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Hands-On The NOMOS Glashütte Tangente Neomatik 39 Silvercut

A fresh take on a classic, with just the right amount of "new."

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Broadly speaking, when it comes to their core offerings, NOMOS doesn’t really do “new.” Being about as firmly connected with their aesthetic as any brand could claim, NOMOS’s appeal is fueled by their ability to gently massage their motif into a variety of different watches, all while protecting the application of their core design principles. Even when they do get a bit wild, such as with the Signal Red Ahoi Neomatik, or the mint green asymmetry of the Metro’s power reserve, the NOMOS-ness of it all endures. 

In furthering their use of the in-house Neomatik movement, NOMOS recently announced a new series of watches. Well, new for NOMOS. Stephen wrote an excellent summary of the At Work series here, but, in short, NOMOS has launched 14 new versions of their core line-up, evolving the Metro, Orion, Tetra, and Tangente into slightly larger Neomatic-powered variants, all of which come in somewhere around 39mm (more on that in a bit).

The new Silvercut dial has a horizontally-brushed finish.

Among the offerings for each model, we find the usual white-silver dial, a midnight blue (nachtblau) option, and the rather eye-catching “Silvercut” finish. For the purposes of this review, I felt it most interesting to look at the brand's most iconic design, the Tangente, but with the novelty of the Silvercut dial: the Tangente Neomatik 39 Silvercut. 

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First off, the watch is 38.5mm, not 39mm, and the steel Tangente Neomatik feels a lot bigger than the well-known 35mm versions, wearing almost identically to the Tangente 38. For reference, my wrists are seven inches in circumference and the Tangente 39’s lug to lug width is an entirely wearable 48mm. Thickness is also good at 7.2mm, one whole millimeter slimmer than the Epsilon-based Tangomat (which is an almost-identical 38.3mm wide). For those really keeping score, the Tangente Neomatik 39 is only about 0.5mm thicker than its closest hand-wound sibling, the Tangente 38. The takeaway here is that this nearly-39mm Tangente wears a lot like the current 38mm hand-wound versions, but has an automatic winding system. 

nomos tangente neomatik 39 silvercut wristshot

On the wrist, Tangente Neomatik 39 wears most like the time-tested Tangente 38.

What’s new here aren't the models or the movement, but rather, the size and the dial finish. The Neomatik caliber has been available in various models for some time, but the new 39mm size of this Tangente is noticeably larger than that of its mostly smaller predecessors, and it's being positioned specifically as a men’s watch (a first for NOMOS, to my knowledge). While the push towards a specifically male audience via connecting the At Work series with the modern business world is a bit tone deaf, the physical product does not feel any more gendered than any other NOMOS watch I’ve encountered. 

nomos tangente neomatik 39 silvercut

This version of the Tangente has a bit more flair while still being very NOMOS.

nomos tangente neomatik 39 silvercut movement

Inside is one of NOMOS's latest generation automatic movements.

The larger size sits well on my wrist, and the minimalist case makes the most of the eye-catching texture of the Silvercut dial. If you’ve worn any smaller NOMOS models, the 39 versions will feel big, but for me, the effect is visual, with little impact on wrist in terms of comfort. The 38.5mm size is a considered, and wise, play towards a larger size that isn’t too big for most modern watch buyers. While I’m no watch brand executive, there is a case here for simplifying the NOMOS line up and I think it would make sense to focus on the 35mm and 39mm sizing for these core models going forward. Right now, there are so many sizes and variants of most of the core products – Tangente, Orion, etc. – that it can get a bit confusing. This is only exacerbated by the fact that the so-called 39 is really 38.5mm, so the naming isn't even always the right guide to go by.

The Silvercut dial adds a reserved flare to the Tangente, an extra touch of novelty that changes in depth and color depending on the surrounding light. With a pronounced horizontal brushing, the Silvercut offers a distinctly industrial appeal from the standard NOMOS dial while still managing to preserve the balance, and the less-is-more appeal, of their classic Bauhaus-inspired design. 

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The proportions are excellent, with no date to clutter the dial, and there's a large contrasting snailed sub-dial for the running seconds. The seconds hand is bright red, offering an excellent contrast to the blued steel of the hour and minute hands. This is an element seen in much of the At Work series and on all of the Midnight Blue and Silvercut dial versions. The slightly bolder expression of the Silvercut version expands on the solid base of the Tangente, showing that minimalism can sometimes better function as a guideline, rather than a steadfast rule. It’s not easy to iterate without compromising the original appeal of a design like the Tangente, and while the Silvercut may be too much for some purists (especially with respect to the larger size) I think it’s a handsome addition, delivered with a light touch, and it certainly won’t challenge the existence of the original design. 

nomos tangente neomatik 39 silvercut

There are a few colorful accents to add some contrast to the dial.

