Nomos Glashuette (Nomos for short) is a high-end, luxury watch brand creating classically styled watches in Glashuette, Germany. Glashuette is the home of horology in Germany and has been for over 175 years. That’s why the region is world-famous for its timepieces.
Roland Schwertner founded Nomos in 1990, and today the brand is the largest manufacturer of mechanical timepieces in Germany. The company makes almost every component of their watches by hand. As Nomos says, “only when high-tech is more precise than handcraft — when it all depends on a thousandth of a millimeter — does Nomos use machines.”
It isn’t always about flashy bands and luminescent faces. Craftsmanship is cool, and the Bauhaus styling of these watches doesn’t disappoint. So take a look at this Nomos Buyer’s Guide for a selection of hand-made German watches that accent your understated style and are likely to last a lifetime.
The Best Nomos Watch
Nomos Tangomat GMT White Dial Black Leather Men’s 635 (BEST CHOICE)
Our Best Choice comes from the Tangomat model family. The Tangomat family is an updated version of the Tangente family—Nomos’ flagship set of watches. The Tangomat family features by clean lines, alternating Arabic numerals, a robust case, and an automatic caliber.
This particular example has a white dial, a day-of-the-week window on the left side, and a rotating date-window on the right. The black leather band is classic, while the 40 mm case is large enough to make a statement, but doesn’t feel super-chunky on the wrist. You get 100 meters of water resistance with this watch, but the crown is push/pull, so don’t take it diving.
A fixed bezel, sapphire crystal, transparent case-back, and blued steel hands round out the feature-set.
For more classy timepieces like this, check out our selection of the top ultra thin watches.
The Ahoi model family is for sports lovers: sturdy, beautiful, and elegantly functional. All watches in the Ahoi family are water-resistant to 656 feet, so go on and wear this watch on a dive. The woven textile band will dry quickly and hold up better than leather to the rigors of saltwater, sand, and sun. An extra-large date display and thin, open numerals rendered in warm rose gold stand out against the calm navy-blue face. Superluminova technology illuminates the hands after dark or under the water. The polished silver-tone stainless steel case never goes out of style, especially when contrasted with the subdued navy-and-rose-gold color palette on the rest of the watch. As with all Nomos watches, a synthetic sapphire crystal protects your investment. A transparent case backing adds a splash of interest when this blue dial watch is sitting on your bedside table. Another offering from the Tangomat series combines timeless Bahous styling with rugged construction and easy readability. It’s hard to get more classic than a white watch-face and black leather band. This band sports visible stitching for a rugged feel. Indeed, this nice watch will probably be more at home in the office than at a fancy dinner. But the case is somewhat thin at 8.30 mm, so choose your occasion wisely. The bottom date-window is classic Tangomat, and the blued-steel stick hands are precisely elegant. This watch gives you a fixed bezel, automatic motion, a transparent case-back, and 100 feet of water resistance. A 38.3 mm case looks great on thin wrists. Essentialism made manifest. The Orion model family focuses on the basics and nothing more, with no Arabic or Roman numerals cluttering up the display. This model has a date window (though not all Orion models do). A white face is set off with splashes of rose gold on the hour marks, while the blued-steel hands add a touch of subdued elegance. A 38 mm case and 19 mm band are ideal for men with smaller wrists. But if you want to catch someone’s eye, give your watch a wind. Yep, this is a hand-wound timepiece. We can’t think of a better way to stand out in a crowd. We’d love a more elegant strap on this particular watch, but that’s easy enough to switch out after purchase. You may also be interested in some of these sophisticated Tag Heuer watches from our list. Check them out. The Ludwig model family stands out with its throw-back features: roman numeral faces, hand-wound movements, and smaller case-sizes. This watch for under $5000 makes an excellent uni-sex watch with its 25 mm case and 18 mm band. The case is 6.25 mm thick, so this isn’t a super-rugged watch, but it does sport a low profile on your wrist. Fixed bezel, sapphire crystal, 100 feet of water resistance, and a push-pull crown are standard Nomos touches, as is the silvered face and blued stick-style hands. Still, classy never goes out of style. A generic black-leather band finishes off the watch with an unobtrusive style.
