The Mega Minimalist Watch Splurge: NOMOS Tangente – $1900 – $2180
Editor’s Note: This falls firmly into the “Too Expensive” category for the vast majority of us. So much so that it’s an oddity to feature something this pricey on this website. So consider this the exception, and not a new sort of rule. $1900 gets you a stainless steel caseback, $2180 gets you a sapphire crystal exhibition back. For $2330 you can increase the size to 38mm (yep, the base model shown is just 35mm)
There’s nothing quite like reading articles about luxury watches to give you a bit of perspective. What is considered distastefully cheap and entry-level for some will be literally the most expensive thing owned by others. And by “others” I mean me.
Enter NOMOS, the luxury watch brand that is both “entry-level” and still expensive enough to dramatically affect my net worth. It’s the “cheap” watch that even watch snobs give grudging respect.
Design and Movement
NOMOS is based in Glashütte, Germany, the home of German watchmaking. Watches from there are afforded special protection to ensure quality; to be labeled a “Glashütte watch”, 50 percent of the watch’s movement must be created by the company. NOMOS build up to 95 percent of each movement in Glashütte.
NOMOS assembles all their movements in house. The Tangente features their Alpha caliber, a small, hand wound movement which has about 43 hours of energy. It’s not an automatic. So you do have to manually wind it (there’s no oscillating weight inside), but I’ve found I enjoy the ritual of winding it each morning.. The movement is impeccable. I wind it every morning and haven’t noticed any inaccuracy.
The making of a Nomos.
At 35mm the Tangente is small by current watch trends, but I generally prefer smaller, thinner watches. It’s a luxury watch that doesn’t scream luxury. Like many classic styles it will be overlooked by some as being too simple, even boring. However, after wearing it in a number of different circumstances, from jeans and sneakers to a suit and cufflinks, the beauty and versatility of this watch is clear.
The minimalist design is best described as Bauhaus (think Mies van der Rohe buildings). The Tangente is getting close to the Platonic ideal of ‘watch’ with its lack of ornamentation and excess. Because there is nothing overtly “luxurious” about the watch, they have to get all the details perfect – the materials, the proportions, the typeface. And they do.
The stitched shell cordovan strap is soft and flexible and compliments the stainless steel case. The blue hands and subtle texture of the subdial give just the right touch of visual interest to the light silver face.
With the sapphire crystal back option you can see the ruby bearings, blue screws, ribbing, and Glashütte sunburst pattern. For minimalist design purists, a stainless steel backing is available, but who wouldn’t want to see behind the curtain on this watch?
Specs:
- Case: three part (“triparite”) stainless steel; 35 mm diameter ; 6.2 mm thick
- Sapphire crystal
- Dial: galvanized, white silver-plated
- Steel, tempered blue hands
- Shell cordovan strap
- Water resistance: to 30 m
- Lug width: 18 mm
Now, about that price…
When wearing it I am constantly aware of the cost of this watch and that I would be unable to replace it if something were to happen to it. I worry more about rain. I pay more attention to how I move my arm on the subway, watching out for errant bumps and knocks I previously never would have noticed. I expect that to fade with time. This is increasingly becoming my go-to, everyday watch.
This may be a polarizing watch. It’s either your style, or it’s not. But if it is, you will be hard pressed to find a finer expression of it.
About the Author: Ben Madeska is a Chicago based artist who often carries a Saddleback. Sometimes he carries it with the hand that’s attached to the wrist that sometimes sports this NOMOS Tangente. Sometimes he carries his Saddleback with the other hand. For a real perspective on art, wine, literature, and the news these things seem to make, you can follow Ben on Twitter.
Well done and money well spent in my opinion. I would love a Nomos Metro.
I guess I don’t get the purpose of this watch. If you buy a Rolex, you’re communicating to the world you can spend several thousand dollars on a watch. This doesn’t scream “money.” I really like the style of the Nomos, but I feel like you could find something very similar for $200 and 99% of people wouldn’t know the difference. I guess I’m the wrong audience for this. Like you said, I’d just be worried it would get broken or stolen. The most I would ever spend on a watch is $600 on a Shinola and that’s just because it’s made in the USA.
“If you buy a Rolex, you’re communicating to the world you can spend several thousand dollars on a watch”
You’d be surprised how many people DON’T want to do that.
And fair enough, but I guess I don’t understand the purpose of buying a $2000 watch if people don’t recognize it as a $2000 watch. Seems like buying a Jaguar and putting Hyundai logos on it.
Kent Wang does a Bauhaus inspired watch for $350. I actually think it look nicer than this watch overall. It’s sapphire, exhibition back, and mechanical too; but has a self-winding movement.
