Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. The Nomos Lambda Steel “175 Years of Watchmaking in Glashütte”
Steel and enamel are THE materials of choice to celebrate 175 years of Glashütte watchmaking.
Glashütte is a small village but it is a big name for German watchmaking. Following the establishment of watchmaking in 1845 thanks to a man named Lange, watchmakers from Dresden and beyond implemented a flourishing industry that would become the epicentre of fine horology in this country. Nomos, one of the youngest and most active brands located in this town, is celebrating “175 Years of Watchmaking in Glashütte” with a series of limited edition watches, including this one, a handsome version of the brand’s most exclusive watch, a Nomos Lambda with an enamel dial, a steel case and its beautiful hand-wound movement. So let’s take a closer look at it.
Nomos is a young brand based in the hometown of German watchmaking, Glashütte. It launched its first collection in 1992 and since then has always been known for modern and accessible luxury watches. In 2005, the brand introduced its first in-house movement, the Alpha, which remained a simple hand-wound engine. But in 2013, the brand upped its game with a new movement, far more precious and executed in the traditional German way – with large rubies in gold chatons, blued screws and a hand-engraved balance bridge. Clearly, when the occasion came to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the arrival of watchmaking to the town of Glashütte, this was a perfect movement.
Today, for our latest video review – more of them can be seen here, on YouTube – we take a look at the attractive Nomos Lambda “175 Years of Watchmaking in Glashütte” with a white dial, a watch that is part of a trilogy of limited editions also available in black and in blue. A quick glance might lead you to believe that not much has been changed compared to the existing versions of the Lambda. But in fact, many things have been updated for this anniversary model. While all previous editions were made out of gold, the present watch is stainless steel, making this watch not only lighter and easier for daily wear, but also far more accessible. Another update concerns the case; it now measures 40.5mm in diameter, while the gold models are available in 39mm or 42mm.
The dial of this anniversary Nomos Lambda looks like older models, but it is new to this edition. Instead of the classic silver plating, the dial is coated with enamel – available in white like the watch you see here, but also in black and in blue. It results in a handsome glossy surface with a milky-white colour. The oversized and crystal-clear indications of the Lambda have been retained, with a small seconds at 6 o’clock and a large power reserve at 12 o’clock. Minimalist and refined, all indications are given by ultra-thin and very elegant blued steel hands, which give this watch its characteristic light and aerial personality.
The pièce de résistance is the calibre DUW 1001 movement. Visible through the sapphire caseback the calibre is designed and developed to meet the typical Glashütte watchmaking design codes: a large three-quarter plate featuring thin radial stripes, a hand-engraved balance cock, a swan-neck fine adjustment, screw balance and jewels mounted in gold chatons with blued screws. This movement is not only refined but its also powerful, with a double-barrel delivering 84 hours of power reserve. The hand engraving on the balance cock in German reads: Lovingly Produced in Glashütte.
This watch is worn on a classic and discreet Shell Cordovan leather strap with pin buckle. Limited to 175 pieces per colour, it retails for EUR 5,800. Make sure to watch the video above to get all the details about this handsome edition of the Nomos Lambda in steel.
More details at nomos-glashuette.com.
3 responses
Hi, I bought this lovely piece in black last month. But I have a question: is the dial really enamel? Les Rhabilleurs, while reviewing the watch, said it is NOT enamel. Could you help me clarify? 🙂
@AK – from what we know, it is not grand feu enamel like traditionally in high-end watches. It is a so-called ‘cold enamel’ process that is applied on the dial.
..and we have the official answer from NOMOS:
When we talk about enamel white, we indeed refer to color / finish of the dial that resembles enamel which we achieve through our technique as described down below. The term “enamel laquer” is quite applicable for this procedure.
However, you are right in claiming that it is indeed not “real” enamel, which is produced differently. The costs for enamel dials are significantly higher which we would have to pass on to our customers. In order to provide still exceptionally good quality to a fair price, we decided to go with this procedure.