NOMOS Tangente 2date Review

Over the past ten years Nomos has seen a huge surge in popularity as more and more people caught on to the German brand and their strong Bauhaus designs and stellar in-house movements. It's a bit embarrassing to say that after being in the watch industry for twenty years that I hadn't handled or spent any time with a NOMOS timepiece. One of the great things about starting Hourstriker is that it gives me the ability to experience watches I might not have otherwise.

Although NOMOS was founded by Roland Schwertner in Glashütte in 1990, the roots of the company can be traced much further back. In 1845 Adolph Lange with the support of the Saxon government established the first watchmaking workshop in Glashütte Germany. In the coming years other talented watchmakers such as Moritz Grossmann come to Glashütte to join Lange. Soon in 1878 the German School of Watchmaking was established in Glashütte cementing the region as a watchmaking stronghold that even rivaled the Swiss.



The twentieth century saw the disruption of the watchmaking industry in Glashütte caused by both World Wars as well as the Soviet occupation after World War II. During the time of communist control the watchmaking companies were all consolidated into a state-owned enterprise. Even though this company was controlled by the communists, the watch making knowledge and tradition continued.

Just two short months after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1990, Roland Schwertner a computer scientist and photographer from Dusseldorf registered the trademark for NOMOS Glashütte/SA. Not long after the formation of the company, NOMOS released their first collection featuring four models, the Tangente, Orion, Ludwig and the Tetra. Throughout the collection all models shared Bauhaus design, clean lines, minimal aesthetics and emphasized functionality.



As NOMOS entered into the 2000s the brand started to develop their own in-house movements, which is a huge accomplishment for any brand. 2005 saw the introduction of the Tangomat which was the first automatic watch from NOMOS which opened the brand up to a whole new segment of customers seeking automatic pieces. 2014 then saw NOMOS unveiling the swing system which was the brands in-house escapement that completely freed them from being dependant on Swiss manufactures.

Today NOMOS is the largest producer of watches in Germany and the company has around 200 employees mostly located in Glashütte. Nearly every part of the watch from the case to the movement is created by NOMOS with most everything being made by hand. Being such a compete manufacture is extremely rare in the watch world, especially for a brand that produces as many watches as NOMOS does and for such reasonable prices.



Recently I got in contact with NOMOS to see if there were any available watches to review. Not only did I really want to spend some time with one of their timepieces, but I also thought our readers would like to see our take on a NOMOS timepiece. Luckily NOMOS informed me that they had an upcoming release that they would be more than happy to have us review. The model in question was the recently unveiled Tangente 2date.

The Tangente 2date is the first watch I have noticed that has the complication of a dual date display. So you have the traditional date window at 6 o'clock but you also get a date disc that goes around the outside of the dial. This disc gives the wearer a visual look at where the date falls in the month. The ability to have the dual date display was achieved by the newly developed hand-wound NOMOS caliber DUW 4601.



When the Tangente 2date arrived, the first thing I noticed about the watch was just how slim it was. On our calipers the 2date measured in at 6.9 mm thick. NOMOS is known for how slender their automatic and hand-wound movements are, so it really shouldn't have come as that much of a surprise to me. I am very used to sports and dive watches with 15 mm plus thick cases, so having such a slim watch in hand and on wrist was shocking to me.

The next thing I noticed was that even though the watch only has a 37.5 mm case diameter, it fit my wrist rather well. My wrist is 7.25 inches around with a flat area of 58.5 mm. Typically I tend to wear watches that are 44 mm or larger with lug to lug measurements of 50 mm plus. With its smaller case size I just thought the Tangente 2date would look tiny and out of place on my wrist. Color me surprised when the watch looked just fine on my wrist then… NOMOS is known for having fairly long lugs, so the lug to lug measurement of the Tangente 2date was a personally acceptable 47.8 mm. Don't get me wrong, the 2date is by no means a large watch, my IWC Big Pilot Top Gun Perpetual Calendar and Blancpain Fifty Fathoms 500 Fathoms both have larger case diameters than the 2date's lug to lug… but with a smaller case size and longer lug to lug, the Tangente 2date will fit both smaller and larger wrists just fine.