If you have that scratch laying around and you don’t buy a Sinn, an Oris, or a Kobold: go and boil your bottoms, sons of a silly person!
But seriously, while not much of a minimalist person, the simplicity of that watch is attractive. Shades of IWC, at a more attractive price.
Because you appreciate craftsmanship more than status signaling.
Nomos makes a lovely watch. A Club Dunkel (now discontinued) was my brother’s first foray into luxury watches. It’s impossible to overstate just how wonderfully understated these pieces are.
For sticker-shock perspective, Nomos has a couple neighbors in Glashutte, Germany who also produce their own watches and movements in-house. Except a watch from those neighboring brands will run you more like $6,000+ (Glashutte Original) or $16,000+ (A. Lange & Sohne).
For a horology snob who prizes manufacture status, the only modern watch that competes with Nomos in terms of value is Grand Seiko.
Have to agree here. I don’t want a Rolex because of this reason. Rolex are great time pieces but also the default watch for anyone with money.
If you are more interested in the people that do recognize it. As a car guy, I totally get this. I love my rare foregin roadster. 45% of people think its a Miata, another 45% think its a Porsche, that left over 5% that actually know? Those are the people I want to hang with.
I’m glad to see the word investment was omitted from this article. I greatly appreciate the willingness to call a splurge what it is. Cheers on the new watch.
Using the phrase “time piece,” to my mind, still does substantiate k’s for a watch.
But with respect to the person who buys the expensive watch, I think there are a few motivations possible: (1) conspicuous consumption – you got money to burn and need people to know; (2) truly a connoisseur – anything but cordovan leather and hand-etched precious metal against your skin is tortuous; or (3) a few thousand dollars for a watch is not material and you really don’t care.
I still think only (3) is the category that should be spending a few thousand dollars on a watch. And I’ll continue to feel strongly that a “time piece” is rather more valuable construed to be a piece of time.
Anyhow, this guy finally got into the $200 watch game (well, $180-ish), so maybe I’m not the right audience.
Agreed 100%. I have a Nomos Tangomat GMT in the mail that should be delivered tomorrow. As a watch-head, the details in the design, craftsmanship, and mechanics set this watch (and other Nomos pieces) apart from the similarly priced crowd. That was my splurge for this year, and over the past month, I’ve been flirting with the idea of a Grand Seiko. Next year maybe…
There is also:
(1) Creating a potential heirloom you can pass down to your son/grandson, etc.
(2) How the watch makes you feel when you wear it. 80% of people around me don’t know the difference between a $150 suit and a $2,000 suit, but I am much more confident (and therefore perform better) simply because I feel better in a better suit. I assume the feeling is similar in a $2,000 watch, though I admit, I haven’t gone down the watch road yet.
Now I’m really curious what it is.
I don’t know what happened, but I feel like I kind of grew out of my lusting for bauhaus style watches. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t turn one down, but they just don’t do it for me like they used to.
The watch is nice and I would love one. I don’t however see how this would be about “Affordable Men’s Style” and it makes me wonder about the backing behind this post. I know Joe tries to be transparent, but this has me wondering which I don’t like.
No money exchanged hands. Well, we paid Ben for writing the post and taking the photos. But we (Dappered) didn’t get nothin’ from nobody.
Just going for something different I guess.
One of my favorite luxury watches that I’d like to own someday.
For the people worried about the price, look for a used one, wear the hell out of it, then sell it for what you paid. That’s the beauty of buying a quality watch used.
It’s the Porsche Miata.
SO many other watches I would buy for that price point before this one. If you just like that look, check out Archimedes and their Klassic watch. Looks better than this, also from Germany, and costs fraction of this one.
I own a Jaeger Le Coultre MUT Reserve de Marche, which I chose as a wedding gift from my in-laws recently. Have you ever heard of it? Of course you haven’t – because I’m not trying to communicate to you anything by wearing it.
But I literally couldn’t care less. It’s for me. It doesn’t scream “OMG MONEY LOOK AT ME YOLO!!!” The people that buy Rolexes as a status symbol are the people that buy art to impress other people. The same people are buying Porsches not because they are great driving machines, but because they think that should impress everyone. People buy Beats by Dr. Dre because the TV told them (a lot) that they are the best and coolest. If you don’t have the ears to hear, if you don’t have the eyes to see, if you can’t feel the car underneath you, you won’t “get it” (and indeed I don’t about a lot of things, but that doesn’t invalidate them – it’s more a reflection on my ignorance on certain issues which I hope to learn more about with the time and the means one day).
