Hidden away amid the hills and vegetation of Southeast Germany, neighboring Berlin, and Prague, the town of Glashütte is home to owner-operated watchmaking companies in the world, NOMOS Glashütte. One out of a few of its kind, the luxury mechanical timepieces have been crafted in Glashütte for more than 170 years, allowing the creators in the region to garner expertise and craftsmanship only a few others have matched around the world. The chronometer has accumulated approximately 150 prizes for its eccentric design and up-to-par quality. “At NOMOS Glashütte we are rather reticent with new releases, which is just as well since we make classic timepieces,” Head of Product Management at NOMOS Glashütte, Heike Ahrendt, said. “Most of our watch models have been around for a long time, and we tend to create variations of these. We nevertheless continue to grow.”
The watches made by NOMOS Glashütte are created in such a way, correlated with the driving values of Deutscher Werkbund, the founding father of the Bauhaus movement. The German art school combined crafts and fine art developments such as architecture, interior design, graphic design, among many others. The movement led to further advancements of German engineering and modern technology, making the perfect recipe for quality time-tellers.
NOMOS’ creative division in Berlin spends ample time formulating unique characteristics on the watches including distinctive opulent materials, narrow bezels, polished dials, and slim hands. The watches come in all sorts of shapes, materials, and hues. The company’s site showcases options for both genders, along with new releases and bestsellers, offering up to 12 payment installments to facilitate the purchasing process for buyers.
The models that are offered include Ahoi, Autobahn, Club, Lambda, Ludwig, Lux, Metro, Minimatik, Orion, Tangente, Tangomat, Tetra, and Zürich. Among its new releases is its limited edition Ludwig, made in recognition of the fore-founding efforts of watch-making in the area. Its high-end mechanical abilities, sapphire glass case-back, roman numerals, an enamel-white dial, blue leaf hands, and an anniversary engraved around it. NOMOS’ Glashütte for Doctors Without Borders also honors humanitarian efforts against epidemics, natural disasters, and forced migration. With more than 8,000 watches manufactured for the organization, the German section of Doctors without Borders, Ahoi Datum, and Ahoi neomatik für Ärzte ohne Grenzen Deutschland have each been restricted to a limit of 250 watches around the world. The neomatik version is priced at USD 4,350, while the Datum is priced at USD 4780.
The Tratra Symphony is also one of NOMOS’ latest releases. Created at the delicacy of Ludwig van Beethoven’s 250th birthday. The timepieces are offered in four soft, pastel shades, all priced at USD 2080. Tetra Divine Sparks comes in soft pink, while Tetra Immortal Beloved is a teal-like color, Tetra Ode to Joy is a cross between olive and gray, and Tetra Fidelio is a deep navy.
Despite its wide variety, production is expected to slow this year due to current surrounding global circumstances. “Of course, after the cancelation of the spring trade fairs and with many people around the world looking forward to something other than new watches, it’s normal that 2020 will be a little different, slower in some respects,” Ahrendt said.