It’s tough to produce a quality watch at this price point, and given the complex case design & manufacturing of the cases, I was expecting the bezel to be a point where “something had to give” to achieve the price that Nodus wanted for the Avalon. The dial of the Avalon overall isn’t over-designed, a trap that I think many microbrands can fall into, and this restrained design approach also flows through Nodus’ other models as well.Īt this price point, bezels can be pretty hit or miss, especially with microbrands. The hands are legible and filled with a hearty amount of lume as well, and I particularly like the pop of color added to the seconds hand. Definitely a welcomed breath of fresh air from my collection of black dialed divers, and makes the Avalon feel fun & light hearted. The overall design here is clean & basic, with a minimal amount of dial text, only having the Nodus logo in the upper hemisphere, and “Avalon 300m” in the lower hemisphere.īoth the blue and green versions I got to check out look great in person, and I’m glad to see Nodus embracing interesting color variants like these. Every hour marker is designated with an applied indice, filled with a hearty amount of Super-LumiNova C3 (green) lume. The dial of the Avalon continues the trend for high quality as set by the case design. And of course, being a diver, we’d expect some water resistance here, and the Avalon is rated to 300 meters. Why Excalibur? Because Avalon (according to the tale) is the island where Excalibur was forged. Rounding out the case design, the Avalon has a steel caseback, the usual caseback specifications, and an engraving of Excalibur. One other detail I really appreciate here is the crown placement at the 4 o’clock position, this is such a comfortable place to put the crown and I wish more brands would do this. This swooping design gives the profile that the watch is really hugging your wrist, and is another way that Nodus stands out from the competition with a more complex case design made possible by its CNC production method.
One of my favorite aspects of this case design, is the downward slope design of the side of the case. The majority of the case is done up in a nice tool watch styled brushed finish, with some polished accents along the side of the case to add some nice flair. While the larger diameter might seem like a non-starter for some, the short lug to lug length, and design of the bezel, makes this watch wear much smaller than its dimensions might suggest. Measuring in at a diameter of 43.2mm, a lug to lug of 48mm, and a thickness of 12.9mm, the Avalon wears quite comfortably on my 6.5” wrist. With that being said, the Avalon is in no way a homage to either. I have often seen the Avalon compared to a Seiko Turtle, due to its cushion/tonneau shaped case, however I would more likely draw the comparison to a Doxa Sub case.
Let’s dive into the Avalon and what makes it tick.Īs I mentioned in the intro, one of the immediate standout components of the Avalon is its case, both in design and in quality. Uniquely designed and finely machined cases, color matched matte ceramic bezel inserts, a comfortable bracelet, hell, the Avalon even has freaking Excalibur on the caseback (cliche divers helmets or fish be damned). The Avalon on the surface seems like just another microbrand diver, in the under $750 range, however it’s once you see it in person that the fanfare starts to make sense. Wes & Cullen, the co-founders of Nodus, assemble all their watches in LA, regulate the watches to four positions, and have been pushing the brand further with each release. As with many microbrands, the team behind Nodus is extremely passionate, and it shines through in the quality of their watches. Nodus is based out of Los Angeles, and was founded in May of 2017. The sheer volume of people in love with this brand’s watches intrigued me, and after a couple months with one of their latest releases, the Avalon, I understand why Nodus quickly built up a cult following.
However, it seemed that seemingly out of the blue, everyone I follow on Instagram had ended up with a Nodus watch, and couldn’t stop singing the praises of it. Brands such as Halios, Oak & Oscar, Monta, and Unimatic come to mind as brands who have staked a claim as a fixture within the microbrand universe for one reason or another. While it can be difficult to keep up with the constantly growing pool of microbrands popping up left and right, usually only a few float up to the top due to their standout quality, marketing, or unique designs.
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