Doesn’t make any difference that 99% of people wouldn’t know the difference between my watch and a Fossil quartz. I am the other 1%, which is lucky, because I get to own it. And oh is it nice.
Every once in a while you may run into another 1%-er who gets it and digs your watch, and that’s just gravy because it gives them a peek into your style and personality that most people don’t ever notice.
I’ve seen both in person. The Kent Wang is really more of a fashion watch masquerading as more. The finishing is similar to something like a Fossil (this is not a knock on it, it’s priced well), but it is worlds away from the fit and finish of the Nomos. I would take a Nomos manual wind over the Kent Wang’s mass produced Chinese automatic movement any day. There is a good reason why Nomos has a cult following even in the watch enthusiast world, which is saying a lot as watch people can be hypercritical killjoys about the most miniscule details.
That being said, it’s totally your prerogative to enjoy the look of the Kent Wang more, but you can’t justifiably compare their mechanical components without making the KW look silly, which is a bit unfair as that was probably never his intention to be stacked up as an amateur against a real watch design house.
I really like this watch.
You mention craftsmanship…I have a Tissot that cost a mere 10% this watch costs, looks equally good, and has lasted for years. So then, what is the difference in craftsmanship that justifies this price difference?
Who paid for the watch? Ben? Nomos? Or Dappered?
Affordable is all relative. In the universe of luxury watches $2000 is relatively affordable. I don’t see why it can’t be in keeping with the spirit of dappered to occasionally throw out a potential splurge that could offer reasonable value. What would the cutoff to be about affordable men’s style be? $500? $200? Any cutoff is going to be arbitrary to begin with.
That’s the same as someone saying ‘my $80 shoes are just as good as those $300 Allen Edmonds or $500 Aldens’. If you don’t understand and aren’t willing to listen, then there’s no point in wasting time explaining any further.
Septimus and Derek, I can offer my perspective as a Dappered contributor. Dappered has a strict ethics policy. You can read the applicable policy on this page under the “FTC disclosures and affiliate information” section: http://dappered.com/privacy-and-affiliate-disclosure/
Septimus, Joe already answered that question when he said that no money exchanged hands. To put it another way, Dappered did not pay for the watch or receive anything from Nomos.
I can’t speak to Nomos as I don’t know much about the brand, but other luxury watch brands (in general) use higher quality materials, use in-house movements, and control every aspect of their production. Rolex, to name just one, uses a higher grade steel than many other companies and controls every aspect of every detail of the watches they make, from the case finishing to the gold to the dial. Cheaper watches will use inferior materials, mass-produced movements or be quartz-watches, and cut corners in ways that the luxury brands do not. I’m not saying that this “justifies” the price difference, but that’s the value proposition they’re offering. Don’t buy it if you’re not into it.
“Looks equally as good” is also something most people would dispute. I almost guarantee this watch is better finished and more refined than a Tissot. And those little details matter to some people. “Looks equally as good” also does not even come close to a complete discussion about craftsmanship. I can buy a knock-off Rolex Daytona for $100 in NYC that looks like a real Daytona, but the subdials are just stickers and it’d be quartz. Saying they “look” the same doesn’t mean they’re built the same.
I also second Farhan’s comment below. It’s the same principles that distinguishes a $200 vs $2,000 leather jacket, a Jos A Banks suit from a Gieves & Hawkes’ suit, and a Drake’s tie from a Wal-Mart tie.
Thanks, Bruschetta. I’m not trying to be a jerk, and I think I understand Dappered’s policy. And I greatly appreciate how open Dappered is about its affiliates and who it takes money from and stuff. That said, I’m still a little unclear on what goes on in a situation like this. Ben now owns a $2K watch from Nomos. Dappered did not pay for the watch. I get that. Did Ben pay for it? Or did Nomos give it to Ben to review? (Or, you know, did Ben get it as a gift from his girlfriend or something?)
Like I said, I generally really appreciate the transparency here. And, like Derek, this raised a few questions in my mind.
It looks like the post I made previously got crushed, but you can also get a SeaGull Rodina automatic for around $120, and it’s visually very similar.
This is a lovely watch. Definitely would be a good candidate for my first “high end” watch. Of course, I’d be so worried about ruining it.
Affordable is relative, but this far above 95% of the items featured here. For luxury yes it is a deal.
Septimus, here’s what goes on behind the scenes: occasionally one of us asks Joe if we can write an article about a specialty item that we’ve purchased with our own money. These are typically items that Dappered would not normally cover, whether that be due to the high price, limited audience, etc. They’re items that the contributing author has a personal interest in. Dappered doesn’t pay for these items; they’re the personal belongings of the contributing writer.
