extra bit of red is a totally unnecessary but terrific touch that sets this thing apart from cheaper watches. Lume is of the Swiss Super-LumiNova® T-C1 X1 Grade variety.

Cushion case lines.

The crystal is double-dome sapphire. The bezel is 120-click uni-directional with significant but not bothersome tension. The bezel insert is a fully lumed polished ceramic. Some of us might have preferred a matte insert instead of the glossy polished ceramic, but geeze man… get a grip.

The five position, on-the-fly micro adjuster.

The bracelet continues to be one of the best in the business, with a lug width of 20mm tapering to 18mm at the clasp. And that clasp is one of the quiet stars of this new Nodus show. Because this thing now has an on-the-fly, push button micro-adjuster. By simply depressing the button that (helpfully) says PUSH, you can now extend or shorten the length of the bracelet by five different positions. That helps if you’re out and about, picking things up and putting them down, in heat and cold, as your wrist will naturally expand and contract. Took them 2 years to develop this in-house version of a feature not usually found on micro brands or more affordable watches.

Designed and assembled in Los Angeles.
Not just another cheap homage.

It is really really really hard to make something these days. Like, a real thing. The challenges present from the very beginnings of the design process, all the way to delivery, and at every stop in-between must be maddening. And then there’s the roaring peanut gallery. So for a couple of guys (and their team) to make something exceptionally well at a price that’s freakishly competitive, that dedication deserves nothing but praise.

That’s the Avalon II.

Godspeed getting your hands on one.

“Well put-together, everybody knows…”