The new Nomos Tangente 2date, and The new In-House Calibre DUW 4601

If you’ve been following Nomos for a while, you certainly know that despite a certain German rigour and classic minimalistic inspiration (so-called Bauhaus), the Glashütte-based brand doesn’t like to do things too seriously – at least, design-wise. Small touches of colour, original shapes and a youthful approach are key elements of the brand’s design language. Today, the brand surprises with a new version of the Tangente that doesn’t feature one but two date displays… But what matters even more with this new Tangente 2date is what’s under the hood, as the brand introduces its new hand-wound, in-house calibre DUW 4601 – which we expect to replace the Alpha in the long run. 

What we’re looking at here with the Tangente 2date is, at least for the case and most of the dial’s design, classic Tangente. No surprises here, which is for the best. Probably the most emblematic watch of the brand, first presented in 1992 and based on classic German Bauhaus watches of the 1930s, the new  Tangente 2date retains all necessary attributes of the collection. Made of polished steel, the two-part case has a classic straight barrel shape with elongated, angled lugs. The almost inexistent bezel frames a flat sapphire crystal and another one is found on the back – except if you prefer to have a closed steel back, which is also possible as an option.

Let’s talk dimensions… The new Tangente 2date comes in a fairly compact case of 37.5mm, with a pleasantly thin profile of only 6.75mm (with sapphire back). But keep in mind that the Tangente wears large, due to its long lugs (about 49mm in length). So, despite the quite compact diameter, this should be considered a masculine option. The case is water-resistant to 50m, sufficient considering the elegant vocation of this collection.

Moving on to the dial, this is where things become a bit more funky… Colour-wise, you’ll have the choice between two of the brand’s classics, either galvanic silver-plated with black printings or sunray-brushed blue with white printings. On both watches, the long and ultra-thin hands are rhodium-plated and the small seconds has a fine concentric pattern. Then comes the date complication, or should I say the date displays (plural). On many of its watches, Nomos offers two distinct date indications, either with a traditional window revealing a date disc, or thanks to a peripheral mechanism with several oblong cutouts framing a date numeral – as seen in the Tangente Update and Metro Update models.

Not on this new Nomos Tangente 2date… Which features both indications on its dial, with a classic date window at 6 o’clock with a relatively large opening and printing, and the modern Update concept with peripheral cutouts and a coloured disc underneath that frames the current date numeral. Why such a choice…? From the words of Nomos, this allows knowing the current date as well as having a vision of the remaining time before the next month. Another reason could be to demonstrate the benefit of positioning these date displays at the periphery of the dial, something that participates in the thinness of the overall movement – which is easily visible when turning the watch over. This double-date feature is pretty simple technically as a single disc displays both indications – with white printings on the blue model and bolder red printings on the silver dial.

Now that we’ve seen the front, it’s time to look through the sapphire back. Here, there are some important updates too. For many years, the base movement of the brand was the calibre Alpha, Nomos’ first in-house built movement presented in 2005 and created to replace the outsourced Peseux 7001 ébauches. Essentially an upgrade of the Peseux architecture, the Calibre Alpha added a ¾ plate, better decoration and a stop-seconds mechanism. And, of course, the fact that most parts are done by Nomos, in the Glashütte-based manufacture.

Now we have the new Calibre DUW 4601. More a strong evolution than a revolution, it is said to have a new construction, however the roots of the Peseux movement are still visible – at least for the gear train and position of critical elements. The movement is easily understandable as a two-part assembly, with the base calibre in the centre – which will most probably serve as a base for future models, with or without complications (and possibly replacing the calibre Alpha in certain applications) – and in the periphery a date ring placed around the movement (and not on top), keeping it elegantly thin and allowing for the two separate displays.

Compared to the Alpha, many things have been updated. First, it is now equipped with a skeletonised balance cock revealing the Nomos swing system – a proprietary escapement with its blue balance spring. Secondly, it features a convenient quick-set date mechanism, which is adjusted by the second position of the crown. Then, Nomos worked on the kinetic chain and upgraded the power reserve to now 52 hours (vs. 43 hours for the Alpha), thanks to a more delicate material used for the winding spring. On the same topic, you’ll note the elegant, long click spring above the barrel. Finally, the decoration has been enhanced with fine sunbeam ribbing, radiating from the centre of the balance, and up to the date ring, which is now proudly displayed through the back – this decoration was previously reserved for higher-end models such as the Lambda.

Worn on a classic Horween Genuine Shell Cordovan black leather strap, the new Nomos Tangente 2date and its unprecedented movement is launched as part of the permanent collection and is immediately available. Whatever the colour chosen, it retails at EUR 2,360 (solid back) or EUR 2,580 (sapphire back). For more details, please visit nomos-glashuette.com.