A visit at the Nomos boutique in Zürich

Aug 28, 2014,14:17 PM
 

Several weeks ago, I had the opportunity to spend a week-end in Zurich. Actually, the purpose of this stay was to attend a show at the Opera House... so far from our usual watchmaking stories. Call it sixth sense... but totally by chance, when I was wandering the streets of the town, I met the Nomos Boutique in Zurich. And the second surprise was to meet somebody from Nomos I previously met at Basel. Hopefully, I had my camera with me so I decided to prepare this small report.

Located on the lovely Spiegelgasse square, the Nomos Boutique symbolizes the ambition of the brand which wishes to increase its sales figures and its visibility outside Germany. Zurich is a perfect city to meet this ambition. In addition of the high revenues per head and the strong horological knowledge of its inhabitants, Zurich is also the birthplace of Hannes Wettstein who designed the... Zurich watch. This watch was very important in Nomos history since it embodies the quest for a new style while keeping the details which make a Nomos timepiece recognizable at first glance: the purety of the dial, of the indexes, of the hands and an elegant case design.

The involvement of Hannes Wettstein is also the proof that Nomos doesn't want to be "trapped" in its pure Bauhaus aesthetic approach. It is a strong asset for a brand to have such visual identity but fresh ideas are always welcome to target new customers and to get a dynamic of growth.

It is the reason why Nomos worked with an other designer, Mark Braun to create the new watch, the Metro. To celebrate this fruitful collaboration, Nomos took advantage of its boutique in Zurich to organize an exhibition which made a parallel between objects created by Mark Braun's studio and the Nomos watches. Purety and sobriety lovers, this exhibition was yours!

I propose you to enter the Boutique and to discover some pictures of the exhibition... without forgetting the star of the show, the Nomos Metro!

The nice building at the Spiegelgasse square:








The room on the right side of the boutique was fully dedicated to the exhibition:




On each table were gathered objects from the designer and Nomos watches:




Form follows function... the proof of this key principle:
















I could appreciate the sober decoration of the room, fully in line with the spirit of the brand:











Let's have a closer look on the Metro.

I like this watch because it has a very refreshing style. It gets its name because the dial was inspired by a metro map. Look at the dots, the figures, the colours...




Of course, you will recognize an usual dial lay-out with the small second subdial, the typical Nomos power reserve indicator, this time with a touch of light green:




I can say that Mark Braun managed to complete the objective which was assigned. The watch is at the same time very Nomos (the subdial, the power reserve indicator, the case size (37mm)) but it also contains a lot of new details like the peripheral figures, the colours combo and the main hands shape:




The other interesting point about this watch is the movement. It seems to be very similar to the caliber Delta which has the same complications.

But this one is the DUW 4401 which features the in-house regulating organ of Nomos, the swing system.

If you look at the specifications of this movement, its diameter is 32,1mm including the movement holder. So the actual diameter bridges side is closer to the one of the Gamma (23,3mm). It explains the location of the subdial even if it is not a problem here since it allows to put the date window on the dial without any overlapping. Frankly speaking, I would have preferred a solid caseback.




On the wrist, the charm of the  Nomos Metro is unquestionable thanks to its very contemporary style which keeps  a timeless atmosphere. Due to the very thin bezel, the watch looks bigger than it is actually:








This Nomos Metro was a very good surprise for me. I consider it as a good step for Nomos in a new direction.

As explained before, the Nomos Zurich is also the fruit of the collaboration between a designer and the manufacture.

The Zurich is radically different from the Metro which is an excellent point for Nomos!

The dial features large indexes and thicker hands. The case diameter is larger (39,7mm) but once again, the watch looks much larger. This time, it is due to the very long lugs.




The watch is powered by the lovely Automatic in-house movement, the Epsilon. It fits better the case than the DUW 4401 with the Metro case I must confess.




The watch on the wrist. I'm not a great fan of the white dial version. I much prefer the black or even better, the blue versions. Why? Because the darker colours reduce the feeling of size and because with these colours, the dial becomes more subtle. I find the indexes a bit too ubiquitous here.








Thanks to the staff of the Boutique, I could walk a few minutes outside with the blue version. A gorgeous watch... but it is a true nightmare to take good pictures of it!





After this small walk, I came back to the boutique to enjoy the main room dedicated to the selling points. And here again, I could appreciate the decoration:









A very original display at the end! The safe seems to have local roots!