The last thing I noticed during my initial time with the Tangente 2date was just how beautiful the hand-wound movement was. The three quarter plate has outward extending sunbeam ribbing while the balance cock is skeletonized showing off the swing system escapement. There is also some extremely nicely done snailing to be seen as well plenty of blued screws. With the DUW 4601 being a hand-wound caliber, there is no winding rotor to get in the way of the stunningly decorated movement either.

Now that we've gone over my initial impressions of the NOMOS Tangente 2date, let's take a look at the technical specs of the watch. The watch is crafted out of stainless steel and has a case diameter of 37.5 mm and a lug to lug length of 47.8 mm. The case thickness is 6.9 mm and the watch weighs in at 44 grams on our scale.



The Tangente 2date features a sapphire crystal that has anti-reflective coating on both sides to drastically reduce glare. Under the sapphire lies the galvanized white silver plated dial. In person the dial has a mostly flat if not somewhat eggshell appearance to it. The numerals 12, 2, 4, 8 and 10 are printed in black while the other hours get stick markers. Each minute is also represented by a smaller black stick index as well.

At 6'oclock you find the white backed date window with a red date. Also at 6 o'clock you have the running sub-seconds subdial finished with concentric circles. As discussed earlier there is the 1 to 31 secondary date display around the outside of the dial as well. Between each date are cutouts on each side which are used to display the date. Let's say that the date is the 10th, so on each side of 10 the cutouts would be red with the 10 in the center. Using red for the indicators also helps you spot the current date rather quickly and also ties in nicely to the primary date's red lettering. To be honest, if you didn't know to look for the secondary date display, chances are you would probably miss it. The implementation is extremely well done and subtle, really this is a great example of an "if you know you know" complication. It kind of reminds me of when some tourbillons are hidden behind a solid dial only showing off the cage from the case back.



Finishing off the dial are rhodium plated hour, minute and seconds hands. Also there is the NOMOS Glashütte branding at 12 o'clock and "Made in Germany" at 6 o'clock. Overall the dial elements combine for a master class in dial design. The Tangente 2date has one of the cleanest dials I've seen on a watch that offers more than just the standard time only or time only with date complications.

The case and lugs of the Tangente 2date are completely polished giving the watch more of a classic dress watch appearance. Looking at the side of the case you can see that the middle of the case has a raised band going around it with the bezel and caseback being slightly recessed giving the profile of the case a bit of depth. The lugs on the Tangente 2date are around 5 mm long and come straight out from the case and then turn down sharply at 45 degrees. The lugs are also drilled, which is something we like to see.



The crown on the Tangente 2date is polished and has some nice scalloping to it. As appropriate for a watch like this, the crown is not oversized either. Naturally not being a sports watch the crown does not screw in. In its resting position the crown allows for manual winding with a pleasant and easy to hear tone. Once the watch is fully wound the crown will stop and not allow any more rotations. Pulling the crown out to position one allows for the date to be set. Setting the date is rather rewarding since you get to see both the date window and outer date disc change at exactly the same time. Pulling the crown out to position two lets you set the time and pushing it back in causes no jump the minutes hand. When the crown is fully pulled out the seconds hand is also stopped allowing for precise time setting.

Flipping the watch over shows off the large display back featuring an oversized sapphire crystal. The only engravings on the back of the case back are "Tangente" and the case number. With the non-screw down crown and large sapphire display back, the Tangente 2date only offers 50 meters of water resistance, which is still plenty for a non-sports watch. As talked about earlier you can now see the stunning DUW 4601 manually wound NOMOS caliber. It really would have been a shame for NOMOS to cover this movement up with a winding rotor.



As is tradition with Glashütte produced watches, the DUW 4601 features a three quarters plate that has a sunbeam ribbing finish. The finish radiates out from the swing system escapement which is also allowed to be seen better with a partially skeletonized balance cock. Besides the sunbeam finishing, the movement also has some very nice snailing. NOMOS also includes a handful of blued screws for good measure. The DUW 4601 is a subtle and expertly finished movement that compliments what the NOMOS designers achieved with the dial.

