Celebrating 175 Years Of Watchmaking In Glashütte With The New Nomos Tangente Rose Gold Neomatik
Whoever knows Nomos knows the Tangente. The model was part of the first collection of watches that the brand from Glashütte launched in 1991. Since then, many different editions have also come out, and almost every color has found a home on a Tangente dial. Apart from stainless steel, the case has also been produced in 18K yellow gold. So, how can Nomos keep it fresh? Well, I think the brand’s designers have found exactly the right way to grab our attention again. May I have your attention, please, for the Nomos Tangente Rose Gold Neomatik?
About a month ago, I was lucky enough to visit the company’s home base in Glashütte for its fourth Nomos Forum. This is an annual event where Nomos presents itself and its new release to retailers and the press. We got a tour of where the watches are manufactured and assembled, and finally, we were presented with the upcoming releases. I only knew of one particular release upfront, which was the Nomos Club Sport 39 that Jorg recently reviewed. But I must say, the surprising release of this Tangente in rose gold might’ve been my favorite of them all. Let’s see why I was so attracted to it.
The new Nomos Tangente Rose Gold Neomatik next to the stainless steel Nomos Tangente 101 that I borrowed for the event
Immediately impressed
First of all, it might have to do something with the fact that during the presentation, I was wearing a very similar Tangente. I borrowed it from a friend of mine so that I wouldn’t feel out of place at the event. Up to that point, I had worn the watch for a day or two, and I was really starting to like it. It was the classic stainless steel hand-wound Tangente 101 with a silvery-white dial and a brown leather strap. Its 35mm case size in combination with the time-only dial suited my 17cm wrist quite well. It felt light, and I enjoyed its less-is-more design.
And right there and then, I was sitting in the front row at the Nomos Forum when the new Tangente Rose Gold Neomatik was presented. My glance shifted a few times between the watch on my wrist and the one on the screen. In some ways, it looked the same, but in others, it also looked very different. It also matched very well with the company’s philosophy of creating simple, thin, and good-looking watches. I think especially the latter is true for this very elegant version of the classic Tangente.
A rose gold case and dial
The new watch has almost the same dimensions as the stainless steel Tangente that I borrowed for the event. The all-polished rose gold case is still 35mm wide and measures 45mm from lug to lug. There’s just a 0.7mm increase in thickness to make room for the automatic movement inside. However, I can’t say that this makes the watch too thick at all. It still wears very well, and even the increased weight of the rose gold case isn’t very noticeable. I only tried it on for a quick wrist shot, though, so this might be different if you wear the watch for a little longer.
The dial on the rose gold Tangente has a layout that I think I’ve never seen before. I’m referring to the wide rose gold ribbon on the edge of the dial. I’ve seen other limited-edition Tangente watches with a colored ribbon on the dial, but this one extends all the way to the edge. The slightly recessed sub-dial for the running seconds is also rose gold, while the rest of the dial is silvery white. It’s almost like a “tuxedo” layout, and that feature suits this very elegant-looking Tangente very well. What I did notice is that the rose gold on the dial is a bit pinker than the case, so, in comparison, sometimes the case looks less “rosy” than it is.
Of course, the Tangente’s signature numerals are still there at 2, 4, 8, and 12 o’clock. The thin, straight golden hour and minute hands also still move around the dial like two conductor’s batons. It’s all very clean and simple, yet it’s very attractive, if I may say so.
A slim automatic watch
When you turn the watch over, you can take a look at the Nomos in-house automatic DUW 3001 Neomatik movement. It’s extremely thin at 3.2mm, and therefore, the watch is also very thin at just 6.9mm. For this limited edition, the movement is regulated to chronometer standards, which means it should run between -4 and +6 seconds a day. It also offers 43 hours of power reserve, runs at 21,600vph, and carries 27 jewels.
Final words
As I said, I think this rose gold version is a very welcome and fresh new version of the Nomos Tangente. In many aspects, it’s the same as many Tangente models out there, yet it offers a different experience. It’s more sophisticated with its rose gold case and two-tone “tuxedo” dial. I also really like that Nomos made it in its original 35mm size. I’m sure the temptation to make it in a bigger size was there, but I applaud the designers for not giving in. This more classic dress-watch size suits this type of watch very well.
The fact that this is a limited edition of 175 pieces with a rose gold case does mean the price is quite a lot higher than a typical Nomos watch. Those often cost somewhere between €1,000 and €3,500, I’d say, but the Tangente Rose Gold Neomatik will set you back €8,600. You do get a very good-looking watch with an impressively thin and reliable movement for that money. And, of course, as we’re used to with Nomos, the watch comes on a brown Horween Genuine Shell Cordovan leather strap.
For more information about the watch and availability, please visit the official Nomos website. And do let me know in the comments below what you think of this new limited edition.
