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Two of the Best Tool Watches Under $1,000 Just Got Even More Tempting

No, they didn’t get more expensive.

Close-up of a green Nodus Contrail GMT watch face showing the date "6" in a yellow box, with silver hour markers and hands, a yellow GMT hand with an arrow tip, and a green and white bezel marked with numbers. The watch is resting on a surface with green moss and rocks.Nodus
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By Johnny Brayson

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One of the most exciting companies in the microbrand space today is Nodus.

Not only does the Los Angeles-based brand — which designs, assembles and regulates all its watches in-house — produce some of the most original and best-looking tool watches in the industry, it does so at unbeatable price points and with a surprising level of ingenuity.

Co-founders Wes Kwok and Cullen Chen and their team are constantly tinkering away in the brand’s “Design Lab,” creating fantastic collaborative watches like the TrailTrekker with fellow American micro Raven Watches, and showing off some impressive R&D, as exemplified by the brand’s patented modular micro-adjust Nodus Extension clasp, which it licenses out to a number of brands that are technically its (friendly) competition.

Two of my favorite Nodus watches are the Duality II, a modernized twin-crown diver that pays homage to mid-century Super Compressors, and the Contrail GMT, a strikingly attractive travel watch with Grand Seiko vibes and a true GMT movement.

And the brand just launched new colorways for each that make them even more tempting.

Stainless steel wristwatch with a blue dial, featuring silver hour markers and hands, a date window at the 3 o'clock position, and two black textured crowns. The watch has a metal link bracelet and is labeled "Nodus" and "Duality 300M" on the dial.
Nodus is cooling down the summer with a pair of fresh new dials.
Nodus

Keep cool this summer

Although released during the dog days of August, Nodus’s new shades land firmly on the cool side of the color wheel.

Up first is the Drift Blue colorway for the Duality II. It’s a faded blue that gives the style more of a vintage vibe than the other Duality references (there’s a black dial, a white dial with black bezel and a blacked-out version). The blue is subtly accented with pale yellow on the bezel and dial text for a bit more visual interest.

Two stainless steel wristwatches with blue dials and metal link bracelets are placed on a textured black surface. Both watches have the brand name "NODUS" and the model name "DUALITY 300M" on the dial. The watch on the left features a rotating bezel with minute markers, while the watch on the right has a fixed bezel with hour numerals. Both watches display the date at the 6 o'clock position. A red and white striped object is partially visible on the right side of the image.
The Duality II is available with your choice of a 12-hour or 60-minute inner rotating bezel.
Nodus

The Contrail GMT’s new variant is called Evergreen, and it could stop traffic. A deep green sunburst dial brings a seriously premium look that’s further elevated by a green and white fully lumed sapphire bezel insert that looks like it was pulled straight from the Grand Seiko archives (the Evergreen makes one hell of a nice affordable sub for the gorgeous $6,800 SBGE295). Like the Drift Blue, the Evergreen uses yellow for contrast, with a punchier shade used for the GMT, Contrail text and roulette date wheel.

Outside of the color changes, nothing has changed with the Nodus Duality II or Contrail GMT — they’re still two of the best tool watches you can get for under a grand.

Stainless steel wristwatch with a green gradient dial and matching green and white 24-hour bezel. The watch has silver hour markers and hands, with a yellow GMT hand and a date window at 6 o'clock. The brand name "Nodus" and model "Contrail GMT" are visible on the dial. The watch is placed on a textured dark green surface next to a camera and some documents, including a blue passport.
The Evergreen is the most striking rendition yet of the already annoyingly attractive Contrail GMT.
Nodus

The Duality II features a massive domed sapphire crystal that envelops the bezel, and it’s available with your choice of a 60-minute dive bezel or a 12-hour bezel for a lazy GMT. The movement inside is a Miyota Cal. 9015 automatic that’s regulated by Nodus to +/- 8 seconds a day. The 40mm case is water resistant to 300m.

The Contrail GMT also uses a Miyota movement, that darling of the microbrand world, the Cal. 9075. It’s an automatic GMT with an independently adjustable hour hand and is also regulated by Nodus to +/- 8 spd. The case measures 40.5mm across and the watch is water resistant to 200m.

A wristwatch with a green dial and a two-tone green and white bezel, featuring silver hour markers and hands, a yellow GMT hand, and a date window at the 6 o'clock position. The watch has a stainless steel bracelet and the brand name "NODUS" is visible on the dial. The wearer is dressed in a beige jacket.
It seems impossible that this watch costs only $825.
Nodus

Both the Contrail GMT and Duality II are thin, with cases thinner than 12mm, both include bracelets featuring the Nodus Extension clasp and quick-release spring bars, and both feature blue-tinted anti-reflective coating on the undersides of their crystals. The blue AR coating is perhaps my favorite feature of Nodus watches, as it looks very premium and unique for this price point. (It reminds me of the coating used by IWC on its sapphire crystals.)

Speaking of the price point, the Contrail GMT Evergreen comes in at just $825, and the Duality II Drift Blue is even cheaper at $800. Both prices are the same as what you’ll pay for other colors of the same models.

Stainless steel wristwatch with a green dial and matching green and white bezel. The watch features silver hour markers and hands, a yellow GMT hand with an arrow tip, and a date window at 6 o'clock. The brand name "NODUS" is displayed below 12 o'clock, with "CONTRAIL GMT" written above the date window. The watch has a stainless steel bracelet with a brushed finish.Nodus

Nodus Contrail GMT Evergreen

Specs

Case Size 40.5mm
Movement Miyota Cal. 9075 automatic GMT
Water Resistance 200m
Stainless steel wristwatch with a blue dial featuring silver hour markers and hands, a date window at 6 o'clock, and a yellow triangle marker at 12 o'clock on the bezel. The watch has two black textured crowns on the right side and a stainless steel link bracelet. The dial displays the brand name "Nodus," the model name "Duality," and "300M" indicating water resistance.Nodus

Nodus Duality II Drift Blue

Specs

Case Size 40mm
Movement Miyota Cal. 9015 automatic
Water Resistance 300m
About the Author:

Johnny Brayson is an editor at Gear Patrol mostly covering watches. He enjoys watches that are packed with blink-and-you’ll-miss-’em details and believes nearly every watch could stand to be a tad smaller.

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