The DUW 4601 beats away at 21,600 bph (3 Hz) and has a power reserve of 52 hours. The movement is only 2.8 mm thick and has a diameter of 34.6 mm, showing you how tightly fit the movement is inside of the Tangente 2date's 37.5 mm case. While NOMOS doesn't quote accuracy numbers of the DUW 4601, it is regulated in six positions before leaving the factory. On our timegrapher we found the movement to have an accuracy of -1 seconds per day which is well within chronometer specifications and also one of the most accurate movements we've tested. Also for an in-house movement it might be the second or third most accurate in-house movement we've tested.



NOMOS spares no expense when it comes to it straps, using the Horween Company's best leather in their Shell Cordovan. Unlike most calfskin leathers found on luxury timepieces, the Shell Cordovan is made from one specific part of a horsehide. The process to achieve the final result takes at least six months and has been in practice for over 100 years by Horween. The front of the strap has a slightly gloss black appearance, while the back of the strap is a green suede to help keep the watch in place. The lug width on the Tangente 2date is 19 mm and the strap tapers down to 17.5 mm at the polished stainless steel pin buckle with NOMOS branding on it. We've already established that for nearly 25 years I've been a devout sports and dive watch collector with my collection consisting of such names as Royal Oak Offshore, Fifty Fathoms and Big Pilot. This does mean I've grown a pretty narrow view of watches I tend to like and look at. Also growing up in Austin, I can count the number of times I've had to dress up on one hand. This all lends to the Tangente 2date being a watch I really wouldn't have paid much attention to if not for running a publication like Hourstriker where we cover all kinds of watches.



Getting watches in like the NOMOS Tangente 2date and Glashütte Original PanoMaticCalender push me outside of my comfort zone and make me wear watches that I would have considered too dressy for myself. The funny thing is that in the end I actually enjoy wearing these dressier watches. Even with my personal dress of t-shirts, shorts and sneakers the Tangente 2date fit in just fine. With my preference of 44 mm diameter / 50 mm lug to lug measurements the Tangente 2date and its 47.8 lug to lug was just fine on wrist. Now it did feel weird to put on the 500 Fathoms after wearing the 2date though…

Talking about being on wrist, the Tangente 2date was a pleasure when I wore it on errands and out to dinner and drinks. With the extremely low weight of 44 grams, the watch just disappears on wrist. Naturally I never experienced any wrist fatigue while wearing the watch and it managed to stay centered on wrist the entire time I wore it. I can't stand when smaller watches favor one side of the wrist over the other, but the Tangente 2date never did. I'm guessing this is mostly due to the longer lug to lug length. Also during the hot Texas days we're still experiencing in mid October, the Tangente 2dates strap was never uncomfortable and dealt just fine with the heat.



Time telling at a glance is a breeze with the Tangente 2date thanks to its high contrast black and white dial and markers. I do have to admit that I used the traditional date window more often than the secondary date disc display while looking for the date. This might just be because for most of my life that's where I would look to see the date. It was pretty nice to just be able to glance at the dial and tell where in the month we were with a visual representation though. It's also just nice knowing the additional complication is there as well.

Not too surprising is that the watch wasn't noticed too often while I was wearing it out. I really only get compliments and questions about watches when they are something completely out there like one of the Ulysse Nardin Freak models, so it's really not that surprising. I feel the Tangente 2date does best when worn to compliment your outfit rather than call for all the attention like the Freak does. The watch is understated and subtle and owns that nicely. The friends I did show the watch to did comment on how nice the watch was and also really liked the decoration of the movement. I did also get a lot of comments of how it is a lot smaller than the watches I typically wear, but that's more of a comment on my outdated style in watches…



With a retail price of $3,020 the NOMOS Tangente 2date offers a ton for the money. You get a very handsome stainless steel timepiece boasting an fully in-house manual wound movement that is deadly accurate and offers a dual date complication that I really haven't seen done before. I think now would be a good time to look at some other watches in the same price range that offer similar features and styling as the Tangente 2date to see where it stacks up to the competition.

