The Nomos Glashütte Ahoi neomatik 38 date Sky and Sand

Introduction

With the reveal of the new Nomos Glashütte Ahoi neomatik 38 date Sky and Sand Date, the Saxon manufacturer adds two neomatik equipped 38 mm Ahois to the core collection for the first time, thus upgrading the whole offering while introducing two new colour palettes.

So far, if you were looking for a Nomos Glashütte Ahoi, you were offered two extremes: a 36,3 mm and an “extra large” 40,3 mm model, with nothing in between despite the brand growing its mid-collections across the board in the last two years, as exemplified by the freshly-released, and much loved already, Club Sport neomatik 39.

From a technical perspective, the Nomos Ahoi 36,3 mm houses the DUW 3001 movement while its bigger sibling is powered by the DUW 5101 or 5001 calibres (date Vs no date) instead, the latter missing the industry-exclusive Swing System escapement. The new edition fits in brilliantly, and its 38,5 mm case size makes for a clever unisex model conceived for any country.

The Nomos Ahoi’s case

This case design looks familiar for a couple of reasons, right? Looking at the squared, spider-shaped lugs and the equally squared crown protectors, we can’t but jump back to the last time we reviewed an Ahoi timepiece; in 2020, Nomos Glashütte introduced the Ahoi for Doctors Without Borders.

The sharp lines remind us of the date-marine-black-hands-on/">Tangente Sport watch instead; we believe that Tangente was the brand’s first-ever attempt to join the sports watch party with the market’s only Bauhaus-styled timepiece capable of withstanding water pressure up to 300 meters.

The Nomos Glashütte Ahoi neomatik 38 date

With that said, the new Nomos Ahoi neomatik 38 date proves the management’s desire to put the collection centre stage once again. At Nomos, the design and marketing teams usually focus on selected collections per year and 2023 has kicked off by welcoming two mid-size Ahoi neomatik models sporting unexpected and attractive new dial colours.

The main specs

The two models measure as follows: the case width, as stated above, measures 38.5 mm across, and the thickness stops at 9.8 mm (9.9 mm if you opt for the see-through case back), while the lug-to-lug distance measures 48.7 mm. However, the specs sheet can’t tell the whole story; as with any Nomos Glashütte watch, the devil is in the details.

If you look closer at some original drawings the brand kindly provided us, you’ll find out that what looks like ordinary geometry from afar is the result of thoroughly thought design cues instead. Here are plenty of corners, bevels, and details; they’re all grouped in this design sketch, from which you can also get how curved the glass is, whereas it looks flat in the pictures as it is while wrapped around your wrist (thanks to the anti-reflective treatment on both sides).

We can discuss how angular the case is, and it might not be everybody’s cup of tea, but the outcome is a timepiece whose proportions are correct.

Sky and Sand

You might now buy an Ahoi in Atlantic Blue, White, or Signal Blue and Red. The latter two Pantone are bold and vivid but, in our opinion, fit a Nomos Club better; here is the manifesto of the brand’s creative design rather than a classic-looking Ahoi.

The most recent neomatik-powered timepieces usually sport sophisticated shades, and the new Ahoi neomatik 38 date is no different.

The brand’s designers work hard to identify new palettes capable of raising the “perceived value” while complying with the brand’s style and taking the most out of state-of-the-art design market trends.

The Nomos Glashütte Ahoi neomatik 38 date Sky and Sand

The Sky blue is matte, with the date window adopting the same colour and the dial holding a contrasting glossy orange small seconds hand placed in the small, snailed-decorated seconds counter. It is as sporty as it is understated in the benchmark.

At first sight, you can’t avoid noticing a vague yet unwanted nod to the legendary Gulf logo colour combination. The Sand option is as attractive; it is more distinctive than its Sky sibling and feels more sophisticated and classic.

It’s a gold dust pattern up close, and that’s how it shines under dim to full light. We’d choose the Sky model hands-down; we think it better matches the collection’s sporty pedigree, but the Ahoi Sand is more distinctive if we consider the watch market as a whole.

The hour and minute hands are filled with luminescent material, and it is, finally, pleasant to see how the hour hand is sweeping so close to the Arabic numerals without crossing them.

The neomatik caliber DUW 6101

No brand in the industry is adopting such an authentic, refined in-house movement in this price segment; here is an ultra-thin, beautifully decorated self-winding movement measuring 3.6 millimetres in thickness.

Standing out is the proprietary Swing System escapement developed by Nomos in partnership with the University of Dresden, whose production process includes a fine-tuning process at Nomos’ Chronometrie department in Glashütte.

Back in time, the Saxon manufacturer challenged the industry’s convention by developing its movement, and that financially risky choice has paid off from a technical as much as a brand awareness perspective.

We stepped into the Chronometrie department a few days ago while attending the 4th Nomos Forum; during the fine-tuning process, a watchmaker adjusts the inertia of the balance wheel by removing mass out of the base wheel rather than adding tiny screws like most watch manufacturers do. A single watchmaker carries out this piece of the process, while another skilled watchmaker takes care of the fine adjustment of the hairspring instead.

These are the two most critical steps when assembling a neomatik movement and proof positive of the brand’s attention to detail and stand-out performance.

The DUW 6101 offers a clever two-way date adjustment mechanism: the font is big and consistent with its dial’s counterpart. The neomatik DUW 6101 calibre is regulated in six positions and offers a long list of technical solutions which brilliantly combine form and function.

The date disc is placed on the outer circumference and is not over imposed; it means that the movement is as slim as possible and makes for a supremely balanced appearance inside and out. Flip the watch over to see how the calibre fits the case seamlessly.

The two Nomos Glashütte Ahoi neomatik 38 date Sky and Sand come with a solid or an open case back. We suggest you accept that additional 0,1 mm (and the price gap, too) and opt for the second one; you’ll love the DUW 6101 calibre decoration, which includes the Glashütte ribbons on the large one-piece bridge, visible through the skeletonized rotor, as much as the double-fastening balance cock.

All the finishes are high-end; the base is decorated with “perlage”, and contrasting blued screws make it a stunner. We can eventually argue about the 42 hours of power reserve when the watch is fully wound, but it’s a no-brainer; the neomatik was engineered to provide high efficiency and precise timekeeping.

Final thoughts

The two Ahoi neomatik 38 date Sky and Sand models bring Ahoi to the next level. The two colour palettes are exclusive to the collection, and the watches are attractive from any angle and quintessentially Nomos Glashütte and Bauhaus.

However, as said, we understand that its angular lines may not be everyone’s cup of tea. Let’s now jump to the price list and options.

The retail price starts from 3,520 Euros and goes up to €3,820 if you opt for the transparent case back. The Sky comes standard with a blue-black fabric strap and a dark grey one on the Sand model instead. The price gap between solid and see-through case back is objectively not negligible.

We have already picked the Ahoi Sky as our favourite model since it plays as a sporty model but offers a classic touch if needed, while the Ahoi Sand is quintessentially classic.

Instead, here are two Nomos watches you can’t customize with any steel bracelet, and stands as a “missed opportunity” in this price range, in our opinion. We assume the brand wanted to avoid overlaying with a Tangente Sport. Also, we believe a Nomos-styled rubber strap would be more than welcome since it is a 200-meter water resistant sports watch.

(Photo credit: Horbiter®)

Giovanni Di Biase @Horbiter®