Thirty-three millimetres and not a fraction apologetic
By Sam Okafor, London ·
6.4 mm. That's the number I'd lead with, because at 32.8 mm across the Tangente 33 Duo is so thin it barely registers as an object on the wrist. It's more like a drawing laid on top of it.
The design comes from a 1930s Glashütte dial, and Nomos has kept the typography almost untouched: slender Arabic numerals in a rounded, slightly geometric face, a fine minute track, long blued hands and a small seconds sub-dial at six. At this size the small seconds is the clever part. It's large relative to the dial, which gives the lower half real weight and stops the whole thing looking like a toy version of the 38.
Closed back, 17 mm lugs, hand-wound with a 43-hour reserve, 30 m. 1,650 to 1,800 dollars. I think it's one of the most complete small watches you can buy. One practical gripe: the lugs are long and straight, and on a slim strap they look spindly from certain angles. A slightly thicker strap fixes that. Big wrists should simply look elsewhere.