NOMOS Glashütte: Facts, figures, identity
1. The brand NOMOS Glashütte
The finest watches in the world have been made in Glashütte for 175 years. NOMOS Glashütte is a part of this tradition of German fine watchmaking and produces, largely by hand, the watches of tomorrow: The best materials, generations’ worth of handcraft and knowledge, cutting-edge research and high-tech production methods, as well as clear, functional design—NOMOS watches represent all of the above. NOMOS Glashütte manufactures the most renowned mechanical wristwatch made in Germany, Tangente.
Nobody in Germany produces more mechanical watches than NOMOS Glashütte. The watchmaking company is the market leader in the price class up to 4,500 euros. Today, NOMOS watches are sold in over 50 countries worldwide.
2. Bauhaus, Werkbund, Made in Germany—and the legend of Glashütte
Wherever possible, everything at NOMOS Glashütte is reduced down to essentials—and what remains must always be of the highest quality. NOMOS Glashütte is a member of the Deutscher Werkbund – which still exists today – and works according to the rules of the German Bauhaus movement.
But above all, it is Glashütte itself that underpins the identity of NOMOS Glashütte. This small town has been the destination and center of excellence for the art of watchmaking for 175 years. Engineering and craftsmanship, precision, and a passion for detail have been refined here over decades. The result: Made in Germany at its very best.
To achieve this, draftsmen, toolmakers, watchmakers, and engineers work hand in hand with designers. The aim is to produce the best products through excellence in all areas—long-lasting watches that are exceptionally accurate; precision instruments and loyal companions.
3. Offices and employees on three continents
NOMOS Glashütte is owner-operated, a family-run business. Leading the company together with the founder Roland Schwertner are the partners Uwe Ahrendt, CEO of the watchmaking company, and Judith Borowski, head of branding and design. Around 200 employees work for NOMOS Glashütte. The majority, around 180, work in the traditional center of Glashütte where the watch movements and timepieces are produced. Around 20 more NOMOS staff work in Berlin, New York, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Como.
4. Glashütte heritage: The in-house calibers
NOMOS Glashütte produces all eleven calibers in-house in Glashütte. The finest mechanical watches have been built in this town for over 175 years. Glashütte is a legally protected designation of origin. The denomination „Glashütte“ can only be used for wristwatches when at least 50 percent of a caliber’s value is generated there. At NOMOS Glashütte, however, the production depth is up to 95 percent—meaning the company itself always ensures the quality of its calibers. NOMOS Glashütte also holds several patents, such as various date mechanisms, including the style of date display for DUW 6101, and for the power reserve indicator.
Extremely rare, even in the world of fine watchmaking: NOMOS Glashütte has been producing a proprietary escapement, the heart of the watch, in series since 2014. At NOMOS Glashütte it is called the NOMOS swing system. At the time, the NOMOS swing system broke the quasi-monopoly of Swiss producers. The project took seven years of R&D to develop this tiny watchmaking component and it confirms the watchmaking company’s independence today.
The NOMOS swing system is also at work within the company’s in-house neomatik calibers, DUW 3001 (2015) and DUW 6101 (with date, 2018). At just 3.2 millimeters in height (with date, 3.6 millimeters), these self-winding movements are exceptionally slender and yet incredibly precise. The neomatik date caliber (DUW 6101) is the eleventh proprietary caliber, featuring a twice-patented date mechanism—which can be set quickly and easily forward or backward via the crown. It also allows the date window to be placed at the edge of the dial, even in larger watches. The abbreviation DUW stands for “NOMOS Glashütte Deutsche Uhrenwerke” and promises the very highest quality. A movement that carries this name has been handmade according to the rules of traditional craftsmanship in Glashütte, with great care and attention to detail.
5. The models
NOMOS Glashütte’s collection consists of 13 model families with around 70 versions of mechanical timepieces with stainless steel cases in the price range between 1,000 and 4,500 euros. A few watches in gold are available in a higher price range.
All NOMOS watches are powered by in-house calibers, some manual, some automatic. The vast majority of automatic watches from NOMOS Glashütte are equipped with the new neomatik calibers DUW 3001 and DUW 6101—efficient, elegantly slender movements, and highly precise, just like the watches they tick inside.
6. Award-winning!
To date, NOMOS Glashütte has won 170 international prizes and awards for watchmaking and design, such as the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, the Red Dot “Best of the Best”, and the Good Design Award. The latest awards include the Green Good Design Award 2021 for Tangente neomatik 41 Update as well as the Good Design Award for Metro neomtaik 41 Update.
NOMOS Glashütte considers it an award in itself to have cooperated with Doctors Without Borders since 2012, because this entails fulfilling many requirements, namely the watchmaking company’s approach to sustainability and social matters. NOMOS Glashütte will soon have produced and sold 10,000 watches in support of the Nobel-Prize winning organization—that’s over 1 million euros donated to emergency aid. The latest model Tangente 38 – 50 ans de Médecins Sans Frontières is the first to be made available worldwide and marks 50 years of Doctors Without Borders, during the current global pandemic.
Your contact:
Florian M. Langenbucher
NOMOS Glashütte
PR department
+49 35053 404-481
pr@glashuette.com
