The New Nomos Tangente Neomatik Blue Gold Models (Live Pics & Video)
The iconic German watch in a deep blue colour.
As we stated in our in-depth article, the Tangente has been instrumental in the success of German watchmaker Nomos. Inspired by the Bauhaus era and recognisable to all, the Tangente is an emblematic model that has existed in multiple forms. Small and hand-wound, as the original concept was, but also larger and automatic, or colourful and complicated. Today, this emblematic watch is back in a new, luxurious colour with the brand’s in-house automatic calibre, the DUW 3001. Here are the new Tangente Neomatik Blue Gold Models, and we have them reviewed in an in-depth video that also retraces the history of this model.
Before we explore these two new references, a quick historical reminder felt necessary… As surprising as it is, we never really covered the history of Nomos and its most important watch, the Tangente. Problem solved, either by watching the video posted above, where I retrace the past and present of the model or by reading this article. And to make it very short, the Tangente was one of the four watches launched by the brand when it was founded in 1992, and it hasn’t changed ever since. Its flat case, angled lugs and minimalist typography are all a tribute to Bauhaus, an important school of design that has been one of the most influential currents in modern design and architecture, but also in watchmaking. Modelled after 1930s watches, the Tangente has barely changed since its presentation. The original hand-wound 35mm model is still available from the brand, only with an in-house movement replacing the ETA calibres of earlier watches.
Of course, building a brand with only one model in the portfolio would not be easy. And for that, Nomos has created variations around the Tangente concept for years. Today, this collection has close to 30 references to choose from, covering all needs, from compact feminine versions with warm-coloured dials to more complex editions with power reserve and date or peripheral date displays, and even an oversized sports version. And colours are also familiar to the Tangente.
Following last year’s Tangente Neomatik Platinum Gray 35 and 39, the brand returns with a new duo of watches that play on the same emotions, yet in a slightly bolder colour, the Tangente Neomatik Blue Gold models. Compared to the Platinum Gray versions aforementioned, not much has changed except for the dial colour. And while blue has already been used in the collection, these new versions introduce a new tone for the brand. More luxurious, deeper, and more textured.
Dubbed “Blue Gold”, these new Tangentes come with a rich dial that requires several manufacturing steps. First, the brass blank is embossed with a snailed small seconds counter and is given a sunray-brushed texture. Second, and this is where the colour stands apart, the dial is gold plated, offering a rich, warm base before the blue colour is applied by a galvanisation process. Rhodium-plated hands and silver-coloured numerals and markers provide subtle cold accents; only the neomatik letters are rendered in gold for a discreet touch of colour. Besides that, the classic Tangente look, with linear typography and distinctive fonts, is still present.
The Tangente Neomatik Blue Gold is presented in the two classic diameters of the collection, 35mm and 38.5mm. Both are thin watches with a height of about 7mm. The flat, coin-shaped steel case is entirely polished and has a rather commanding design and presence on the wrist due to the immense dial opening and elongated lugs – something to consider with these watches; the 35mm is by no means a small watch. Being on the dressy side, the water-resistance is quite limited, with 30m for the smaller edition and 50m for the larger watch. Both are equipped with sapphire casebacks, even though a solid back can be ordered, too. I’m not sure why you would want to hide the movement, but a solid caseback represents a saving of EUR 300 on the final price.
One of the important elements of these new Tangente Blue Gold models is the movement, the thin, in-house produced calibre DUW 3001, also known as Neomatik. Equipped with a bidirectional rotor, it is a modern and nicely executed engine that stores up to 43 hours of power reserve and beats at 3Hz. It features an in-house hairspring, the Swing system, a stop-seconds and is adjusted in 6 positions. The decoration is typical of the region, with thin Glashutte ribbing, blued screws and gold-filled lettering.
Worn on a black Horween genuine shell cordovan strap, both editions of the Nomos Tangente Neomatik Blue Gold are now available and form part of the permanent collection. Prices will be (with sapphire back) EUR 2,940 for the 35mm version or EUR 3,080 for the 38.5mm model.
For more details, please visit nomos-glashuette.com.
2 responses
only if L2L weren’t 59mm…(not factual)
Great watches and happy to see the colour return. This tone was used by Nomos in the Nomos Zürich Blaugold (ref 822) too and is easily the most beautiful blue dial I’ve seen. Wondering if Nomos will bring the Braungold dials too in the future.