Once again, Chris Vail of the Janis Trading Company has cooked up a couple of new NTH Subs, and once again, he has let me test drive a couple. This time, I’ve got a pair of NTH Odins in black and blue.
All of the Subs series share the same case, a 40mm wide, 48mm long, 11.5mm thick Submariner-style unit in brushed stainless steel with a polished bevel that runs lug-to-lug. A broad, low-profile crown helps to maintain the Subs’ sleek proportions. Trim though they may be, the Subs are tool watches to the core, each sporting a double domed and AR-coated sapphire crystal, screw down crown, drilled lugs, 120-click bezel, and a 300m water resistance rating. Inside is a stalwart 24-jewel Miyota 9015 automatic humming at a smooth 28.8k bph.
Bezel feel is excellent. It is smooth, precise, and requires just the right amount of fingertip pressure. The brushed and engraved stainless steel inserts match the dial colors. NTH never skimps on lume, and the Odins do not disappoint. You will find SuperLuminova all around; blue-white for all bezel markings, yellow-white C3 on the hands, dial, and even the crown. Several microbrands have given their crowns a glow, but if memory serves, NTH was the first, and it has become a brand hallmark.
While the cases and innards have remained the same, Vail has let his imagination fly free on the dials and bezels. We’ve seen Subs inspired by all manner of vintage watches, including 1960’s mil-spec Rolex, Tudor, Omega, and Sinn. Every one of them has been reimagined with an NTH twist. Some, like the Zerograph-inspired Nazarios or the Magenta Dolphin, were just wild. The Odins rein it in a bit, presenting a handsome mix of early 1950’s Rolex 6204 and late 60’s Omega Seamaster 300.
The new generation of Subs has an improved 20mm Oyster-style bracelet that tapers to an 18mm double-locking clasp. The screwed links are now a shade smaller for better articulation, and the signed clasp is longer with beveled edges. Six micro adjustment points and a half-sized link on each side make it easy to get exactly the fit you need.
The Odin’s dial combines printed bar markers and a large triangle at 12 o’clock along with a brushed handset: broadsword hour, pencil minute, and spear-tipped second. The long minute markers are printed in white. You really can’t miss the Seamaster 300 connection. My only quibble is that the 3, 6, and 9 markers are truncated. This made sense on earlier Seamasters that had numbers in these positions, but it is less appealing on later models like the quartz ref. 2264.50.00, which eliminated them, leaving that fat hour hand falling short. I really should fault Omega for this as NTH faithfully followed that layout, but I see it as perhaps a missed opportunity. Given the number of Omegas sold with this identical design, I doubt it will bother many others.
It is hard to wrong choosing a black dial watch, and the Odin is certainly handsome. I like the way the C3 mellows it a touch, particularly in contrast to the bright white on the bezel. That said, the medium blue watch is more striking. Both will be offered with or without date windows at 6 o’clock, white disk for the blue, and black disk for the black. I generally prefer a no-date, but on the Odin, I like the way the window completes the short marker and anchors the layout. To my eye, it just seems to tighten up the layout a bit.
One of my favorite NTH features is the use of text on the dial. There is no clutter, just the logo up top, model name and water resistance on the bottom rendered in a distinctive yet still tasteful typeface. I am continually amazed at how many brands get this wrong. NTH nails it.
As always, the latest NTH is set to deliver a highly satisfying watch at the very attractive price of $625. Vail plans to release the NTH Odin in the spring through NTH’s webstore and authorized retailers. For more information or to get on the list for release announcements visit NTHwatches.com. ⬩