It was a true pleasure for me to visit the boutique and to spend a large time slot with the Nomos staff. If you visit Zurich, I recommend you to pay a visit to the boutique. First of all because it is located in a very nice area. Secondly because you will enjoy the visit far from the a bit too obvious Banhoffstrasse area.

Fr.Xavier

This message has been edited by foversta on 2014-08-28 14:19:23


More posts: Nomos

  login to reply

Comments: view entire thread

 

Really like to look of the Metro!

 
 By: blomman Mr Blue : August 28th, 2014-14:57
Thank you for another great report, Fx! :) Really like to look of the Metro! Q? Do you have any closeup on the square watches shown in one of your pics? Best Blomman

Thanks Blomman

 
 By: foversta : August 28th, 2014-15:02
Sadly, I don't have closer pics of the Tetra... Sorry! Fx

Great to learn of this boutique...

 
 By: Dave G : August 28th, 2014-16:28
I really like the Nomos brand and whilst some would regard the designs as minimalistic, I find them interesting and so very functional. With the Metro and even the high end, quite limited Lambda and Lux models, there is a very consistent look and feel. Th... 

I totally agree about your comments.

 
 By: foversta : August 31st, 2014-01:03
The website is at the image of the watches: clear and very functional. Things are easy to find. Thanks Dave! Fx

I visited the Nomos collection a few weekends ago . . .

 
 By: Dr No : August 28th, 2014-16:40
. . . here in the LA area, FX. Didn't take any photos, but spent a fair amount of time looking them over. I was quite enthusiastic about them at one time as a sensible choice for an entry level watch, but that's faded due to an evolution in perspective fa... 

Thanks Art.

 
 By: foversta : August 31st, 2014-01:05
It's true, they offer a good value for somebody who would like to start a collection. Fx

True value

 
 By: rnaden : August 28th, 2014-17:55
Thanks for this report. Nomos is a brand that I think offers tremendous value at a very attainable and reasonable price point. Their designs and workmanship is solid and attractive and is certainly a brand that should be considered by anyone who claims to... 

Thanks Richard.

 
 By: foversta : August 31st, 2014-01:06
About the number of points of sale, the problem is also the production limits of the Manufacture. You can't increase the network without increasing the production. Thanks for your comments! Fx

Eyebrow peaking pieces

 
 By: aldossari_faisal : August 28th, 2014-18:03
even i would prefer a more abstracted dial of the metro , no date window no power reserve indicator, what do you think Fx? Thanks for the report. Best . Faisal

I don't know Faisal...

 
 By: foversta : August 31st, 2014-01:13
There is still the Metro map concept behind the scene. Too simple and I think that it would lose a bit of its interest. But who knows? Maybe it is something to try with Photoshop! Thanks! Fx

Beautiful presentation of the watches.

 
 By: jporos : August 29th, 2014-07:07
The Metro is a good direction for Nomos; I especially like the wire lugs.

When will they open one in San Francisco?

 
 By: patrick_y : August 29th, 2014-08:52
Or Los Angeles? Looks good and I'm very attracted to the minimalist Bauhaus style at NOMOS. I'd like to try one on and quite possibly own one someday.

Thanks Patrick! They have a dealer in SF and one in Carmel

 
 By: foversta : August 31st, 2014-01:16
You will find it on Nomos website. Thanks! Fx

Already a fan

 
 By: jml_watches : August 29th, 2014-14:32
Hi Thanks for post - the Metro looks really, in line with the house style but different enough to make it an interesting addition. It has the same advantage as the Tangent in that it has an almost non existent bezel - which for me adds to the elegance of ... 

Yes, the dial colours range of the Tetra is wide!

 
 By: foversta : August 31st, 2014-01:19
I especially like the blue one... Thanks! Fx

I consider them more than entry level watches...

 
 By: foversta : August 31st, 2014-01:21
Because the price tag could be already high for some of us and also because they have their own identity. Writing this article gave me the idea to, why not, buy a new Nomos! Fx

Thank you very much for a reminder.

 
 By: T-suke : September 9th, 2014-16:05
Hello, Fx. My plan to visit Nomos Boutique in Zurich went out of my head for some time. Thanks to your post, I was able to wake up and realised that I had not been there yet. So I started to make my move. The first opportunity was on Sunday. I was there w...