In Review: The NOMOS Tangente

Editor’s Note: This falls firmly into the “Too Expensive” category for the vast majority of us. So much so that it’s an oddity to feature something this pricey on this website. So consider this the exception, and not a new sort of rule. $1900 gets you a stainless steel caseback, $2180 gets you a sapphire crystal exhibition back. For $2330 you can increase the size to 38mm (yep, the base model shown is just 35mm)
There’s nothing quite like reading articles about luxury watches to give you a bit of perspective. What is considered distastefully cheap and entry-level for some will be literally the most expensive thing owned by others. And by “others” I mean me.
Enter NOMOS, the luxury watch brand that is both “entry-level” and still expensive enough to dramatically affect my net worth. It’s the “cheap” watch that even watch snobs give grudging respect.

Design and Movement

NOMOS is based in Glashütte, Germany, the home of German watchmaking. Watches from there are afforded special protection to ensure quality; to be labeled a “Glashütte watch”, 50 percent of the watch’s movement must be created by the company. NOMOS build up to 95 percent of each movement in Glashütte.
NOMOS assembles all their movements in house. The Tangente features their Alpha caliber, a small, hand wound movement which has about 43 hours of energy. It’s not an automatic. So you do have to manually wind it (there’s no oscillating weight inside), but I’ve found I enjoy the ritual of winding it each morning.. The movement is impeccable. I wind it every morning and haven’t noticed any inaccuracy.

The making of a Nomos.

At 35mm the Tangente is small by current watch trends, but I generally prefer smaller, thinner watches. It’s a luxury watch that doesn’t scream luxury. Like many classic styles it will be overlooked by some as being too simple, even boring. However, after wearing it in a number of different circumstances, from jeans and sneakers to a suit and cufflinks, the beauty and versatility of this watch is clear.
The minimalist design is best described as Bauhaus (think Mies van der Rohe buildings). The Tangente is getting close to the Platonic ideal of ‘watch’ with its lack of ornamentation and excess. Because there is nothing overtly “luxurious” about the watch, they have to get all the details perfect – the materials, the proportions, the typeface. And they do.
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