Nomos Tangente. When does a modern watch become a classic?

Nomos Tangente 101. When does a modern watch become a classic? 25 years maybe?

 The not so little anymore watch manufacture out of Glashutte, Germany has been growing exponentially for a good reason. They celebrate traditional watchmaking, they remained independent, and their price-to-quality ratio is one of the best.

In 1991, Nomos identified a niche in the market and patiently improved everything about their craft to solidify their position in it. To further stand out, Nomos developed unique designs inspired by the Bauhaus movement and switched to exclusively in house calibers by 2005. There are no signs of slowing down. Nomos keeps coming out with new movements (DUW3001 and derivatives) and work hard to set themselves apart not only from the competition but watch industry as a whole. Today, any watch enthusiast with 2 – 4k USD budget is considering a Nomos.

The piece in review is the famous Tangente 101 with Nomos original first caliber – alpha. It is a manual wind caliber with 43 hours of power reserve and height of only 2.6mm. The polished steel case is round and minimalistic to emphasize quirky angled lugs. The white galvanized dial is absolutely stunning in the “less is more” way. Black printed indices and numerals point to center giving the overall look more purpose. All hands, including small seconds at 6 o’clock, are blued and play beautifully with natural light. The watch looks great from afar and up close.     

Tangente’s success with creative and visual professionals such as architects and designers further proves the hit aesthetic. But that’s not all. Once you pick it up to wind, it pleasantly surprises you with genuine smooth click and no grinding! The winding feels and sounds like a vintage Zenith or Omega but smoother. I honestly fail to remember a watch I enjoyed winding more than Nomos. 

Tangente 101 comes standard on a Horween shell cordovan black strap, which makes it look dressier and more elegant. However once you throw on a vintage style rye leather strap, you can get real hip vibe from it and feel at ease with t-shirt, cardigan, or denim jacket. As if it was meant to change personality by design, the lugs conveniently have outside holes for swift strap changes. 

On top of it all, Nomos is one of the few brands that supplies watch parts to independent watchmakers. This means you can bring Nomos Tangente to your local watchmaker who will be able to get parts for the alpha movement from Nomos and service it for a reasonable cost. Not to say that Nomos service rates are through the roof, but in case you live on the other side of the planet, it just might be a thoughtful thing to do. Besides, most companies that manufacture their movements in-house belong to a big conglomerate and their service centers act as cash grab hubs with exclusive access to parts.  

Overall I was surprised by how pretty this watch was in real life. All proportions have an undeniable attractive aesthetic and given the list price of $1650 USD for steel back model, you can end up with a lot of watch for the money.