The Bracelet could use one more removable link on the 6 o’clock side. You might want to consider curved spring bars if you like a pass though strap like a NATO or a Zulu. The Retrospect has short lugs and they sit low. The drilled lugs make popping out spring bars effortless. The Retrospect is a potential strap monster. The 22mm brushed bracelet plays off the chunkiness of the case. The results speak for themselves on the regulation card. You even get a hand-written card verifying the accuracy test in four positions. There is a big difference between the easy way and the right way. The guys at Nodus test and regulate each one of the Seiko NH35A automatic movements found in the Retrospect. Why do the movements in the Nodus watches outperform their specs? That’s an easy answer: Regulation. Sandwich construction, strong lume, even a lumed trapezoidal frame around the date window… what more do you want?!? Movement It should be noted that the lume on the triangle on the bezel insert is still green. The human eye is more sensitive to blue wavelengths than green, so it seems brighter. Newer versions of the Retrospect, like this one, feature Swiss Super-LumiNova® BGW9. Many enthusiasts love a little touch of red on a watch. The red-tipped seconds hand reminds me of an arrow on a chronograph seconds hand. The minute and hour hands are polished and catch the light just right to be visible in low light conditions. Nodus does such a great job with color, yet the all-black Vader scheme was a clean departure from bright yellows and blues. If you take a cellphone wrist shot, expect your face to be in the reflection.
Expect the black enamel dial to act like a mirror. The gloss back dial with white markers is very Vader, especially with the black ceramic insert.
The version reviewed here is the “Black Obsidian”. The version that I reviewed had the lumed ceramic insert.
The circular brushing on the steel version is like something that you would find on a five-digit Explorer II. The bezel comes in two options: ceramic or steel. That feature is going to come down to the personal opinion of the consumer. It does contrast the domed crystal and mixes up the ordinary. It’s a unique feature and hard to do right. I loved the big crown, but others that I showed the watch to did not. The chunkiness is balanced by an oversized no-guard crown. It feels chunky in a good tool-watch way. Upon unboxing, the Retrospect’s 40.5mm wide case reminded me of the Sinn 104 – especially how the lugs come off the flank. That’s a big growth step for a small company. Nodus even officially added a third employee this year (Cameron). That is also the reason that we hold Nodus to a higher standard. My observation is that is not Wes and Cullen’s style. Many brands can make something that lies between very good and great and then are content sitting on it. The big takeaway is that Nodus is constantly trying to improve and perfect their craft.
Each Retrospect is an improved version of the original. Nodus has released several versions of the “Retrospect” at this point in time. Nodus’ Retrospect was their second model released into the “boutique independent enthusiast” watch space (if that’s even how we are categorizing it now). I quickly swapped the soul crushing “Top 40 Pop” to “The Dark Side of the Moon”. When all hope was lost a package arrived. We are confined to our backyard where I’m being held hostage by a 1,800 gallon temporary pool and mildly chilled lemon flavored seltzer that’s practically flat. Most of the public and private pools are closed. This year it’s a little different… Ok a lot different. For me, summer officially starts when I’m sweating comfortably poolside with a citrus IPA.
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