Nomos Autobahn Review and Comparison

Fast-moving watches for the most stylish riders.

Today we will review a sporty watch known as Nomos Glashutte Autobahn Neomatik 41 mm. Nomos has become a rising star in the watchmaking world. This very young but extremely talented watchmaker comes from Glashutte in the Saxony region of Germany and neighbors very high-end watchmakers such as A. Lange & Söhne.

Nomos Autobahn Review

NOMOS; It made a name for itself with its creativity, innovation and bringing the mechanisms it produced within itself to the masses. Their distinctive minimalist watches are a reflection of the Bauhaus, one of the most influential design schools of the 20th century.

What makes the Autobahn different from almost all other NOMOS watches is its out-of-character motorsport-inspired dial. It clearly imitates the speedometer on the dashboard of a sports car, thanks to the thick and flashy luminescent strips surrounding two-thirds of the dial. The dial is more lively than almost any other NOMOS watch, but it manages to do so without looking too complicated.

The model featured here is the 1303 Sports Gray with a white dial that displays a blue stripe for the hour markers between 8 and 4. Just above 6 o'clock, there is a small seconds subdial that is slightly recessed, and there is an extra-large date window. This sub-dial uses a thin orange hour hand, with a finely printed seconds scale and the number 60 at the top of the sub-dial.

Like most Nomos watches, the dial uses a slim and minimalist sans-serif font with large font size for the 2, 4, 8, 10 and 12 hour markers; In each five-minute interval of the minute scale, there are Roman numerals written in a smaller sized version of the same font.

Unlike most NOMOS watches, where each model comes in two versions, one with a closed case back and the other with a clear sapphire glass case back, this model only has a sapphire case back option; This means that you and your watch mechanism will see each other a lot.

The main hour and minute hands in the center are made of steel. The central hour hand is filled with orange, while the central minute hand is pure steel with just a pinch of the same shade of orange at the tip.

Let's put the aesthetics aside, roll up our sleeves and talk about what's "under the hood", shall we?

Introducing the DUW 6101 caliber, also known as theNOMOS automatic caliber Neomatik Date; a new generation Neomatik (a Nomos automatic watch using their own in-house echappement, equipped with the revolutionary NOMOS Swing System). What makes DUW 6101 different from its predecessor is the addition of the date function.

This is an outstanding mechanical movement, surprisingly thin at only 3.6 mm, but with a precision that is uncharacteristic for a movement with such a thin profile. DUW6101 is a 27-jewel self-winding movement with fine craftsmanship, including Glashutte-style lines and NOMOS's circular brush decoration known as "perlage".

Pink rubies and annealed blue screws adorn the ends of the bridge and 3/4 platinum and are one of the signature looks of watches manufactured in Glashütte, Germany; You can also expect to see these in a NOMOS mechanism.

The weighted rotor is lightly skeletonized to show what lies beneath, and along its edge is the words "NOMOS GLASHÜTTE DEUTSCHE UHRENWERKE" in raised gold letters. On the three-quarter platinum, the caliber name "DUW 6101", "27 Rubine" and "Made in Germany" inscriptions are engraved with gold filling.

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All in all, this is a thin and light sporty watch with a great in-house manufactured movement with impressive mechanical properties. This is one of the things that gives a NOMOS watch like the Autobahn Neomatik much of its value. It's rare to have a watch this well made at this price point.

Compare NOMOS Autobahn's available models below:

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