{"id":26546,"date":"2020-08-27T09:50:34","date_gmt":"2020-08-27T09:50:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.horbiter.com\/nomos-glashutte-ludwig-175-years-watchmaking-glashutte\/"},"modified":"2023-02-04T08:47:28","modified_gmt":"2023-02-04T07:47:28","slug":"nomos-glashuette-ludwig-175-years-watchmaking-glashuette","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.horbiter.com\/en\/nomos-glashuette-ludwig-175-years-watchmaking-glashuette\/","title":{"rendered":"The NOMOS Glash\u00fctte Ludwig 175 Years Watchmaking Glash\u00fctte watches hands-on"},"content":{"rendered":"

A few watch geeks are aware that 175 years ago<\/strong>, the small town of Glash\u00fctte<\/strong>, which counts more than just 7,000 people<\/strong> today, began setting itself as the \u201cSilicon Valley<\/em>\u201d of German<\/strong> watchmaking and the most challenging competitor to the Swiss-made industry.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, NOMOS Glash\u00fctte<\/strong>, the youngest and minimalism-inspired brand among the Saxon watch manufacturers, was the first and only brand to celebrate such a remarkable milestone, back in July. With the newly introduced Ludwig<\/strong> anniversary collection, we get our hands on one of the most classic NOMOS<\/strong> timepieces ever and enlarge our brand coverage by extending to something considerably different from Autobahn<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, Orion<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, Ahoi<\/strong><\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Available with either hand-wind or automatic movements, the NOMOS Glash\u00fctte Ludwig 175 Years of Watchmaking<\/strong> collection comes in three product variations, totaling 175 pieces<\/strong> (each) covering case sizes from 35<\/strong> to 40<\/strong>,5mm<\/strong>, across. The entry-price option is hand-wound; the other two are self-winding instead. They share the signature in-house approach true to NOMOS Glash\u00fctte<\/strong>\u2018s company vision.<\/p>\n

Three are the main attributes that set these new Ludwig<\/strong> apart from the most modern offering; a pure white enamel dial <\/strong>with blued<\/strong> leaf<\/strong>\u2013shaped hands<\/strong>, and a \u201cchemin de fer\u201d<\/em> minute track. The biggest one is also showcasing a large date window whose date comes in Roman numerals as well.<\/p>\n

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Regarding date and dial, I guess this Ludwig<\/strong>\u2018s full Roman display dial is unique; what a pity the brand\u2019s designers didn\u2019t dare by turning the number three by ninety degrees clockwise, and making it the twelfth index, once a month. Additionally, as you progress towards the end of each month, the date display becomes too crowded, due to the Roman numerals<\/strong><\/span><\/a> standard additive logic.<\/p>\n

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The white enameled dial is among those traits you can fully appreciate from up close and stands out when that dial houses a slightly recessed counter. The enameling is exquisitely executed and flawless and makes the dial shine.<\/p>\n

The 35mm NOMOS Glash\u00fctte Ludwig<\/strong> is my cup of tea; it is unfortunately relatively small for my wrist, but perfect for unisex or women\u2019s wrists like Giulia<\/strong>\u2018s, the professional violin player who played an opera from another Ludwig<\/strong>, during our photo-shooting session.<\/p>\n

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The smallest Ludwig<\/strong> is the most classic timepiece NOMOS<\/strong> has ever produced: it houses the hand-wound Alpha<\/strong> caliber, it is thin, and shares Roman numerals and blued hands with its largest siblings. I wonder what a 38<\/strong>,5mm<\/strong> Alpha-powered Ludwig<\/strong> might look like, but, case in point, the NOMOS<\/strong> watchmakers opted for a DUW3001<\/strong> in-house movement, whose rating precision meets chronometric standards (like the two self-winding calibers).<\/p>\n

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The top-end model is a 40<\/strong>,5mm<\/strong> timepiece housing the DUW6101<\/strong> caliber<\/strong>, whose overall size grows to 35<\/strong>,2mm<\/strong> from a DUW3001<\/strong>\u2018s original 28<\/strong>,8mm. From a design and engineering perspective, this choice is in keeping with the brand\u2019s approach of creating sleek proportioned timepieces inside and out, where form meets function and the other way around.<\/p>\n

The 40<\/strong>,5mm<\/strong> version is the most refined and the most adaptable to bigger wrists, although it is relatively thin. The NOMOS Glash\u00fctte Ludwig 175 Years of Watchmaking<\/strong> product range\u2019s thickness starts at 6<\/strong>,8mm<\/strong>, and stops at an incredible 7<\/strong>,7mm<\/strong>, proving how well-thought-through are the NOMOS Glash\u00fctte<\/strong> automatic movements. The retail price starts at 1<\/strong>,800<\/strong> Euros<\/strong>, making the hand-wound Ludwig<\/strong> the more affordable so far.<\/p>\n

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The 38<\/strong>,5<\/strong> and 40<\/strong>,5mm<\/strong> neomatik<\/strong> come at 2<\/strong>,800 Euros<\/strong> and 3<\/strong>,300 Euros<\/strong> sticker prices, respectively. Truth to tell, the DUWs<\/strong> offer uncommon technical prowess, including the proprietary in-house developed Swing System<\/strong> and reduced thickness in this class of timepieces. The icing on the cake, NOMOS Glash\u00fctte<\/strong> equipped all the Ludwig<\/strong> with a soft Cordovan<\/strong> leather strap crafted by Horween<\/strong> tannery. Dating back to 1905<\/strong>, Horween prides itself with producing premium hand-stitched leather straps and replacement straps for the most demanding watch enthusiasts.<\/p>\n