Nomos
- Founded
- 1990
- Based in
- Glashütte, Germany
- In our catalog
- 10 watches from $1,650 to $5,800
Nomos makes watches that look simple and aren't. The dials are clean and graphic, inspired by the Bauhaus and the Deutscher Werkbund, but the movements are made in-house in Glashütte, including the hairspring and escapement, at prices most Swiss brands can't match. It's one of the most recommended brands for a first serious watch.
History
Roland Schwertner, a photographer from Düsseldorf, founded Nomos in Glashütte in January 1990, just weeks after the Berlin Wall fell. The name was borrowed from a Glashütte watch company of the early twentieth century. Its first watch, the Tangente, was based on a 1930s Glashütte design and has been the brand's signature ever since.
At first Nomos used modified Swiss movements. Over the next two decades it built its own manufacture, and in 2014 it introduced its own escapement, the Nomos Swing System, which made it one of the few watch companies independent of Swiss suppliers. Its thin automatic movement, the DUW 3001, is used in the Neomatik models. Nomos works with designers in Berlin for its dials and cases.
Signature models
- Tangente 38: The original design, with a thin case, a white dial and slender hands. Also available in smaller and larger sizes.
- Tangente Neomatik 41 Update: Adds a ring date around the dial, marked by two red lines.
- Orion 38: A more elegant dress watch with gold markers.
- Ludwig 38: A classical design with Roman numerals.
- Tetra Neomatik: A square watch, cleanly designed.
- Metro Neomatik 39: A modern design by Mark Braun, with a power reserve indicator.
- Club Campus 38: A sporty, colorful entry-level watch.
- Club Sport Neomatik 42 Worldtimer and Zurich Weltzeit: World-time watches that show the time in many cities.
What it's known for
Nomos watches are thin, light and comfortable. The dials use clean typography and soft colors. Nomos is also one of the few brands that makes its own escapement, the heart of a mechanical watch.
Price and positioning
Nomos watches cost from about $1,600 to $5,500. That puts them against Junghans and Stowa for design, and against Tudor, Longines and Oris for price. For in-house movements at these prices, nothing else really compares.
Nomos watches in our library
- Nomos Tangente 33 Duo ($1,650 to $1,800)
- Nomos Club Campus 38 ($1,750 to $1,900)
- Nomos Tangente 38 ($2,100 to $2,300)
- Nomos Ludwig 38 ($2,300 to $2,500)
- Nomos Orion 38 ($2,600 to $2,800)
- Nomos Tetra Neomatik ($3,300 to $3,600)
- Nomos Metro Neomatik 39 ($4,100 to $4,400)
- Nomos Tangente Neomatik 41 Update ($4,400 to $4,800)
- Nomos Club Sport Neomatik 42 Worldtimer ($5,300 to $5,800)
- Nomos Zurich Weltzeit ($5,400 to $5,800)