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Nomos is a fairly young watch company. Having been founded in 1990 by Roland Schwertner, Nomos Glashutte is already the company producing the most mechanical timepieces in Germany. Whilst German watchmaking does not have quite the same heritage as its neighbor Switzerland, it is still the home of very prestigious brands such as A Lange & Sohne.
The “Glashutte” in Nomos may seem familiar. This is because it is the watchmaking center of Germany. Confusingly, many other brands use Glashutte in their name since this is a prestigious place to manufacture watches. Other brands such as Bruno Soehnle, A Lange & Sohne as well as the brand Glashutte themselves, all produce watches in this region of Germany. To think of it simply, this will be similar to fashion brands using “New York” or “London” in their names. Albeit, Glashutte is considerably smaller with a population in the region of 7000 people.
Glashutte has stringent rules for companies that make watches in this region. At least 50% of watches MUST be manufactured to use “made in Glashutte”. However, Nomos goes far beyond this criteria and makes approximately 95% of their movements in the town.
The biggest breakthrough for the brand came in 2014. It was in this year that Nomos was able to create its own escapement known as the “Nomos swing system“. This allowed branding to become 100% independent and not rely on other Swiss companies such as Swatch to supply them parts. This has led to Nomos being able to create 100% in-house movements and become a well-known and popular watch brand.
Nomos watches have quite a distinct style which is a large glass dial with no real bezel. The case usually has long protruding lugs. A leather band is often used and rarely a stainless steel bracelet. Lastly, the watches are quite thin, subtle, and minimalist.
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Are Nomos Watches Good Quality?
Nomos watches are very good quality, especially for the money spent. One clear and obvious reason for this is the popularity of the brand in comparison to its marketing. Although Nomos is not particularly well known, it does not have large advertising budgets, neither can you see it all over billboards, golf events or fomula 1 racing tracks. This should let you know that the brand must produce great quality watches, otherwise, it would have simply disappeared by now.
Typically Nomos customers are not novices who have never purchased a watch before. The type of person who buys a Nomos is almost always well informed about watch movements and watch brands in general. Nomos is not the type of brand that you would see a footballer or a nightclub owner wearing. The brand is quite understated and sold as a high-quality alternative for people that care about watchmaking, not just appearance.
Is Nomos A Good Watch Brand?
Nomos can be considered an entry-level luxury watch. In their country of origin Germany, Nomos watches are thought of very highly. Whilst they cannot be considered to be in the same league as brands such as Patek Philippe or Audemars Piguet.
Nomos is certainly a very well-run watch brand that are legitimate watchmakers. If you compare them with other entry-level luxury brands such as Raymond Weil, Longines or Tag Heuer. Nomos comes out ahead. They make all their movements in-house and finish their watches to a higher standard. Even though the company is relatively young and doesn’t have the history of rival brands. It is at least making an effort to produce high-quality watches.
Are Nomos Watches Worth The Money?
Overall Nomos has a reputation of being great value for money. There are not many European watchmakers who can say they have high-quality in-house movements whilst being priced well under brands such as Rolex or Breguet.
As the brand is relatively young (30~ years old) they do not have the reputation of Swiss brands which have been around long before the 20th century. Therefore, you will get considerably good value for money when buying a Nomos. Outside of Europe, the brand is only known within the watch community. It would be very rare for a member of the general population to recognize you are wearing a Nomos just from glancing at it. Due to this, you’re able to get good value for money whilst the brand remains somewhat less well known.
Do Nomos Watches Hold Their Value?
No, if you buy a brand new full-price Nomos watch it will very likely not hold its value. You are very likely to see a depreciation in the neighborhood of 30-40%. Of course, this is going to depend on the model, as some watches are more desirable than others and it will vary on natural market fluctuations.
Are Nomos Watches A Good Investment?
Nomos watches are not an investment. They are a well-made, quality timepiece that should be enjoyed. In recent years, Rolex and Audemars Piguet have somewhat distorted the average person’s view of watches. Often watches are not thought of as a nice thing to wear on your wrist, but instead something that will hold value.
Nomos, although a quality brand, is not Rolex or AP. If Nomos watches were to become a good investment, the company would simply cut their supply chain and not produce many watches. However, they are very unlikely to do this since both they and the consumer would suffer.
Are Nomos Watches Durable?
Nomos watches are not particularly durable. They are mostly made from stainless steel, but for a number of reasons they are not as durable as other brands.
Firstly, it is quite unfair to compare Nomos with other brands in this way. Nomos is almost exclusively a dress watch brand. Their watches are not designed to be tough and worn in the same way as dive watches or anything that isn’t going to be worn casually.
Typically Nomos watches either have a very small bezel or none at all. This decreases the weight of the watch and uses a larger glass dial. It should be obvious that sapphire crystal is scratch-resistant, but is nowhere near as solid as gold or steel. Therefore if you are to drop and knock a Nomos watch, it is more likely to get damaged when compared with a solid steel watch that weighs twice as much.
How Accurate Are Nomos Watches?
Nomos watches are known for their accuracy and reliability. Of course, like any mechanical watch, Nomos watches should be serviced every few years.
When you buy a Nomos brand new, you should expect it to be accurate within 2 to 4 seconds per day.
Most Iconic & Best Nomos Watches
Tangente
The signature Nomos Tangente is pretty much exactly what you’d expect to be shown if you asked what a Nomos watch looks like. It has the typical minimalist dial with only even numbers shown, with the 6 missing to make way for the seconds subdial. The long and thin lugs are also on point as they allow the watch to fit snugly on your wrist.
The Tangente runs off a 43 hour power reserve, so although it is not an automatic movement. It does at least mean that you’ll only have to wind it once every 2 days.
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Tetra
Tetra is the only square dialed watch that Nomos manufacture. If you’re looking for a square version of the Tangente then this is almost identical, with the only difference being that the numbering uses a slightly more modern font.
The Tetra has a plain stainless steel back and uses a hand wound mechanical movement with a 43 hour power reserve. The watch is once again a fairly minimalist design and is available in a variety of colors such as the classic white dial with blue hands.
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Ahoi
Nomos Ahoi is the brand’s understated dive watch. With water resistance up to 200 meters and an automatic movement, it will not let you down when you need it most. The hands and hour indicators are very well lumed so that you can see them underwater. You will also notice the subtle difference in the case design of the Ahoi, as it has two moderately sized crown guards.
An exhibition caseback shows off the true beauty of the in-house DUW5001 movement.
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Club
The Nomos club is one of the more innovative Nomos designs. Although the dial is very similar to other models such as the Tangente. The club has its own unique style with a slightly thicker outer bezel, which helps protect the watch from unwanted knocks. Not only this, but the club uses a piece of domed sapphire crystal rather than a typical flat glass.
The DUW3001 automatic movement can be admired through the exhibition caseback.
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Orion
The Orion is fairly small for a man’s watch (35mm), but would be 100% ideal for those who have skinnier wrists. Although like all other Nomos watches, the Orion has very long lugs, which more than makeup for the perhaps undersized dial.
As one of the lowest-priced Nomos watches, the Orion is an entry-level watch into the Nomos brand. Therefore it is one of the best value-for-money watches that Nomos offers. Not only this but due to the design, this watch wouldn’t look out of place being worn in either a smart or casual setting.
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