As the story goes, the Nodus Sector Deep is an example of what happens when a (Redacted) military unit puts in a request for a robust, overbuilt dive watch. Think Rolex Sea-Dweller, but more reasonable and more tool than flash. What would you build for real-world end users who you know are going to absolutely use this watch as a tool and probably put it through some crazy shit? They then took it further and asked: what if we added GMT functionality to it?
The response that came from Nodus was the Sector Deep Pioneer. A 38mm case with a 42mm bezel (more on this later), 47mm lug-to-lug, 20mm lug width, Grade A BGW9 Super-LumiNova, GMT functionality, a 120-click unidirectional compass and dive bezel integrated into one, with a healthy amount of lume on said bezel, a flat sapphire crystal with AR coating, and 500 meters of water resistance. A true tank of a watch.
You could be forgiven if you thought this was just a normal Sector that had the water resistance upgraded, a few changes made to the bezel, and a GMT function added. This is not the case at all.
When Nodus took this project on, they pretty much took the design language from the Sector and started from the bottom up, redesigning everything from square one to make this a whole new watch that was truly designed to handle the rigors it was going to be asked to endure.
The first thing they did was redesign the case to a more robust standard with a matte finish, beef up the thickness of the sapphire crystal, and thicken the caseback, bumping the entire package from 11.9mm thick to 13.6mm. The water resistance went from 100 meters to 500 meters, making it a tank on the wrist. They did not stop there. The bezel was reworked and oversized for easier manipulation when hands may be wet or wearing gloves. They reworked the dial and hands to allow for more and better application of lume, resulting in what they call “nuclear levels of luminescence and legibility.” Stopping there gets you the normal Sector Deep, but then they decided to take it a step further.
Nodus then went even further and added a regulated NH34 movement with GMT functionality to track dual time zones, which for many in the MIL, NATSEC, PSC/PMC communities is extremely useful. They also basically said, fuck it, let’s add compass functionality to the bezel as well. That makes this a truly good all-around watch, not just a deep-diving-capable watch.
What they have created is a uniquely designed, multifunctional beast of a watch that looks good, is truly designed to handle the hard-use rigors being asked of it, and is not overly polished and flashy like so many tool-watch brands are making these days. I can tell you that when I was still contracting, this is the exact design and setup I had wished was available at the time.
The example I have chosen to go with is the Sector Deep Pioneer Admiral. Initially, I have been super impressed with the watch. Its specs may tell you this is a giant watch, but do not always believe what you read. It wears great on the wrist and is comfortable. The weight is surprisingly manageable. The dial is extremely legible and easy to read, and the bezel is a nice matte black, so there are no reflections coming off of it.
The lume on this piece is insane and probably holds the top spot in any lume showdown you can think of putting it through. More is coming on this piece in the future, but I wanted to give an overview of it as we head into the review cycle of the watch.
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