There’s a trait that is common to most vertically integrated watch manufacturers; they painstakingly look after every aspect of the brand: from media and communication to high-quality photography, and advertising campaigns too. It is not a given in the watch industry. NOMOS Glashütte belongs to this selected group of brands, and that’s something you perceive once you step into their workshops and take a tour of the factory. The watches from the largest German manufacturer (the youngest too since they’re going to celebrate their thirty anniversary, next year) are conceived in-house from the ground up, and that same approach has paved the way for the development of their new steel bracelet.
The NOMOS Glashütte Tangente Sport neomatik 42 date marine black debuts, along with the Club collection, a steel bracelet aimed at equipping the new 42mm sized models. A metal bracelet was missing from the brand’s catalog (the 39mm Tangente excluded), yet it is a must-have if you’re eager to step up and attract those customers who are looking for a multi-purpose luxury sports watch. A steel bracelet wins hands-down against any strap, nylon, leather or whatsoever; nonetheless, most Italians, for example, do not even add a timepiece to their buying list, if no steel bracelet option is being offered. What had NOMOS Glashütte in mind, when they first approached its design? Let’s try and find out.
Crafting a new bracelet is, in my opinion, harder than designing a case, and even so when that new bracelet has to fit an already existing case design. Talking the NOMOS Glashütte Tangente Sport neomatik 42 date marine black‘s case alone, we’re in front of a minimalistic-looking sharp-edged design. The Tangente is where the Bauhaus-inspired style is more rooted than anywhere else, I believe. The lugs, for example, are sharp and extremely tapered towards the wrist; opting for an integrated bracelet would have then dramatically affected the original look of the watch in comparison to a strap-based option other than impacted any standardization across the range.
The outcome is a thick mesh satin finish bracelet, that can be easily swapped thanks to quick release buttons and sports an adjustable folding clasp, whose cover is highly polished and showcases the NOMOS Glashütte logo on it. No question this bracelet has gone through obsessive development, to allow customers even adjust it by themselves: everyone can easily remove links by using a screwdriver; the only letdown of such high quality and long-lasting build being its weight.
Italians do love to compare styles and watches are no different; the NOMOS Glashütte Tangente Sport neomatik 42 date marine black‘s bracelet has a “Milanese” mesh feel to it, notably in the way it links to the case, whereas the mesh itself showcases an integrated bracelet design from the lugs all the way down to the polished folding buckle. The Sport bracelet, as NOMOS Glashütte officially named it, is a refined combination of equally sized stretched yet thick rectangular links that become thinner, when it comes to the 39mm sized Tangente. I would have personally gone for a thinner option on the 42mm variant too. However, I reckon the final design had to combine various factors like, for example, avoid any pinching of the skin.
The 42mm case is imposing but thin: at less than 11mm (10,9mm), sporting a significant lug-to-lug gap, the NOMOS Glashütte Tangente Sport neomatik 42 date marine black looks like a 40mm sports watch, that easily slides under the cuff. I feel that NOMOS Glashütte might hopefully turn this watch into an ultra-thin timepiece, anytime soon: it would be a great addition to the Tangente collection, considering that this specific segment is poor of options and the market trend is geared towards a consistent reduction in case size and thickness. The pros of being a vertically-integrated manufacturer are visible when you flip the watch over; the NOMOS DUW 6101 caliber reasonably fits the case and has the Date ring placed on the outermost circumference, so that you can enjoy a fairly sized and super-readable date window.
Up-close, you’ll notice a “1000 ft” red lettering on the dial; the NOMOS Glashütte Tangente Sport neomatik 42 date marine black is, therefore, water resistant to a staggering 300m, proof positive the brand aims at ranking high in the sports watch luxury segment, by combining a business casual look with ease-of-use on your Saturday morning walk to the nearest beach. With the NOMOS Glashütte Tangente Sport neomatik 42 date marine black, priced at € 3,980, NOMOS Glashütte officially joins the luxury sports watch community. To sum it up: among its pros, I would highlight it is crafted in-house from A to Z, among its cons, I would emphasize instead that at least 70–hour of power reserve are expected.
(Photo credit: Simona Bertogliatti e Marco Antinori for Horbiter®)
Gaetano C @Horbiter®
Instagram – Gaetano Cimmino
