Nomos Glashütte, situated in Glashütte, Saxony, specializes in artisan manual-winding and automatic mechanical watches. Susanne Günther created the initial collection’s designs, which were inspired by the Bauhaus pure aesthetic. The clean and modernist look of Nomos designs is well-known. Nomos Glashütte is a member of the Deutscher Werkbund, a forerunner of the Bauhaus movement and a trade association that supports firms that integrate handicraft and industrial manufacturing, as well as design and utility. CEO Uwe Ahrendt, a graduate engineer in charge of production; Judith Borowski, in charge of communications and design in Berlin; and Roland Schwertner, in charge of sales, make up the management team.
Since the 19th century, the underlying mechanism that drives a mechanical watch hasn’t altered much. Nomos, on the other hand, takes careful use of computer-controlled equipment to miniaturize the mechanism, resulting in extremely thin timepieces and light. While some Nomos watches are self-winding, the majority require manual winding. None of them are connected to anything other than the wearer’s wrist.
A Brief History of the Company
Roland Schwertner started Nomos in the 90s, which may seem like a long time ago, but it was 31 years ago. In reality, like its neighbors across the street, A. Lange & Söhne, the company was created just a few months after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Mr. Schwertner, who is 62 years old, is a serial entrepreneur and businessman who has worked in a variety of fields before founding Nomos. Schwertner’s collection of skills parallels Nomos’ — he worked as a photographer for Mode Magazine as well as an IT consultant – two seemingly disparate trades and skill sets found in the same man.
Schwertner set out to create a German watch brand, and he bought the rights to numerous now-defunct German brands, including Nomos – which was a German watchmaker in the early 1900s, and the name itself called to him – it is Greek for “law.” While the Tangente is most closely associated with Nomos, another Glashütte watchmaker impacted the case and dial design. While Nomos will not deny Lange’s effect on the Tangente, and Lange himself is ecstatic to have influenced such a treasured Tangente classic, this is a little-known fact.
Nomos Today
Although Nomos today predominantly offers in-house movements, this was not always the case. Nomos initially acquired the majority of its parts from Switzerland, and neighbors in Glashütte with greater resources chastised Schwertner for putting “Glashütte” on the dial when the majority of the components were not created locally. Nomos’ early ETA and Peseux movements were imported from Switzerland, then hand-adjusted and assembled in Germany, allowing the company to keep prices cheap while also establishing its reputation as a German watchmaker.
The Alpha caliber, as seen in the popular Tangente, is made in-house by Nomos, yet the design is pure Peseux 7001. Several in-house calibers that take a design from older calibers would no longer be as unique – but the Alpha-powered Tangente is still a fantastic watch.
Nomos Glashütte Development
All of the new at Work models have two things in common. First and foremost, they’re all 39mm in diameter, which is quite enormous for a Nomos watch. Second, they’re all Neomatik models with the DUW 3001 caliber, which is ultra-thin and automated. Until now, the Neomatik watches were all smaller, with sizes ranging from 35 to 36 millimeters. Most modern consumers desire something a little larger, and 39mm is a wonderful size for elegant watches that straddle the dress/everyday border because some people prefer them at that original size.
It’s worth mentioning that the DUW 3001 was created specifically with these smaller timepieces in mind. Consequently, there is greater room around the mechanism visible through the glass caseback of a 39mm watch, which manifests itself in the At Work models by having a larger bezel on the back. (The ETA 2892A2 is 25.6mm x 3.6mm, but the DUW 3301 is 12 34 lignes in diameter, or roughly 28.8 mm.)
Metro, Tangente, Orion, and Tetra are the four watch families. Each comes with a silvered dial, a dark blue Nachtblau dial, and a brand-new dial called “Silvercut” by Nomos, which is metallic and has a horizontal brushed surface.
What’s More?
The cost varies depending on the product. The Metro costs $4,180 with a silver dial and $4,280 with a Silvercut or Nachtblau dial; the Tangente costs $3,780 with a silver dial and $3,880 with a Silvercut or Nachtblau dial; the Tetra costs $3,860 with a silver dial and $3,980 with a Silvercut or Nachtblau dial; and the Orion costs $3,920 with a silver dial and $4,020 with a Weiss, Silvercut, or Nachtblau dial
