Armand Nicolet J09 | Watch Review

Armand Nicolet J09

Armand Nicolet is a brand that I know in name, but not overly familiar with their watches. It is not one that I see the watch community post about on social media, such as Instagram or Facebook Watch groups often. After receiving this model for review, the Armand Nicolet J09 Day/Date, I honestly had to wonder why this brand has not been getting the love it deserves currently. Now, keep in mind, I am saying that I have not personally seen a lot of mention of their watches, it does not mean you haven’t, they could have just not been on my radar for some reason. They definitely are now though. For those not familiar, the Armand Nicolet brand has been around since 1902, and was named after its founder. In 1988, the brand was sold by Willy Nicolet, the founders son, and though not family owned anymore, they have continued making watches in Switzerland, with designs being done in Italy.

Armand Nicolet J09 Day/Date Specifications:

Mechanical automatic movement with Day&Date functions.

Calibre AN2846-9. Guilloché dial with luminous indexes and hands. Case with antiglare treated sapphire crystal on top and sapphire crystal in the see-through screwed back.

Case and Buckle:

• Stainless Steel 316L
• Water Resistance:
• 5 ATM
• Diameter: 41mm
• Thickness: 12.5mm
• Lug Width: 24mm
• Lug to Lug: 50mm
• Strap: Stainless Steel 316L

MSRP: $2700 USD

http://www.armandnicolet.com/collections/j09/day-date/watch-d650aaa-gr-pi4650na/

If you have not watched the video yet, you may notice I show it on both a bracelet and a rubber strap here in the photos. That is because I had the company send the rubber strap as well, to show some of the ways the Armand Nicolet J09 Day/Date can be configured. There are just way too many options for this model for me to list, but you can purchase them with either a bracelet, leather strap or rubber strap, and depending on what you choose, you can pick up one of the other straps as well, at an extra cost. Depending on what you choose, it really does change the look of the watch from sporty to dressy and somewhat industrial looking on the bracelet.

The Armand Nicolet J09 Day/Date is an interesting watch, for many reasons. First, the size at 41mm, yet it has a 24mm lug width, something rarely seen on a watch this diameter. If you have a small wrist or like a smaller watch, this can be deciving. It really wears like a round 43mm would wear. For myself, I love the size, it is in right in between that small and large. It would be a medium if we sized watches like we do shirts. On my 7 1/2 inch wrist it is damn near perfect, and I still have not decided if I like it better on the bracelet or the rubber strap, but more on that in a bit.

As I spoke about in my last review, if a watch is going to have a date, I prefer it to be at the 6 o’clock position. Obviously, the Armand Nicolet J09 Day/Date is perfect for me in terms of date position. The guilloché  dial is something that I love in a watch such as this, it is that something extra that stands out on an otherwise basic dial. Even with the day and date, the dial is fairly clean, and applied markers keep it classy.

One thing that has perplexed me with the Armand Nicolet J09, is that I do not know what category to lump it into. It is not a dive watch of course, nor a pilot or field watch. It is not a traditional dress watch, even though with either the bracelet or an alligator leather strap it can surely play the role. It is not your typical sport watch, even though the rubber strap does give it that sporty feel. I guess I would call it dress casual. The type of watch that can be dressed up for the office and dressed down for the weekend when going to your favorite pub. The very low water resistance prevents it from being an all around do everything type of watch, but if you are not regularly jumping into the pool or ocean mid day, you should be fine with this on the wrist.

The heart of the Armand Nicolet J09 is the Calibre AN2846-9, which is basically an ETA 2846 automatic movement that has been customized with a beautiful rotor. While this movement is not an in-house masterpiece, it is not a movement you see used all the time, and Armand Nicolet has dressed it up for sure. This is how I like a movement to look if it has an exhibition case back.

 A bracelet has to be well made and very comfortable for me to want to wear these days. I almost always prefer a strap, as many readers might know. I have gone back and forth on this, and while the rubber strap has a very nice deployant clasp, I think the winner is the bracelet. It is very nicely brushed, has a beautiful buckle with a stamped logo and just flows with the watch head perfectly. One word of caution though, the Armand Nicolet J09 uses double headed screw bars, and they are very, very tiny screws. And you will need two screwdrivers to size as well. I would suggest sizing over a clean table and not in a room that has carpet, as you some in your household might think you have a case of turrets if one rolls off the table into the sea of fibers.

Of course, one of the biggest things when reviewing a watch, is the price. At $2700, there is no denying that the price is up there and that a lot of other watches can be considered at this price point. The 15% discount does make it more appealing, and while the movement is not in house or anything, it is nicely decorated and is a solid Swiss ETA that should give no issues. The styling of the Armand Nicolet J09 Day/Date is unique, and when looking at google images and bringing up past versions of this model, they have definitely upgraded it, in terms of dial and hands aesthetic. With a low water resistance and a non screw down crown, it is not going to be that one watch for all occasions, but I think if someone wanted to put something dressy in their collection, but does not go for the standard dress style watch, this might be a good way to go.

The post Armand Nicolet J09 | Watch Review appeared first on WatchReport.com.

