The Nodus Contrail is the Los Angeles-based microbrand’s flagship travel watch, and while I’ve always been a fan of both Nodus and the Contrail series, I’ve historically felt that the collection’s potential was somewhat stifled by the movements available within the industry. Up until just a couple of years ago, there weren’t any viable options for affordable third-party mechanical GMT movements, and the previous generation of the Nodus Contrail was a three-handed model that relied on a rotating 12-hour bezel to provide access to a secondary timezone. That said, quite a lot has changed within the GMT watch landscape over the course of the last few years, and the 2024 Nodus Contrail GMT feels like the type of travel watch that the fan-favorite collection was always destined to become.

Despite being a proper four-handed GMT watch with “flier” style functionality, the Nodus Contrail GMT offers a more slender case profile than its three-handed predecessors. While its surgical-grade 316L stainless steel case still features contrasting brushed and polished surfaces, the lugs now have much larger bevels to mitigate the perceived height of the watch. This style of middle case first made its debut appearance on the Nodus x Raven TrailTrekker that was launched earlier this year, and in our coverage of that collaboration model, we mentioned that Nodus would be using this same middle case as the foundation for the next generation of the Contrail. With that in mind, rather than featuring a matte gray DLC finish and a fixed 24-hour bezel, the Nodus Contrail GMT opts for more traditional brushing and polishing, and it also features a rotating 24-hour bezel with a luminous sapphire insert to create a more elevated overall package with even more comprehensive multi-timezone capabilities.

At the time of writing, the Nodus Contrail GMT is available in four different colorways, which are known as Laguna, Impulse, Polaris, and Terra. The “Polaris” model features a white dial with a black/white split-color bezel and small blue accents, while the “Terra” version offers the same bezel paired with a black grain-textured dial and red highlights. Meanwhile, the “Impulse” and “Laguna” models are the two versions featured here, and while the “Impulse” colorway has a blue sunburst dial complemented by a blue/white bezel and bright yellow accents, the “Laguna” version features a sandy copper grain-textured dial, and it gets fitted with a black/gray split-color bezel, along with small red highlights. Aside from the finishing on their dials, hands, and bezel inserts, the four Nodus Contrail GMT watches are otherwise identical, although each of the colorways offers its own distinct identity.

Despite using the same middle case, the Nodus Contrail GMT is one millimeter wider than the TrailTrekker due to its larger rotating bezel. The watch measures 40.5mm in diameter by 11.8mm thick (including its box-shaped sapphire crystal), while its lugs (with drilled holes) are set 20mm apart and extend to create an overall lug-to-lug profile of 46.6mm. Blue anti-reflective treatment is applied to the interior surface of the crystal, while the screw-down winding crown is signed with the Nodus chevron logo, and the solid screw-down stainless steel caseback receives the same jet plane emblem that can be found on previous Contrail watches. Additionally, for those curious about weight, the Nodus Contrail GMT comes in at approximately 69 grams (not including its bracelet), and despite having a thinner overall profile, this latest GMT-equipped generation still offers 200 meters of water resistance, which is more than enough to make it a viable go-anywhere travel watch.

The bezels fitted to the Nodus Contrail GMT series rotate bi-directionally with a smooth and satisfying 48-click motion, and the alignment of the inserts appears to be spot-on (at least to my eye). Nodus uses a ball bearing setup for the bezel that offers silky tactile feedback with virtually no perceptible back-play whatsoever, and while the bezel did get a bit sticky and tight after some beer was spilled on the watch, briefly running the Contrail GMT under the sink while rotating the bezel was all that was needed to restore its smooth and precise motion. In terms of nitpicks, the small size of the winding crown and the relatively large profile of the crown guards might make operation slightly tedious for those with chunky fingers, although the knurled texture on the side of the crown provides plenty of grip, and I personally didn’t encounter any issues while setting the time or screwing/unscrewing the crown from the case.

Regardless of their colorway, all of the dials fitted to the Nodus Contrail GMT series offer the same style and layout with applied luminous hour makers, a framed trapezoid-shaped date window at 6 o’clock, and a small 24-hour scale printed along an angled rehaut. Additionally, Nodus always makes a point to color-match its calendar discs, and the Contrail GMT models feature roulette-style date wheels that alternate between either white or black and the specific accenting color of each model (red, blue, or yellow). The hands feature brushed top surfaces with polished bevels, while the 24-hour hands are finished in the accenting color to match the “Contrail” name on the lower half of the dial. Additionally, since the Nodus Contrail GMT has a fixed 24-hour scale on its rehaut and a rotating 24-hour bezel, the watch is capable of simultaneously displaying three different timezones, and all four versions feature Grade A Super-LumiNova BGW9 on their hands, indexes, and bezel inserts to provide a highly legible blue-glowing display in the dark.

