Introducing The NOMOS 31 Collection

Ladies and gentlemen, I can confidently say that the NOMOS Tangente is back, and in a major way.

Okay, arguably, it never went away, but with the Glashütte-based manufacturer diverting its attention elsewhere in the collection, it has felt long overdue that the model that put the brand on the map receives some refreshed love.

Bauhaus, fine watchmaking, and colour are key tenets of NOMOS Glashütte today, and while the Club has spent the past few years in the spotlight, it's time for the OG to regain its rightful throne. As of today, NOMOS brings all colours of the rainbow to the Tangente collection in one of the biggest introductions of new watches in recent history. Created to mark the 175th year of watchmaking in Glashütte, a total of 31 new references join the family, and each offers a different execution of dial colours. That's not a typo; the Tangente family has exponentially increased with the introduction of the NOMOS 31 Collection.

Essentially, NOMOS has taken a few core elements: the central dial surface, the seconds track, the subsidiary seconds track, and the numerals and produced dozens of renderings in a vast array of colours. The result? Well, this collection truly offers something for everyone. Have you always fancied the idea of a green and cream Tangente but don't love how the new 'Schlossgrün' adds grey into the mix? No problem, you'll want the latest 'Go'. Or maybe you have a crush on the orange and creamy tones of the 'Boje' but wish there was just something else to tie the two colours together; here, take the 'Flamingopink'.

From muted expressions like the 'Schulhausweiß' to incredibly striking pieces like the 'Sportbunt', NOMOS has every flavour for every taste – it's really quite remarkable.

Dials and colours aside, the new Tangente collection is everything you and I love NOMOS for. 38mm in width, a date aperture at six, and still powered by the DUW 4101. This calibre is particularly special not only for its NOMOS Swing System but also because the way the date ring is placed around the movement – thus allowing it to sit right at the edge of the dial and be the large size it is – is patented.

Better still, these new models come in at a lower price than the current standard Tangente 38 Date (reference 130), retailing for £1,980 vs £2,320. That's a significant price difference.  

First thoughts

You know just as well as I do that we watch folks can be quite a picky bunch when we want to be. Don't get me wrong, I love us for it, but "If only it was 39mm instead of 40mm" or "If you made a blue dial, I would have bought one" are prevalent phrases to come out of our mouths. It's from a good place, but some might say the impact of this is fewer purchases being made. With these 30-plus options, NOMOS has essentially created an army of variations that satisfy all tastes. 

It's also worth noting that these expressions really tap into NOMOS' underappreciated ability to produce magnificent special editions. Seriously, there are so many interesting NOMOS pieces from their archive, such as this Tangente Toki LE from 2005.

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Mark Kauzlarich of Hodinkee even wrote a great article highlighting some of these amazing pieces over the years (found here https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/buying-selling-collecting-nomos-limited-editions).

While these new editions are perhaps not as experimental as some of those you'll find in the article, I love seeing NOMOS experiment with colour beyond the ubiquitous executions we've seen recently.

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