The new NOMOS Autobahn neomatik 41
Let me start by stating my biases up front: NOMOS is a brand that I love. I own two watches from the Glashütte manufacture and I wear them often. This year at Baselworld, the typically low key, conservative, and Bauhaus-leaning brand has opted to introduce something new and different, somethings old, and somethings fun. Will my opinion of the beloved German watches change?
The new design in question is the sporty Autobahn model. A watch that does away with most of NOMOS classic and low key DNA with funky cool elements, colors, and theme. Co-designed with famed German furniture designer Werner Aisslinger, this is meant to be an automobile-inspired watch.
Seating flat on the wrist at just a notch above 10 mm high and with 41 mm in diameter, the Autobhan is bigger than most NOMOS watches with a classically round case, but that may be the only part that reminds of NOMOS. The dial is completely new. First it is concave, a first for the brand. Second, the obvious almost 3/4 circle from 8 o'clock to 4'clock, reminding one of a car's speedometer, is filled with Super-Luminova that glows brightly at night with a small charge.
The hour hand, also filled with luminance is easily visible during the day or night but contrasts with the mostly non-lumed diminutively thin minutes hands, except for the tip, lumed in different color. The result works except for the night time between 20 and 40 minutes if you would want to know the precise minutes with as much ease as other time.
Finally, at the bottom of the dial are two more distinguished design elements of the Autobahn. First a concave 60 seconds sub-dial with small seconds hands with same luminance as the hour hands. As you can see from the photographs, at night, with a little charge, the complete dial shines and the indicators are easily viewable, though again not as easily when the minutes hand is between 20 and 40.
And perhaps the second most controversial aspect of the design, a cut out date at 6 o'clock that shows the current date and the date before and after. A design borrowed from some pilot watches meant to allow quick guessing of the date by giving more information to the user when looking at their watch in a glance.
The new NOMOS neomatik date caliber DUW 6101 manufacture movement
Wow, with so many things going on with the Autobahn, one might be asking if we are dealing with a new watch company altogether. Well no, the heart of the auto-inspired watch is classically NOMOS. The new DUW 6101 movement, which includes the manufacture swing system and is finished like all NOMOS movements with Glashütte ribbing, blued screws, and includes a key improvement.
While most mechanical movement have limitations on when the user can change the date to avoid causing harm to the mechanism as it builds power reserve to move the date wheel. NOMOS improves this by creating a clutch that helps avoid any issues if the user decided to attempt to change the date between 15 minutes to and after midnight. The date can also be changed forward or backwards, all with the crown.
Finally, the new movement keeps the typical 42 hours of power reserve. And none of the improvements come at cost of height. The overall movement stands at less than 4 mm high which allows the Autobahn to be 10.5 mm, making it easy to seat nicely under a tight shirt cuff or the more appropriate leather jacket.
In addition to the Autobahn, NOMOS also introduces three of their existing models that includes the new movement. The new larger Ludwig, Orion, and Tangente, are also around 41 mm in diameters while mostly keeping their classic designs. And by using the slender movement they all stand well under 10 mm high and at just 60 grams should make for easy wears with dressy or casual outfits.
The new NOMOS Tangente neomatik 41 with DUW 6101 and peripheral date
All three models are welcome additions in my views except for one. The Tangente model includes a peripheral date that is displayed with a moving red indicator that encircles the minuscule date markers around the dial. Maybe I need glasses or I needed more light in the showroom, but for me this was a fail, as I had great difficulty reading the date.
I typically associate NOMOS and most Glashütte watches with large dates. And this one does the opposite. The red rotating markers is visible, but does little to tell me which of the tiny date markers it is surrounding. Perhaps a rotating loupe hovering above that magnified the indicators would have made this design work for me. Not sure, but as it stands you need to have 20/20 vision to not squint in order to read the date.
Finally, NOMOS introduced a fun group of colorful ladies Tetra manual wound limited edition models. Inspired by the common French sweets "Petit Four", NOMOS created a group of equally sweet models matching the classic fondant candies' pastel colors. The results are a clear winner in my view and should catch the eyes and hearts of ladies wanting a cool new watch for the summer or to match their fun outfits.
So what are my thoughts on these limited but varied novelties from the beloved brand. Well I applaud while remaining also muted on some choices. My excitement comes in seeing the brand wanting to try something different. Risking boldly with the Autobahn new design while keeping its heart in Glashütte.
The new Ludwig, Orion, and Tangente including the new DUW 6101 movement are mostly what NOMOS fans would expect. They are slender while larger and mostly keeping the Bauhaus ethos of the brand, except for one quibble, from perhaps some aging eyes. And the Tetra models are exactly what I'd dream of NOMOS releasing. Small incremental additions to an existing winner.
So was I happy with the NOMOS novelties. Yes, mostly. If the Autobahn included a chronograph, even 30 minutes, and kept the around $5,000 price tag, I would have called it one of best new watches of Baselworld 2018.
Alas, at this price point ($4,800) and introducing so many new different design cues, lacking the key feature of a auto-inspired watch, and targeting new young buyers with the styling, the new NOMOS model is a bold turn at the roulette wheel.
I am hopeful but have no idea if this will be a jackpot with brand loyalists or with new buyers. However, perhaps this is a first attempt and with some improvements, NOMOS could increase the chances of success in subsequent attempts. I am certainly cheering on the sidelines.
Find all NOMOS novelties, including specs, prices, and ability to purchase, are available at their online store.
One of the winners in the 2019 GPHG awards in the first week of November was a two year old upstart watch brand from Kuala Lumpur named MING Watches. The young brand won best watch in the Challenge category at the Geneva show to the delight of its founder and watch aficionados who have regularly helped sell out the brand’s 11 prior releases since its debut of the 17.01 watch.
MING watches are not limited per we but are produced in small batches of a few hundreds, which in effect make them limited. A quick perusal to their web site shows that all models, except for the two new 2019 models have sold out. Interestingly the new models are also priced much higher than the previous ones. However, before getting ahead of ourselves, how does one go about seeing or trying on a MING watch?