The difference in size between the hour hand and minute hand on the Nodus Contrail GMT is more than enough to ensure that you won’t confuse them when reading the time at a quick glance, and the tip of the minute hand extends all the way to reach the minute markers, which are printed along a thin contrasting chapter ring between the angled rehaut and the rest of the dial. While the tone-on-tone gray minute track found on the “Impulse” colorway doesn’t exactly offer the most contrast, the other three models don’t suffer any legibility issues in this department, and both the “Polar” and “Laguna” variants feature gunmetal-finished hands and hour markers to help provide contrast against the light-colored surfaces of their dials. One additional nice touch is that the tip of the 24-hour hand on the Contrail GMT appears in a luminous chevron shape as a nod to the Nodus logo, and it fully extends to the corresponding 24-hour scale on the rehaut.

The first Nodus mode to offer proper GMT functionality was the Sector GMT, although the Contrail has always been the brand’s flagship travel watch. Consequently, while the Sector GMT offers “caller” style functionality provided by the Seiko NH34, the Nodus Contrail GMT is a “flier” style GMT watch that runs on the Miyota Caliber 9075 automatic movement. In addition to offering a local 12-hour hand that can be jumped forwards or backward in one-hour increments (the preferred style of GMT movement for those that frequently find themselves in different timezones), the Miyota 9075 also benefits from superior specifications, and it runs at a higher frequency of 28,800vph (4 Hz) with a longer power reserve of approximately 42 hours. Out of the box, the Miyota Cal. 9075 has fairly mediocre timekeeping tolerances, although Nodus regulates its Miyota 9075 movements in-house to the noticeably more stringent standards of +/-8 seconds per day.

Fitted to the lugs of the Nodus Contrail GMT is the brand’s latest generation of flat-link bracelet, which features completely solid components and fully articulating links for maximum flexibility and comfort. While the bracelet features largely brushed surfaces, the links have thin high-polished bevels running down their outer edges to complement the wide polished bevels that appear on the lugs. Tapering from 20mm at the case down to 16mm where it connects to its machined folding clasp, the Contrail GMT bracelet checks all of the major boxes that are on most enthusiasts’ wish lists, and the solid end-links attach to the case with integrated quick-release springbars, while the removable links are secured by single-sided screws, rather than the less expensive (and more tedious) friction-fit pin or pin-and-collar setups that are most frequently found on watches at this price point.

While the bracelet links themselves leave very little to be desired, the clasp fitted to the Nodus Contrail GMT is arguably the least impressive part of the watch; however, I have a feeling that this may be an issue exclusive to these particular review samples. Objectively speaking, the clasp is a rather solid offering, and it features machined components, a double push-button release, and the brand’s proprietary Nodex extension system, which offers 10mm of tool-free incremental adjustment. Where the clasp falls a bit short is in terms of its refinement and finishing, although I wouldn’t be surprised if these issues weren’t present on the final production models. Nodus licenses its Nodex clasp extension to other brands, and I have handled similar versions of this clasp that Nodus has produced for other companies. Compared to my previous experiences with this same style of clasp, the examples fitted to the Contrail GMT have noticeably sharper edges, and the operation of their push-button release mechanisms is a bit less smooth and precise than what I remember.

Minor nitpicks aside, it is hard to find many shortcomings with the Nodus Contrail GMT, and I consistently find myself impressed by what the small-scale independent brand is able to offer its customers, especially while maintaining a categorically accessible price point. Unlike many other American brands that operate below the thousand-dollar mark, Nodus both designs and assembles its watches in its hometown of Los Angeles, and I find that this typically results in a superior level of quality control and a generally higher level of attention to detail when it comes to the alignment of components and the timekeeping of its movements. With an official retail price of $825 USD, the Nodus Contrail GMT isn’t the absolute least expensive way to get your hands on a GMT watch with “flier” style functionality, although it is easily a top contender for those who want a practical and versatile travel watch from one of the industry’s fan-favorite enthusiast brands. For more information on the Nodus Contrail GMT, please visit the brand’s website.