The Nomos Glashütte Tangente 2date watches hands-on

Introduction

During the last Forum organized in Glashütte, the unexpected Nomos Tangente 2date broke cover and shook the watch community. Why did Nomos Glashütte engineer a watch with a double-date display when most enthusiasts eagerly ask for no-frills, no-date dials?

Such a choice looked strange considering the brand’s “Less is more” pedigree, where form meets function. However, you’ll discover much more at stake when you scratch the surface, and, as you do when you slowly disclose your cards, the Tangente 2date marks the next step in Nomos Glashütte’s product evolution.

The Tangente as never you’ve seen it before

From atop, you can hardly spot any difference from any ordinary Tangente. A Tangente embodies what the brand stands for, epitomizing its Bauhaus style. The Update architecture is well known, too, and nothing new despite being paired exclusively with a neomatik movement. So far.

The annular date display is patented and spread across the range, including the rounded-edge Metro Update. Being a vertically integrated manufacturer means designers can merge style and mechanics seamlessly and in a way that arranges all the readings and counters on the dial as they like. An integrated execution means you can place the date window on the outermost part of the dial and choose a font that mimics the Arabic numerals, too.

On a Tangente 2date, the association between the two date indications required some changes: the trapezoidal date window was slightly reshaped, and the “Made in Germany” moved between the chapter ring and the annular date display. The outcome is extraordinary; the case size drops to 37.5 mm, and its thickness from a Tangente Update’s 7.8 mm to 6.7 mm. What powers the new Nomos Tangente 2date, then?

From a design cue to a new calibre and back, please welcome the DUW 4601

Complaining about the 41mm Tangente neomatik Update’s slenderness is hard, but a 2date is next level. If the 41 mm Tangente is ultra-flat, how could we describe the new model’s slimness? To achieve it (along with a double date display), the technicians raised the bar by designing a new hand-wound movement.

The DUW 4601 brings the neomatik’s goodness to a hand-wind architecture that excels in beauty and performance. The engineers raised the power reserve to 52 hours. What we asked for when reviewing the neomatik is now available on the 4601 instead, possibly thanks to more space available by removing the winding mass. Also, a longer power reserve is more relevant on manually wound watches than self-winding ones.

We’d add a power reserve indicator on the movement side to draw info about the remaining energy from the barrel, but it was not Nomos’ first intent. Featuring a newly-designed balance cock and proprietary Swing System, the movement showcases superbly-executed Glashütte ribbons extending from the regulating organ to the outer surface on a three-quarter plate according to Saxon fine watchmaking’s heritage.

The date ring holds the movement’s outermost part and is covered by an equally finished bridge extending the original pattern. The mid part probably sets the basis of a new hand-wind base calibre moving forward.

Two dial options at launch

The Tangente 2date kicks off with a blue or white dial. The blue is polished and then smoothed before undergoing an electroplating process. It also has a sunray finish, contrasting the small seconds counter’s snail finish. On the white variant, the dial undergoes a silver-plating galvanization process. A Tangente being a Tangente, both models pair baton indexes and Arabic numerals in classic Nomos Glashütte serif font.

Final thoughts

In its most expensive iteration, a Tangente 2date retails for 2,580 Euros and sets a new benchmark for all the competing brands in price-to-quality ratio or, else said, outperforms the competition. A closed-case back option only makes sense if you want to personalize the watch. It’s a pity to hide such a beautiful movement as the DUW 4601. However, you can save a few euros and spend 2,360 Euros.

I identified two areas of improvement. The first is the date adjustment operation, which requires more effort than usual and is not as smooth as expected, given the torque needed to adjust a double date mechanism, I think.

The latter concerns the winding experience; you can feel a short backlash at the end of each turn of the crown. However, the watches available were samples from the first production run. Also, why is a replacement steel bracelet not available?

Final thought: Our idea is that Nomos Glashütte aimed to provoke the community with a “date no-date” debate and succeeded in driving the audience to the main takeout: the new DUW 4601 calibre, possibly triggering a new hand-wind and Swing system-operated movement anytime soon.

(Photo credit: Horbiter®)

Giovanni Maria Di Biase @Horbiter®