The New Limited Editions Nomos Orion “175 Years Watchmaking Glashütte”

While the Tangente is often seen as the most emblematic watch ever created by German watchmaker Nomos, there is another model that, in my books, feels even more classically designed. Refined, elegant, timeless and equally minimalist in its style, the Orion is the brand’s vision of a dressy watch, but this time without a twist – something that Nomos is very good at. It has naturally been elected to be part of the collection that celebrates 175 years of Watchmaking in Glashütte, the small town that is home to the best German watchmakers, including Nomos. Available in three sizes, all with the in-house Neomatik movement, they come as refined as they can.

The whole idea behind this commemorative collection was to pay tribute to fine watchmaking, and as such, the watches that have been created in the frame of this collection all have refined, higher-end finishes. For instance, the top-tier Lambda watches in steel here featured an enamel-coated dial and elegant blued hands. The 175-year take on the Orion is slightly different, and while it also focuses on the dial, the result is pretty appealing.

This Nomos Orion “175 Years Watchmaking Glashütte” collection comprises three watches, all based on existing models, in three different sizes but all powered by the same base movement – of course, made in-house. Offered in 36mm and 38.5mm diameters without date or 40.5mm with date, the choice is yours. However, they all carry the same attributes and overall design, only differing in dimensions. The case is typical of the Orion collection, with a dial opening as wide as possible (there is almost no bezel), a smooth polished finish, curved case flanks and elongated, tapered lugs that follow the shape of the case. Keep in mind, these watches will wear bigger on the wrist than the diameter suggests, as the L2L measurements are long – 45mm for the 36mm model, 47.5mm for the 38.5mm model and 50.5mm for the 40.5mm model. All are pretty thin, though, with heights ranging from 8.5mm to 9.4mm.

While the cases are classic Orion, the main difference and what brings exclusivity to these 175 Years Watchmaking Glashütte limited editions are the dials. Here, they are domed, electroplated with silver and with faceted golden indices and steel-blued hands. This results in a nice contrast between the cold, shimmering tone of the silver plating and the warm, polished effect of the golden markers. All models have a small seconds at 6 o’clock, a simplified minute track and blued hands. Only the larger version is equipped with a date window at 3 o’clock. To keep the style elegant and refined, they are worn on black, smooth leather straps.

Inside the case, all three versions have a calibre named the Neomatik, the brand’s vision of a thin and efficient automatic movement. The smaller watches have calibre DUW 3001, while the larger date model has calibre DUW 6101 – but the technical base remains identical. This means a 3Hz frequency, about 42 hours of power reserve and a fine decoration that includes thin stripes, diamond-cut edges, thermally blued screws and golden lettering.

Now available, the three Nomos Orion “175 Years Watchmaking Glashütte” are each limited to 175 pieces. Prices will be EUR 3,040 for the Orion neomatik 36, EUR 3,180 for the Orion neomatik 39 and EUR 3,500 for the Orion neomatik 41 date.

For more details, please visit nomos-glashuette.com.