The Club model family is sleek, unpretentious, and rugged. A unique blend of Arabic, Roman, and slash hour indicators gives these watches a spark of interest, while sporty styling stands out among a sea of dress watches. The example featured here is particularly eye-catching, with pastel blue and orange highlights setting off the gray textile band and silvered face. A 37 mm case is a great fit for smaller wrists, while 660 feet of water resistance means this watch will hang with you for a dip in the pool or a weekend on the sailboat. After a run of somewhat subdued watches, it’s nice to see this selection from the Autobahn model family power-slide into our Buyer’s Guide. The curved graphic design of the face is unmistakable, while the white-and-orange second-hand calls to mind the speedometer in your favorite roadster. The blue face pops against the stainless steel case, and the textile band is sporty enough for a dip in a roadside lake. Arabic numerals at a rather unusual 12, 2, 4, 8, and 10 add even more interest to the distinctive design. A hearty 10.5 mm case thickness can stand up to a lot of damage, while the 41 mm case diameter is probably best for larger wrists. In short, this is a chunky watch that can handle whatever you throw at it, and look good doing it too. Three-hundred feet of water resistance and automatic movement round out the feature set. Take a moment to check out some of the timeless Rolex watches from our list. You’d be hard-pressed to find a cleaner-looking watch than this. The Metro series elevates Bahous to a whole new level, with simple dots on the hour-indicators and Arabic numeral second-indicators every five seconds. We love the blue dots in between the Arabic numerals—understated but still classy! Many of the watch hands in our buyer’s guide are blued steel, but the hands of this watch are matte black, which we think looks particularly good with the slim bezel and rounded crown here. A 35 mm case is elegantly understated, while automatic motion rounds out the features. Any watch enthusiasts will love some of these remarkable Omega watches. Check them out. You don’t see many square watches, but some wrists demand one. Enter the Tetra model family, Nomos’ collection of square watches. Alternating Arabic-and-slash-indicators circle the dial, which is set off in crisp white against the navy-blue face on this model. A leather band is in keeping with the sharp styling on this watch, while the 33 mm diameter, 3.7 mm thick case, settles comfortably against smaller wrists. A standard Nomos feature set follows — stainless steel case, 100 feet of water resistance, sapphire crystal. Functional yet eye-catching, this watch is a superior option if you are bored with the standard dress watch. Our guide to the best Bauhaus watches offers some cool minimalist timepieces you might like. Check them out. Now we are getting fancy. This foray into the Zurich model family is masculine and hefty but also refined. The trick is in combining the world time feature with a 39.9 mm wide and 10.85 mm case. The face is refined and minimalist, with a 24-hour disk rotating at the three-o’clock point. A small red triangle serves as an indicator here. Silver-toned hands stand out a little (but not too much) from the galvanized steel face-plate, while a notched crown adds a little zip to the polished stainless steel case. For more different style options, check out our selection of the best watches with enamel dial. The final entry in our Buyer’s Guide is another watch from the sleek and modern Metro model family. This hand-wound design features a minimalist-minded galvanized face with slim black hands, a date window at the six-o’clock position, and dots for hour indicators. A 37 mm wide, 7.65 mm thick case is on the smallish side, but the 20 mm band still provides plenty of masculinity. The fixed-bezel and transparent case-back are all Nomos, but the power-reserve dial is unique. Located in the upper left-hand corner of the watch-face, the power-reserve dial provides a visual indicator of when it’s time to re-wind the watch. Handy, right? It also makes a good watch for office wear. Case Size – Watch case sizes are determined by measuring the watch case’s diameter at the widest point of the watch, not including the crown. Modern sizes can range from 22 mm on the small end to 46 mm on the large end. Specialty watch-makers might create timepieces that go beyond these two extremes. Generally speaking, watches aimed at ladies tend to have smaller case-sizes. Style – Nomos creates watches in model families—groups of watches with similar characteristics or purposes; for instance, the Ahoi model family has sport and diving specific features like screw-down crowns and textile bands. In contrast, the Ludwig family features a roman-numeral face and slender bezel for dressy occasions. Nomos has 13 primary model families. We won’t talk about them all here, but we’ll be sure to let you know the model family to which each watch in our Buyer’s Guide belongs. Case Material – Nomos Glashutte makes its watch cases out of stainless steel. Stainless steel is an ideal watch-case material because it resists corrosion and scratching, and is incredibly challenging to dent or break. Some Nomos watches, like the sport watches in the Tangente and Club model families, are made with extra-thick type 316L surgical steel. Very few people have allergies to this material (that’s why they use it in surgical instruments), making it a perfect watch case choice. Strap Material – In keeping with the classic styling of the brand, Nomos watches mostly come with leather watch straps. Leather wears nicely and gradually takes on unique characteristics as it ages. The downside is that it can hold odors and is prone to rotting if exposed to large amounts of saltwater or sunshine. Most Nomos leather bands are Horween Genuine Shell Cordovan, a specialty leather manufactured in Chicago. Nomos also sells a few watches with woven textile bands. These textiles are usually some form of nylon blend. Bands like this are hard-wearing and comfortable but still hold some odor. The downside? They don’t look quite as lovely as leather straps do. Nomos watches are exceptionally high-quality. The timepieces are manufactured and assembled by hand in a region of Germany known for quality watch-making. Premium materials like stainless steel and synthetic sapphire watch-crystals combine with world-class manufacturing (Nomos builds each watch’s heart, the caliber, in-house) to create elegant and accurate timepieces. Investing in watches is a tricky proposition. Watches from brands like Rolex, Audemars, and Omega will almost certainly increase in value. Nomos belongs to a second-tier family of watches, including TAG Heuer and Panerai. So your Nomos watch might be worth more in twenty years, or it might not. Honestly, buy a watch because you like it, not because you view it as an investment opportunity. As we’ve mentioned a few times, Nomos watches are hand-made with premium materials. Yes, they belong to a luxury brand, and some of what you are paying for is the Nomos name. But serious watch fanatics generally view Nomos as an exceptional value. Pricey as they are, you get a whole lot of watch for what you pay.
Nomos AHOI Atlantik Datum Automatic Atlantic Blue Dial Men’s Watch 553
Nomos Tangomat Datum White Dial Stainless Steel Men’s Watch 602
Nomos Orion 38 Datum White Dial Stainless Steel Men’s Watch 380
Nomos Ludwig White Dial Black Leather Unisex Watch 201
Nomos Club Neomatik Men’s Automatic Watch 740
Nomos Glashuette Men’s Autobahn 41 mm Blue Cloth Band Steel Case Automatic Analog Watch 1302
Nomos Metro Neomatik Men’s Automatic Watch 1106
Nomos Tetra Neomatik Automatik Midnight Blue Dial Watch 422
Nomos Zurich Weltzeit Black Leather Men’s Watch 805
Nomos Metro Galvanized White Dial Men’s Watch 1101
Nomos Watch Buying Guide & FAQ
Features to Look For in Nomos Watches
Nomos Watch FAQ
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