NOMOS is the modern German watch brand that is perhaps today the most known in the US and maybe around the world. It seemingly has a little cult following amongst mechanical watch aficionados such as myself. Much has already been written and discussed on various blogs about the brand, as many are also fans and own some of their watches.
However, what I want to do here is to give you a inside view of the Manufacture and get a chance to see first hand how the watches are made in Glashütte. This is precisely the opportunity I was offered as I visited Germany for other business in October 2016, while also taking a couple of days to visit Dresden and Glashütte.
As a proof of watch nerds collective affection for the brand, one of my colleagues, Rob Nudds, actually joined the NOMOS team in 2015 as a Sales Representative in the United Kingdom and was kind enough to get me in contact with Patricia Hellmuth, Head of International Press, to take me to a tour and visit of the manufacture in Glashütte.
Arriving in Dresden in a cloudy rainy day on October 6th, Patricia and another NOMOS colleague: Katharina, and I, took the short 40 minutes twisty ride to Glashütte from the medieval town. Upon arrival, what is immediately apparent is the calm and consistent look and feel of the famous watch city in Germany.
The NOMOS main building is situated near the train station, which I took, along with various local employees, to go back to Dresden later in the day. Right across from the NOMOS building one can read the prestigious name of A. Lange & Shone which some argue represents the pinnacle of watchmaking anywhere in the world.
To the right is Glashütte Original and up in the hills is Moritz Grossmann and other Glashütte brand. I felt right at home from the start and eager to start the journey into the deep corners of this young brand and learn what I could and make me more of a fanboy that I already am...
First stop was the media room, where I could see at a glance the entire NOMOS collection including the new Neomatik that includes the in-house DUW 3001 movement with the NOMOS swing system that provides better and more stable power transfer, yet result in an easier to mass produce movement.
A new variant of that slender collection is the dark blue dial which gives the thin, relatively small, Bauhaus design watch a more masculine look. With the self-winding movement standing at 3.2 mm thick (about a stack of 9 postage stamps) and measuring 28.8 mm in diameter, the Neomatik collection watches vary from 33 to 36 mm in diameter, making them definitely unisex and versatile in their appeal. They work perfectly at play and at work and in the board room.
In my view the Neomatik is quite possibly the perfect entry level watch for the person looking for the one watch they can take anywhere. This is the equivalent of Patek's Calatrava, except at 10x less the price and comes in steel so it's also less worrisome to wear during non-business events.
At 36 mm in diameter it breaks with the trend of ever bigger watches and instead goes back to old style minimalist watches that are thin and classically designed. In many way the Neomatik exemplify NOMOS's design philosophy which reminds me of the "less is more" mentality and approach to design.
After getting a thorough overview of the collection, it was time to see where the “sausage is made”. First stop is to see the somewhat messy, but interesting, movement main plate division of the manufacture, which creates the 3/4 plate in NOMOS watches and whose design is characteristic of watches from Glashütte. One thing that became clear immediately was that the space was getting tight and crowded. More justifications for the planned expansion that is in the works for this true manufacture.
After the movement room, not far, I got to spend on time in what NOMOS calls its "complication" room. Right now, mainly focusing on the parts that make up the NOMOS Worldtimer and some of the parts created by the brand to make its watches stand apart.
For instance, we met with a watchmaker who literally, in front of me, created two of the NOMOS efficient winding rotors mechanism. This allows most NOMOS movement to wind in both directions efficiently with a few swing of the arm.
Next was my visit to perhaps NOMOS most recent crown jewel, the assembly of the new swing system. While I could not take any pictures in that room, the watchmaker was thoroughly helpful in describing why this new spring was special.
As you may know, few things in watchmaking are really novel---most invented in the past two centuries... Does that mean modern watch manufactures should throw the towel when it comes to innovation. Well no, one key area of innovation is in manufacturing, that is figuring out how to better manufacture a known design or part; in such a way that the resulting watch can be accessible and affordable. Precisely what NOMOS is about.
After a short walk in the rainy Glashütte streets to head to the hills for the NOMOS cafeteria, I got a chance to visit the NOMOS movement regulation room where watchmakers are putting the final touches to movements, regulating them to perform within chronometer limits.
NOMOS does not use the Swiss COSC or METAS certifications but instead a German Chronometer Testing Center standard that is even more stringent. Being the owner of two NOMOS watches that I wear regularly, I can personally attest to the excellent chronometric performance of their watches, so no complaints there.
Finally, and perhaps the most satisfying of all of the rooms I visited was the finishing room where I could see a watchmaker encasing a 41.5 mm Club Automat Datum dunkel as well as a Neomatik with the new DUW3001 movement.
Seeing it all come together after witnessing earlier in the day the steel that would become the main plate still as a rod, made me feel like Alice coming out of the rabbit hole to the real world. A brief but brilliant journey in gloomy, rainy, but wonderfully magical Glashütte.
On my way back, I got a chance to also visit the NOMOS store (the only one in the world) where visitors to the German watch city can try on all of the NOMOS watches and purchase their own NOMOS. Adjacent to it is the Swatch-operated the German Watch Museum in Glashütte and less than a block, a tribute to F. A. Lange stands facing the cathedral.
In the museum you can see the history of watchmaking in Glashütte from the illustrious grandfather clocks era, to humongous flieger watches used during the wars, to the years where that region watchmaking was consolidated into one brand, and now the revival, since 1990s and thriving new brands such as NOMOS which again in my view represents everything that this region is about.
I than headed to the train station to await my short ride to Dresden, having spent, in four hours, a complete journey to the heart of one of the world's most celebrated watchmaking regions. I struggle to think how to best describe the experience and what NOMOS and Glashütte means to horology.
My best effort is to simply say that in a time when watches are either created to be as large and as in your face as possible, or pilling on useless complications, and reaching exorbitant prices that few horological enthusiasts are able to fathom, NOMOS is one of few brands breaking these trends.
As I mentioned earlier, to me, their motto seems to be "less is more" as they offer a spectacularly well made product at an honest price. All built here in Glashütte with a design sensibility that is not superfluous. Only containing the essence of why a watch is still the best instrument for time and also exult a sense of style to anyone wearing it that no electronic devices or jewelry can do. nomos-glashuette.com
Over the years writing about watches, you are bound to develop great friendships and admiration for the many in the industry who have dedicated their lives to the watchmaking art. Two of the folks I hold in highest esteem and am generally happy to call friends are the Horological Brothers from the watch brand Grönefeld.
Since I was traveling to the Netherlands in September, I used the opportunity to take the train and criss-cross the country to spend a few hours with Tim and Bart. I even got a chance to meet their dad as well as Tim’s son. It’s truly a family affair in Oldenzaal, the Netherlands. This report will give a thorough recount of this short but memorable visit early fall of 2019.