Nodus, based in Los Angeles, has returned with the Duality, their long awaited homage to classic dual-crown divers. In the growing world of enthusiast-focused brands, Nodus occupies a space that honors real, heartfelt enthusiasm. The brand is run by Wesley Kwok and Cullen Chen, childhood friends who developed a shared love of watches and entrepreneurism, and started Nodus only two years ago with a focus on deliberate design, great value for money, and building a strong community around their brand. They tell their whole story on a recent episode of The Worn & Wound Podcast, and more than most small brands, understanding their philosophy and where they came from really helps in appreciating the end product, so that episode from August is definitely worth a listen if you’ve fallen behind on your podcast feed.
Nodus Duality
- Case Material: Stainless steel
- Dial: Unity White, Chasm Black
- Dimensions: 40 x 48 x 13mm
- Crystal: Sapphire
- Water Resistance: 300 meters
- Crown: Screw down
- Movement: Miyota 9015
- Strap/bracelet: H-link stainless steel bracelet
- Price: $600 until November 1, $700 thereafter
- Expected Release: Available for pre-order 10/4/2019 at 12pm EST
So, on to the watch at hand. The Duality, as mentioned, takes inspiration from classic dual-crown dive watches of the ’60s and ’70s. Many of these were Super Compressors produced by case-maker EPSA, and for the uninitiated, a Super Compressor is a very specific type of case design that allows the watch to become more water tight and pressure resistant as it is submerged deeper and deeper and pressure on the caseback grows. Very often, a spring mechanism was used on these watches to keep them sealed sufficiently when they were not at depth. The dual crown design (one being used to turn an internal rotating dive bezel, the other for winding and setting the time) became a distinctive hallmark of Super Compressor divers, which were sold by literally dozens of different brands, all using cases supplied by EPSA, which held the patent for the unique design.