Nomos Tangente Neomatik 39 Review

From its low-profile polished steel case to its slim hour and minute hands, the Nomos Glashutte Tangente Neomatik 39 steps forward with its already impressive hand-crafted calibers, taking this German watchmaker's existing popularity to a new level.

Today we will talk about the three new NOMOS watches in detail. So get ready for a Nomos Tangente Neomatik 39 review like you won't see anywhere else, and get ready to get to know the new, revolutionary DUW 3001 self-winding movement that powers these watches from Nomos Glashutte.

Nomos Tangente Neomatik 39 Review

What makes the Tangente Neomatik so different from all the other watches in the Nomos Tangente series? Apart from the fact that any Tangente watch that doesn't say "neomatic" on the dial is a manual, hand-wound watch, of course? These Neomatik watches use the new DUW 3001 automatic movement with a rotor built into that tight case space that Nomos is famous for. The three reference numbers that make up the new Nomos Neomatik 39 watches are (from left to right in the image above): reference 141 (Tangente Neomatik 39 Silvercut with textured gray dial), 140 (white dial) and 142 (Nachtblau / blue dial).

Nomos is known for its minimalist Bauhaus-style design, with printed numerals that are highly legible yet pleasing to the eye. When you combine this look with the high-quality, hand-stitched Horween Genuine Shell Cordovan "remborde" leather straps, you have a masterpiece in your hands, no matter what dial color you choose.

Similarities Between These Models

Thin, polished hour and minute hands; The minute hand is long, almost floating to the very edge of the dial. Polished steel case measuring 38.5 mm x 7.2 mm. Since the watch weighs only 52 grams, it is extremely comfortable on the wrist. Sapphire glass with anti-reflective coating on the inner surface of the glass to prevent the coating from scratching. 50m / 5atm waterproof; According to the manufacturer, this is enough for taking a shower. The two-piece sapphire glass on the back of the case allows you to watch the automatic DUW-3001 movement in action. The Nomos Glashutte DUW-3001 movement uses 3/4 plate with Glashutte striped finish and NOMOS Perlage workmanship; It is decorated with blued screws, which are typical of this region of Saxony, especially those bearing the name "neomatics".

Differences Between These Models

Nomos reference# 141 (Tangente Neomatik 39 Silvercut)

Dial: Textured Silvercut dial; Rhodium plated and brushed finish, with black printed numerals, hour markers and indices. Subordinate dial: Silver sunray secondary dial with black printed numerals and seconds track. Hour and minute hands: Annealed blue hour and minute hands with red small seconds hand. Brand text: Brand text printed in black; "neomatics" printed in lower case letters, almost in gold, below the logo.

Nomos reference# 140

Dial: Galvanized white silver-plated dial with black printed numerals, hour markers and indices. Subordinate dial: Galvanized white silver-plated dial with black printed numerals, hour markers and indices. Hour and minute hands: Same blue hour and minute hands as the 141, with a matching small seconds hand. Brand text: Brand text printed in black; "neomatics" printed in lower case letters, almost in gold, below the logo.

Nomos reference# 142 (Tangente Neomatik 39 Midnight Blue)

Dial: Nachtblau blue dial with printed numerals, hour markers and indices. Subordinate dial: Midnight blue small seconds subdial with printed numerals, hour markers and indices. Hour and minute hands: Polished steel hour and minute hands; a neon orange hand for the seconds on the subdial. Brand text: White printed brand text; "neomatics" printed in lower case letters, almost in gold, below the logo.

Introducing Caliber DUW 3001 Automatic Movement

Nomos is the 10th in the series of in-house calibers produced by Glashütte. Being the tenth child may have its challenges, but being the tenth caliber comes with even higher expectations.

Incredibly thin, only 3.2 mm high, this 27 jewel movement has a power reserve of up to 43 hours. Despite its low profile, the DUW3001 is remarkably sensitive. Theodor Prenzel, the genius behind the new caliber design, explains how this automatic caliber achieves the impossible despite its small size.

A Revolutionary Design

Since an automatic mechanism is a multi-layered mechanical device, it is built upwards and as a result the design engineer has to struggle with limited space to fit all the necessary components. Prenzel developed a design that managed to fit all the components into the 1mm space between the main plate and the 3/4 plate above it; Moreover, it halved the expected deviations. In other words, the caliber is both extremely thin and extremely sensitive.

Freedom and Flexibility

One advantage that NOMOS has is that it manufactures almost all of its components in-house; This gives designers the freedom to think outside the box. While most luxury watch manufacturers build a movement from a raw, off-the-shelf ébauche movement, NOMOS has much more flexibility in its engineering. This allows them to roll up their sleeves and create something truly unique and special.

They have the flexibility to experiment with a variety of materials to achieve the highest achievable precision and stay well below normal deviation tolerances. As a result, they developed a special stainless steel alloy that allowed them to achieve the high precision they were looking for in DUW-3001.

Accuracy and Precision of DUW-3001

One of the ways to create a highly efficient mechanism is to reduce friction. This maximizes energy efficiency. Thanks to their design flexibility and creativity, the engineering team achieved a mind-blowing 94.2 percent energy efficiency by experimenting with the number of teeth used in the gears and various angles and configurations of the gear train.

While the typical drift in an automatic caliber is 20 percent friction loss, the DUW3001 showed only 5.8 percent friction loss; which makes it surprisingly efficient.

NOMOS Swing System

Of course, no NOMOS watch review would be complete without mentioning its revolutionary Swing System, the beating heart of its movements. This system guarantees an extremely accurate chronometric function and is even capable of achieving chronometer status if obtaining a COSC certificate would not send costs and prices into the abyss.

One of the many things NOMOS did right was creating a line of highly sought-after products that offer tremendous value, such as the Metro Neomatik and Tangente Neomatik. In doing so, Nomos Glashütte kept production costs low and product pricing within a range accessible to the ordinary person, and not to the same market segment that shops for Audemars Piguet, for example.

The new Swing System has a feature never seen before in a mechanical watch. This uses a system where the rotor stops turning once the watch is fully wound. By stopping the rotor, unnecessary energy transfer to the system is eliminated and unwanted wear on the mechanism is also reduced.

Prenzel says that the rule in watch production is that a caliber can always be either precise, thin or affordable; He quickly explained that the DUW-3001 offers all three, making it quite revolutionary, to say the least.