Since 2015, Nomos has raised the bar for slim dress watches with the development of two new “neomatik” (named after “new automatic”) movements with slender profiles. The first time-only neomatik movement, DUW 3001, was released in 2015 and measures a lean 3.2mm in height. The second movement released in 2018, DUW 6101, featured a date complication and measures 3.6mm in height. Both movements are independent of each other and were developed by the same technical team responsible for the swing system in 2014 — Nomos’ proprietary escapement. “The Nomos swing system and neomatik,” explains Nomos CEO Uwe Ahrendt, “stand for the best handcraft and outstanding technology from the cutting edge of Glashütte.”

The DUW 3001 movement has achieved new levels of efficiency, with a friction loss of only 5.8 percent rather than the usual 20 percent for an efficiency of 94.2 percent. The DUW 3001 is equipped with the Nomos swing system that made Nomos one of the few watchmakers fully independent, right down to the escapement. One shining example from Nomos with this movement is the Tangente neomatik platinum gray. The design of the watch is ultra-flat to give an overall case height of only 6.9mm on the 39mm steel caseback version and 7.1mm on the 39mm sapphire crystal glass back version.

Tech Specs

Nomos Glashütte Tangente Neomatik Platinum Gray Ref 143/144

The DUW 6101 movement, on the other hand, is very different in construction than the DUW 3001 movement, even though it has same slim profile. According to Theodor Prenzel, Head of Nomos Glashütte’s construction department that developed the movement, “For caliber DUW 6101, we examined each of the 188 parts individually, since we wanted to make an entirely new, easy-to-use, and quick-setting date mechanism. It was a challenge to achieve this within a height of just 3.6mm. We already had a lot to draw on from the development of other NOMOS calibers, the NOMOS swing system, and our proprietary gear train over the years. We had a lot of knowledge to work with, which helped. And of course, these days we have entirely new technical options in comparison to the watchmakers that designed calibers in the 1970s — which, incidentally, was when the majority of calibers working within watches today were created. There are a few very expensive exceptions. And Nomos Glashütte.”

Tech Specs

Nomos Glashütte Tangente Neomatik 41 Update Ref 180

The Tangente is a perennial favorite among dress watches for those with an eye for detail and modern aesthetics. The Nomos Tangente neomatik platinum gray and neomatik 41 Update are representative of the brand’s innovation, design aesthetics and their philosophy of offering high-end mechanics from Glashütte at a reasonable price.