Nodus Trieste | Watch Review

Nodus Trieste

The microbrand watch segment continues to grow, and if you are a follower of us here at Watchreport, you know we review many different microbrands, from the new to the established. Today, we look at a new one, the Nodus Trieste. Microbrands share a lot in common for the most part, but one thing that differentiates some from the others is what type of watch they bring to the market. Some look to recreate a classic or homage a specific piece from a big brand, others set out to bring a new design to the market. The Nodus Trieste has opted for the former, and have done an homage of the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe. Now, nothing wrong with that at all, though everyone has their opinions on that subject, and many companies have done homages of Blancpain, including Seiko. The Bathyscaphe is one that I have not seen done before, or at least none that are on my radar. I am not going to compare this watch in terms of quality to the BP of course, but I will state that the noticeable differences in terms of design is the bezel, especially the lume pip, crown size, second hand, and modified hour and minute hand. The Nodus Trieste is in the affordable range, $500 for the Swiss STP 1-11 version being reviewed today and an even more affordable model that houses a Seiko NH35 movement. As I stated, there is no shortage of microbrands these days, and that means a lot of competition, so lets see how the Nodus Trieste stacks up.

Nodus Trieste Specifications:

• 316L stainless steel case
• 41mm width | 13mm thickness | 50mm lug-to-lug | 20mm lug width
• Swiss STP1-11 (as reveiwed) or Seiko NH35 (regulated in four         positions)
• Sapphire crystal | Double-domed with blue AR on underside
• Sapphire bezel insert | 120-click uni-directional bezel
• SuperLuminova BGW-9 (blue) lume
• 200m / 660ft water-resistance
• Steel bracelet with screw-in links and flip-lock clasp
• 24-month warranty

Price: $500 as shown, $350 with Seiko movement

https://www.noduswatches.com/trieste

The Nodus Trieste arrives in pretty standard fashion, a wood box that holds the watch and warranty card. One difference would be the card that is also included which shows that the watch was timed and regulated and its accuracy in those positions. That is not something your regularly see, at least not with watches in this price range. Nodus Watches offices and workshop are in Los Angeles, CA where they do the final assembly, regulation and QC. Watches are manufactured in Asia.

There is just something about black dials with blue bezels that pulls me. I do not honestly remember if I have always felt this way, but I do know that it is a look I appreciate currently. That is why I chose this example for review. As I spoke about in the video, there are a few other variations available, but all models sport a black dial. Unlike the watch it homages, the Nodus Trieste has a matte texture dial instead of a sunburst. All the things I personally look for, especially in a dive watch are here; uncluttered dial, no excessive text, applied markers, and NO DATE. There are date models available, for those that need the date on their watch. To expand on the date issue, it is more about placement then not needing the date. I am picky and prefer the date at the 6 position or nothing at all.

The Nodus Trieste has a few more elements that tick a lot of boxes for me. Drilled Lugs, an all brushed case, a touch of high polish with the beveled case sides and both the crown and bezel have a smooth, solid action. Speaking of the bezel, that is a sapphire insert which does create some glare in the photos, but the color is definitely blue, a nice shade of blue at that.

Comfort, at least for me, depends on whether it is on the included bracelet (stainless version) or one of the canvas straps that I show in the video. (Those straps should be available for purchase soon on the Nodus Website). Many of our readers here know I am mostly a strap guy, but a really good bracelet can always win me over. Unfortunately that is not the case here with Nodus Trieste. The bracelet is very catalog, run of the mill and while I do appreciate the single sided screws used to hold it together, it is not the best quality, especially the clasp as I found that it needs to be modified to close correctly. The prong that the buckle snaps down on needed to be bent slightly and the safety latch needed to be tightened. I did however really like the canvas straps with quick release pins.

 At first I was going to report that the lume on the Nodus Trieste was very much lacking, but after a few more weeks with it, I noticed something. While it is easy to see from my lume shots that it is not very bright, and that is true, however, it is long lasting. I found waking up in the middle of the night the Trieste was glowing nicely, easily readable without having to strain my eyes. The lume might not be the best for photography, but in real life situations it does a more than adequate job.

Options are never a bad thing in my opinion and with microbrands, you have a lot of options. And with the Nodus Trieste, you have even more options to choose from, with the choice of bezel colors, date or no date, steel or pvd and of course, the movement. That is something we have been seeing from a few brands recently, the choice of movements. A watch I reviewed a few months ago, the Pantor Sealion also gave a choice of movement. For the consumer who needs that Swiss Movement, you have that option. For the consumer who would rather have more money in their pocket or is just on a budget, you have the NH35 option. Both movements do their job and though I have had no issues with the STP1-11 movement so far, it is still relatively new. The NH35 on the other hand, has been around for a good while and has a proven track record.

Wrist shot (7 1/2 inch wrist)

The Nodus Trieste is a nice first offering and though I think they could source a better bracelet, I would compare them to Obris Morgan in terms of quality, though these watches are a little higher priced then the aforementioned. To be honest, I have never been sure how Obris Morgan watches were priced so low, but that I guess is a topic for another day. The guys at Nodus seem to be on the right track and I look forward to future models from them.

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