Thanks to the flat case profile and the downward shaped lugs, the Tangente Neomatik’s thin case sits evenly, even on my rather boney wrist. With 19mm lugs, this loaner from NOMOS came on a well-worn example of their black shell cordovan strap with a simple steel winged clasp (basically a tang buckle with a pass through to replace the usual first leather tail keeper). Though it may not pop in photos like a brand new strap, it did wear beautifully, a real-world testament to how these straps break in over time. While in no way limited to this model, I think NOMOS has settled into a nearly perfect strap for their look. Though I’d take mine in brown, few manufactures offer a better-matched OEM strap. 

With sapphire crystals front and back, the new Tangente Neomatik 39 is also water resistant to 5 ATM (roughly 50 meters), which is an increase over the 3 ATM offered by the Tangente 38. Total weight on the leather strap is a barely noticeable 52g (considerably less than half the weight of the last watch I reviewed).

nomos tangente neomatik 39 silvercut

All the classic Tangente design traits are there, they're just rendered in different finishes.

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The Neomatik DUW 3001 movement can be viewed through the Tangente’s display case back, and is one of the major selling points for these new models from NOMOS. The DUW 3001 is a 3.2mm-thick automatic movement developed by NOMOS and launched at Baselworld in 2015. The DUW 3001 was designed for efficiency, flexibility, and accuracy, and it also includes the NOMOS "Swing System" (the NOMOS in-house balance, balance spring, lever, and escape wheel).

Slowly replacing some of the brand’s uses of other calibers, like the Alpha and Epsilon, the DUW 3001 offers three hands, sub seconds, no date, and a power reserve of 43 hours. With bi-directional winding, hacking, and 27 jewels, this in-house movement uses a traditional Glashutte three-quarter plate and is finished with Glashutte ribbing, NOMOS perlage, and blued screws. Nicely finished and straightforward, the DUW 3001 has proven to be a solid design and its value in the in-house marketplace is essentially peerless. 

nomos tangente neomatik 39 silvercut movement

The DUW 3001 is a slim automatic movement with NOMOS's own escapement inside.

While NOMOS's continued push to expand their in-house portfolio has undoubtedly increased their cachet among the erudite and the enthusiastic, they have managed to facilitate the change without compromising their value statement. Not only are most of their Neomatik models priced between $3,000 and $4,000, they are still offering less expensive options using their older generation movements. Case in point, one of my favorite watches from Baselworld this year, the wonderful and fun Club 38 Campus, uses their hand-wound Alpha caliber and retails for just $1,650. 

While the case could be made that NOMOS’s current line up fuels some choice anxiety among interested parties, they have continued to develop appealing, beautifully made, and enthusiast-minded watches all across their line up. 

nomos tangente neomatik 39 silvercut

Competition at this price point is stiff, but the NOMOS still presents a lot of value.

Competition at the price point is heavy, but few brands have such an established philosophy and sustained aesthetic. The truth is, most buyers are coming to NOMOS for the look, and while Bauhaus design can be found on many bland and commonplace watches, NOMOS arguably owns the mindshare when it comes to this aesthetic, especially among enthusiasts. 

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In its new guise, the Tangente Neomatik 39 makes a strong case for the next generation of NOMOS’ core models and successfully translates the Tangente vibe to a slightly larger format. While I don’t think a 38.5mm watch needs to be specifically targeted towards a male audience, I do think it’s a great size and an excellent offering for those who felt the smaller sizes were simply too small for their wrists. As many brands look back on the last ten years and try to pick which of their giant watches won’t live on for another cycle, NOMOS has been slow and cautious, and I doubt the move to 39mm was actualized without due deliberation. This is a watch from Germany, after all. 

nomos tangente neomatik 39 silvercut wristshot

The At Work series is just new enough to keep NOMOS fans interested, while not straying too far from the winning formula.

While I’m inclined to agree that less is often more, the concept only holds to a point. Sometimes the addition of something novel or unexpected is indeed more. The charm of this "slightly more" NOMOS is in the way it builds on the basics, offering an appeal that manages to be distinct from the standard model while still undeniably of NOMOS. Priced at $3,880, just $100 more than the classic-dial version, the NOMOS Tangente Neomatik 39 Silvercut is a good example of when a little more is just right. And if we zoom out a bit, we find that the new At Work series has the exact same effect on the whole of NOMOS’ core line up. Like any good evolution, the At Work series is, wisely, not all that new.