To give you an example, last year I wrote about a series of MTM bridle leather belts that I had purchased a couple of months prior on my own dime.
Dappered does not let us write about items that we’ve received as freebies from companies.
I hope that answers your question.
“Dappered does not let us write about items that we’ve received as freebies from companies.”
Thanks, Bruschetta. That absolutely answers the question. And I’m happy to hear it.
(I remember your bridle leather belt articles. They were great and, as I recall, it was clear that you were purchasing them yourself. I was less clear here. And it’s great to get confirmation of the strong ethical practices behind these articles.)
It’s not the same at all. Not even close. My Allen Edmonds have distinct quality differences than a cheap pair of shoes. These differences are very distinguishable and measurable. They also have the guarantee to be rebuilt by AE when the time comes. My Tissot has lasted years (it’s mechanical), just as this Nomos or any other expensive watch purports to do. So I’m asking, what is the difference in quality that justifies the huge difference in price? Nowhere in this entire post does someone give specifics in “craftsmanship” that differentiates this watch from a less expensive watch.
The difference between low quality clothing and high quality clothing is NOT an appropriate comparison. Something from H&M that lasts a year is easily to identify over the same type of clothing from Brooks Brothers that will last a lifetime. Marathon watches are considered by many to be among the highest quality watch you can purchase, yet they are a fraction of the price as this Nomos. I’m going to guess that most people do not actually know what defines a high quality watch. At this price point, there is probably not much difference in quality between this Nomos and my Tissot beyond the brand name…especially considering my less refined Tissot has worked just as well as the day I purchased it, 10 years ago. Perhaps we should see more Rolexes and Nomos’ at construction sites or other hard environments to test their true quality.
I know the watch because it’s what J. TImberlake wore in “Bad Teacher”. Not really sure what that says about me, though…
I really, really hope you don’t use adblock 🙂
If you disagree with my analogy to clothing, go ahead, but I gave you a reasonable explanation of what goes into a quality watch — materials, in house production and movements, and to some extent, history. (Though Tissot also has an extensive history, I will admit.) Some people very clearly think that these things justify the cost. I can’t convince you of that. Is the luxury watch market a giant circle jerk where rich people congratulate themselves for how much money they can blow on a piece of jewelry? Maybe. But having tried on some Rolexes and some JLCs, they just feel nicer. If you like the look, if you like the brand, if you like the movement and can afford it, buy a luxury watch.
You’re mistaking quality for durability. I don’t think a Tangente is meant to be banged around on a construction site — a Tudor Pelagos, a Rolex Sub, or a AP Offshore, though: definitely.
Above you say your Allen Edmonds have “distinct quality differences than a cheap pair of shoes,” but what distinguishes a pair of AEs from a pair of Aldens? From a pair of John Lobbs? From a pair of Saint Crispins? Honestly, the differences in quality become smaller as you move up the price scale. It’s easy to say your second tier shoes are better than your box-toed, rubber sole Macy’s shoes, just as I can say your Tissot is nicer than the Timex weekender. But as you continue further up, the “quality” (as defined by the input materials, the experience of the manufacturer, the contained/controlled production, and the history behind the brand) still moves up, but not linearly to the price. So is a Patek 5370 really 100x nicer than this Tangente? Probably not. But it’s damn fine. And that’s why people buy it. It’s. damn. fine.
Right, and I’d say if you consider 95% of the items here to be in the affordable range, then overall Joe and team are probably doing a pretty good job. The occasional outlier and aspirational purchase is a nice change up.
“There’s nothing quite like reading articles about luxury watches to give you a bit of perspective.” – Ben (at the start of this post)
Let’s move on fellas. Thanks.
Thanks Mike.
But it’s really just a ploy to rack up extra pageviews from watch nerds firing off back and forth in the comments. So far, it’s working!
Who you calling a nerd? haha. Been called worse. Always knew you guys were up to something….
PRESENT COMPANY EXCLUDED OF COURSE!
Anyway, Watch nerds > Watch snobs. There really is no comparison between the two.
They are unfamiliar with the concept of automobiles and believe it to be some sort of advanced chariot.
Have you ever handled a Nomos in-person? I’ve owned one Nomos and handled another. I’ve owned and flipped a couple Tissots as well, and handled a bunch more of them in-person in watch shops. I can tell you from experience the Nomos is in a different league in terms of build quality, finish, and design aesthetic. Differences in fit and finish, particularly on such a small scale, are nearly impossible to quantify, but the difference is nevertheless readily observable to an experienced and discerning eye. There’s nothing wrong with Tissot, but it just doesn’t compete with Nomos.