First let's take a look at the IWC Portofino Pointer Date. This watch comes in at 39 mm and is crafted out of stainless steel. The watch has a very traditional case and lug design similar to the NOMOS and features a large center seconds hand and subdial with the date display. The Portofino is powered by an off the shelf movement based on a Sellita caliber. The Portofino also costs a good bit more than the Tangente 2date at $5,550.

Next up we have the Classico Manufacture from Ulysse Nardin, which is 40 mm and crafted out of stainless steel as well. The watch has a classic look to it like the NOMOS and IWC, featuring Roman numerals and a subdial with running seconds and a date window. The Classico is powered by an in-house UN-320 caliber with similar power reserve to the NOMOS. Unlike the NOMOS this Ulysse Nardin retails for over three times more at $11,200.



Moving on we have the Longines Elegant which is a 39 mm stainless steel watch. The Longines once again has clean lines like the other three watches highlighted. The Longines has Roman numerals like the Ulysse Nardin and has a subdial with running seconds. The Longines features an off the shelf movement from brand-mate ETA but does cost a bit less than the NOMOS at $2,100.

Finally we have the Grand Seiko SBGK007 which is 39 mm and crafted out of stainless steel. The Grand Seiko probably has the least traditional styling of the five watches but still has an elegant design. The dial has a small running seconds at 9 o'clock and a power reserve indicator at 3 o'clock. The SBGK007 is powered by an in-house manually wound 9S63 movement with a bit more power reserve than the NOMOS at 72 hours. The watch is more expensive than the NOMOS at $6,900 as well.

Looking at the above watches you can see that at just over three thousand dollars the NOMOS Tangente 2date offers exceptional value for what you get with it. The Tangente 2date is by far the most complicated of the five watches and even with an in-house movement is nearly the least expensive by a large margin. This isn't even bringing in such things as dial design and movement finishing which the NOMOS excels at.



So is the NOMOS Tangente 2date for me personally? If you've read my previous reviews and have been following along in this review you could probably guess that it is not. I have a very out of date and laser focused set of guidelines I still follow for my personal watches. Basically I like watches that are sportier and have a diameter of over 44 mm and a lug to lug of at least 50 mm. I also really only collect watches that are made out of titanium, ceramic or carbon. This is saying nothing negative about the Tangente 2date, just it doesn't fall in my wheelhouse. I do feel that putting the watch on a white sailcloth strap would play down the dressiness and fit more into my aesthetic though. Too bad I didn't have one laying around to try!

Now would I recommend the NOMOS Tangente 2date to somebody looking for timepiece that will not scream for attention and be a great everyday piece that is also complicated? In a second I would recommend the Tangente 2date. It is just a great all around watch and punches way above its price range with a stunning in-house movement that is both accurate and beautiful. The unique dual date display is also something I haven't seen executed before. The way NOMOS is able to add the complication to the watch without making the dial busy is a testament to their design prowess as well. Finally you can really tell NOMOS doesn't cut corners when you look at the quality of leather they used for the extremely fetching and comfortable strap.



In all the Tangente 2date was a great introduction to NOMOS for me. Not only did the watch have the classic Bauhaus styling the brand is known for, but it also showed off their newest movement complication in the dual date display. I can really see why NOMOS has such a loyal and strong fanbase and I can now feel good about recommending their pieces after spending time with the excellent Tangente 2date. I'd really like to thank NOMOS for sending us the Tangente 2date to review and I can't wait to see what they send us next.

For more information about the Tangente 2date please visit : NOMOS

Technical Specifications

Reference Number: 135

Retail Price: $3,020

Case Size: 37.5 mm

Lug to Lug: 47.8 mm

Thickness: 6.9 mm

Weight: 44 Grams

Case Material: Stainless Steel

Bezel: Stainless Steel

Strap: Black Leather Strap with Pin Buckle

Movement: NOMOS In-house DUW 4601 Hand Wound Movement

Functions: Hours, Minutes, Small Seconds, Date, Date Disc

Power Reserve: 52 Hours

Water Resistance: 50 Meters