Wow, I fell in love with this as soon as I saw it. The NOMOS Glashütte Lambda 42mm is one of the piece currently featured on the men’s style website Mr Porter, which has recently launched a selection of Nomos Glashütte watches. With a rose gold case, it is higher-end than most of the brand’s products, and it has a spectacular Bauhaus minimalist dial. The hand-wound movement is made in-house.
Slim case, slender hands
The case is 42 mm in diameter and 8.9 mm thick, and it has a water resistance of 3 bar. The strap in dark-brown Horween leather has a pin buckle, and its somewhat aged appearance is a perfect match for the case. The dial is galvanically white silver-plated, creating a backdrop for the black Arabic numerals and markers, and the slender blue tempered-steel hands. I find it profoundly original, with the upper half of the dial dedicated to the 84-hour power reserve indicator – particularly appropriate considering that it’s a hand-wound watch – and the continuous seconds subdial below. It has something of the aesthetics of the Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde. To be honest I would have preferred it without the two blocks of text on either side, but that’s just a minor observation.
DUW 1001 movement
The sapphire caseback displays the hand-wound Nomos DUW 1001 movement, which provides 84 hours of power reserve, and is built according to Glashütte watchmaking traditions. Of the 29 jewels, six are set in gold chatons, themselves held by blued screws. The exceptional power reserve, three and a half days, is provided by two mainspring barrels, and it is plenty enough to keep the watch running through a weekend left at home. The balance has swan-neck fine adjustment, and the balance cock is hand-engraved, including an inscription that apparently translates as “lovingly made in Glashütte.” The three-quarter plate has a polished sunbeam pattern. The movement runs at 21,600 vibrations per hour, 3 Hertz.
Price
The watch is delivered in a presentation box with a leather case. Its price is €13,800, and it is currently available on the Mr Porter website. With its moderate size, slim profile and refined aesthetics, it could be described as a watch for a modern gentleman.
