Category: Hands-On Reviews

Hands-On – Nodus Sector Deep 39mm Left-Hand Drive (LHD) Dive Watch

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nodus sector deep dive watch 39mm

I feel lost these days considering a dive watch costing $575. Seiko had been my benchmark; alas, no longer. As the 2020s roll on, Seiko divers have gone up in cost, if not quality, while random Chinese brands are making better Seikos for $179 than Seiko makes for $900. Now in the $500-range, we’ve got Bulova, Timex, Lorier, Vaer, Vero, Yema, Benrus, Vero, Boldr, Unimatic, Raven, and, yes, Nodus to choose from, among many others. At one time when suggesting a cheap diver, all you had to say was. “Just get an SKX007,” and now I feel like you need to lay out a massive road map and begin plotting a course through late capitalism itself.

Hands-On – Moser Endeavor 42mm Perpetual Calendar Tantalum & Steel With Blue Fume Dial

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Moser Perpetual Calendar Endeavor 42mm Tantalum Steel

I can’t think of another serious watch brand—Swiss, nonetheless—of which one can genuinely—that is, without Irony—say: Fucking brilliant, mate…really taking the piss. And it is certainly elevating my foul mood to be awash in thoughts of Moser on this shit morning. This is what I turn to watches for, exactly. I aspire to be as unlike the inhabitants of Hollywood as possible. I’m a dyed-in-the-wool East Coast Aesthete, high-minded and always a little angry at the world for not being as smart as I think I am. I enjoy the illusion that I am an independent thinker, and so when I see something like this Moser Perpetual Calendar awaiting judgment on my desk, I smile knowing that this watch is not going to insult my intelligence, and that it may even challenge it.

Hands-On – Zodiac Super Sea Wolf Pro-Diver 42mm GMT Left-Hand Drive (LHD) – The Watch That Proves Zodiac is Back

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Zodiac Super Sea Wolf Pro-Diver 42mm GMT LHD Black DLC

What this watch represents to me is a kind of proof that Zodiac is not f’ing around. They’re serious, and they’re making serious dive watches for really competitive prices, and they’re also styled after and reminiscent of one of the most important dive watches in history. I can’t see why Zodiac shouldn’t be fully absolved of whatever sins they may or may not have committed to so greatly offend the horological intelligentsia.

Hands-On – Bremont Fury 40mm Pilot’s Watch

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Bremont Fury 40mm Pilot's Watch

The movements in the Fury models I tested ran well within COSC specifications (-4 to +6 sec/day). Bremont tests in-house using its own H1 chronometer protocols, which differ from COSC in that the movements are tested inside the watch they’ll ship in. This is conceivably a better standard, as the actual context of the movement is being tested as well, not to mention there’s no need for regulation after installation into the case as there is with COSC. The crown and setting of the watch felt as good as you would hope for in the price point. This is definitely a quality timepiece.

Hands-On – 1978 Patek Philippe Nautilus Reference 3700-01A – One Owner, Unpolished

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Patek Nautilus ref. 3700-01A 1978

Like many watches from Patek Philippe (and countless other brands), the original models from the 20th century are just so much mellower and understated than their modern counterparts, but I didn’t expect to have such a strong feeling of understatement and class from a Nautilus – perhaps because the trends have elevated this model to a thing of bling. What this tells me is that even during the disco years, Patek was driven by the same understatement that gave us the Calatrava and countless other gorgeous studies in classic design over the 20th century.

Hands-On – Patek Philippe Calatrava 5226G

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Patek Philippe 5526G Calatrava

The 5226G draws on current trends that look to the past (e.g. aged lume, military minimalism) as a way to be current (big trend there) while also paying tribute to its own storied legacy (e.g. the Calatrava Ref 96 Nightwatchman, which sold for 322,000CHF in 2016) with an irreverent tendency toward pastiche – meaning, throwing various elements together – (e.g. numerals and hands from the wonderful 5172G chronograph and the even more wonderful 5320G perpetual calendar, hobnailing from the 6119X Calatravas and other older references, and a lug style reminiscent of the 3448 perpetual calendar, especially in white gold).

Hands-On – Hemel x Mathey-Tissot TypeXX Pilot’s Chronograph

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Hemel MaseyTissot TypeXX 2022-16

When I learned of Hemel Watches collaborating with Mathey-Tissot to produce a small run of TypeXX chronographs, I was greatly interested. This collaboration felt genuine to me because Hemel had long based much of its catalog on the historically significant Type20 and TypeXX chronographs, which were originally French mil-spec units for pilots. 

Hands-On – Yema Superman 500 GMT 39mm

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Yema is a watch brand that grows on me a little more with every new release. Its designs range from the futuristic LED Kavinsky to the vintage-inspired Navygraph Marine Nationale. Yema’s designs are thoughtfully familiar while being unapologetically French. Yema has reached a point with enough unique design language that it’s unfair to classify the brand as a wishful homage. The latest iteration of Yems’a Superman 500 GMT is a welcome update to its catalog.