Aside from the generally superior quality, finishing, and attention to details, there’s the small fact that Nomos manufactures its movements in-house. In other words, Nomos is a true watchmaker or “manufacture,” unlike the vast majority of manufacturers, who merely put other watchmaker’s movements into their own cases. Tissot, for example, buys generic ETA movements and puts them in a case. At most, it will make minor modifications, or have ETA make minor modifications, to existing movements in its more expensive models (for example, the Powermatic 80 movement, which is a modified ETA 2824-2).
Most of the value of a mechanical watch comes down to the quality and prestige associated with the movement. For many collectors and enthusiasts, an in-house movement alone more than justifies any difference in price between the Nomos and any entry-level “caser” watch. Everything else – the award-winning Bauhaus designs, the shell cordovan straps, the incredible attention to detail in the case and dial – is just icing on the cake. The value of in-house status is such that there have been serious controversies in the watch world relating to watchmakers who try to pass off other watchmakers’ movements as their own (see: Bremont’s Caliber BWC/01, which is actually a modified La Joux Perret movement, and Tag’s Caliber 1887, which is actually based on a Seiko movement).
As I mentioned in a separate comment, the fact that Nomos manufactures its own, high-quality movements puts it in an elite class of watchmakers that include its neighbors, Glashutte Original and A. Lange & Sohne, as well as the other “greats” like Patek, Vacheron, Audemars, Jaeger le Coultre, Rolex, Grand Seiko, as well as up-and-comers like Omega, RGM, Frederique Constant, etc.
Is the “in-house” thing a completely subjective and fairly arbitrary way to measure a watch’s value? Sure, absolutely. There is nothing objectively superior about an in-house movement. But when you’re spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on a completely obsolete, outdated technology like a mechanical watch and calling it a “luxury” at all, you’ve pretty much thrown any aspirations to objectivity out the window.
http://cdn.meme.am/instances/500x/54869022.jpg
PRESUMPTUOUS MUCH!?
I know things. Leave me alone.
you’ll never be able to justify spending that much on a watch to anyone that asks you to justify it. if i made a bit more (ok, maybe more than a bit more) money, i could see myself splurging on a timepiece in this price range
I turned AdBlock off for Dappered, of course! As I said, I like and support the straightforward ethical practices. 🙂
I think I’d rather get my bottom boiled than buy a Kobold TBH.
Wow didn’t know that – just looked it up. He was wearing the base model from the original Master Control line, which is a pretty cool watch in its own right. I’m not sure either what knowing this factoid says about you; I’m just glad it wasn’t like Rob Schneider.
Was presumptive of the fact that most people who aren’t into watches haven’t heard of many brands besides Rolex and Tag, which I would assert is true. Didn’t mean to sound condescending, so apologies if it came off like it
I would think this is not the best comparison. Better would be AE at 300 and say something like Lobb at 1200. Diminishing returns.
It’s jokes man. I literally laughed out loud when I read “Have you ever heard of it? Of course you haven’t….”
The ‘luxury’ stuff always leads to best/ worst discussion (depending on how you look at it and whether you are into that particular item).
You do it when you’re only concerned with recognition from people who are “in” on it
Alfa?
Nomos really has come a long way. While I still love this brand, I remember a few years ago a Nomos could be purchased from the manufacturer for less than $2000. It was a ridiculous value. I understand that all brands experience price increases, and I still agree that in terms of price and quality, Nomos is still a great option. It’s just that now they have entered a more competitive price point, and I’d rather spend that money on a different brand.
For those that like the look of this watch, there is a Rodina knockoff that looks very similar that can be had for less than $125. Be warned though that while it looks the same, the quality isn’t the same. The rotor inside it is much louder and obviously the watch won’t be as accurate. But for $100 or so, it was fun to give a try for a few months before deciding to purchase or pass on a real Nomos. It made me realize that the watch is just a bit too small so I passed on the Nomos.
Nomos makes several sizes of watches, just FYI. The 35 mm used to be normal size for a man but these days would be SUPER small compared to what most people are used to seeing. The Tangomat if I recall correctly is bigger than the Tangente.
I’m aware of that. The Rodina I had was 38 mm I believe. It just felt a bit small too me.
I think the biggest difference is that Nomos makes their own watch movements. Recently they’ve even starting making their own escapements. Tissot uses mass-produced ETA movements (granted, Tissot and ETA are both owned by Swatch group). The difference isn’t so much cheap car vs expensive car but rather mass-produced expensive car vs hand-made, hand-finished expensive car. A Shelby Mustang is going to cost a lot more than an off-the-line Mustang due to the massive increase in labor hours required to turn one out.