The Best Bargain in Pilot’s Watches Now Looks Better Than Ever

Last December, Los Angeles-based microbrand Nodus released its updated pilot’s watch, the Sector II Pilot. At the time, I lauded the $500 tool watch for its tremendous value.

Its combination of attractiveness, toughness, great specs and top-notch engineering left basically nothing to be desired at its price point, and I can’t think of a single pilot’s watch on the market that offers more bang for your buck.

Now, Nodus is back with a new take on the Sector II Pilot, one featuring a fully blacked-out DLC-coated case, bezel and bracelet. And while the price has gone up slightly, this is easily my favorite version of the watch yet.

Nodus

Dark and stormy

The Sector II Pilot DLC is exactly what it sounds like: a Sector II Pilot with black diamond-like carbon coating covering both the stainless steel case and five-row Pentalink bracelet. The coating not only gives the watch an uber-cool, stealthy look, but it also adds considerable resistance to scratches. Remember, this stuff is “diamond-like” in its hardness.

The DLC finish has been blasted for a fully matte finish, upping the stealthiness of the watch. The Sector II’s complex stepped dial also gets a mostly blacked-out makeover, with a black rehaut for the minute track, a circular-brushed black hour track and a black grain-textured inner dial displaying the watch’s eponymous “sector” crosshair pattern. The day and date windows above 6:00 both show black discs with white text, matching the layout of the rest of the dial.

Nodus

Keeping the watch from becoming a monochrome bore are some tastefully incorporated neon green accents. The seconds hand, “Sector” wordmark and hour markers at 3, 6 and 9 are all gussied up in the eye-catching hue, adding a dash of high-vis utility to the dial in a shade inspired by glowing cockpit instrumentation.

The dial remains protected under a box-shaped sapphire crystal heavily coated in Nodus’s signature blue-tinted anti-reflective coating. I know I’ve sung the praises of this coating before, but it’s fantastic. It not only does a tremendous job of cutting glare, but it also gives the watch a decidedly high-end look thanks to its resemblance to the AR coating used by IWC. The countdown bezel here receives a matte-black DLC steel insert.

Nodus

The bracelet, too, keeps all of the cool features found on the standard Sector II Pilot — it’s just now coated in DLC. That means you can still expect quick-release spring bars, a 20–16mm taper and the proprietary Nodus Extension clasp that allows you to change the length of your bracelet on the fly without the use of any tools.

Lastly, inside the sleek, 11.7mm-thick DLC case is the Seiko Cal. NH36 automatic movement. Not only is this one of the thinnest watches on the market to house this calibre, but the movement has been regulated to +/- 10 seconds per day in-house by Nodus. That’s a stated accuracy you’ll never see from a mechanical Seiko anywhere near this price.

Nodus

Pricing and availability

The standard Sector II Pilot from Nodus costs $500 with a plain steel bezel, or $525 with a DLC steel bezel. The “Flyboy” special edition features a ceramic bezel and goes for $550. This new DLC version, meanwhile, tops them all at $625.

While that price makes the watch the most expensive Sector II Pilot yet, the watch remains a ridiculously good value. I have no trouble saying this watch both looks and feels like it should cost over $1,000.

Nodus

Nodus Sector II Pilot DLC

Specs

Case Size	40mm
Movement	Seiko Cal. NH36 automatic day-date
Water Resistance	100m

• $625 at Nodus

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