A Closer Look: The NOMOS Glashütte Tangente Neomatik Blue Gold 35 & 39

We have a lot to say about NOMOS Glashütte’s latest take on its Tangente neomatik: the Tangent neomatik blue gold and the Tangent neomatik 39 blue gold. However, since they were released back in February of this year, we’ve also had a long time to think about this pair of timepieces and their impact on the dress watch scene.

We’ve probably written a novella’s worth of words, but in the spirit of these modern, time-only watches, we’ve edited our impressions down to the essentials.

While these new Tangente neomatik blue gold models don’t have us worrying that NOMOS Glashütte is reinventing its emblematic Tangente collection, they have made us look at this family of dress watches with fresh eyes.

To start, the blue-gold color combination of the dial manages to be both minimalist and maximalist simultaneously. NOMOS Glashütte is famous for its Bauhaus design aesthetic, but it is also well known for its use of color, which is normally rendered in such a way as to look flat or porcelain.
 

However, in the case of these new Tangentes, the trick is in the treatment, with the duo’s dials featuring a shimmering, sunburst finish achieved via a gold-plating treatment performed before galvanization. The result of this alchemy is a dial with many dimensions.

So how does it pair with Tangente’s minimalist aesthetic?

Next, despite being available in two sizes (35mm and 38.5mm), the new Tangente neomatik blue gold watches are still housed in a flat, round stainless-steel case with angled lugs.

And because these structural elements now frame such a deep blue dial, the case’s angles and edges are thrown into much higher relief than we’re used to seeing from this collection. Thus, when you turn these timepieces around in your hand to examine the play of light across the radiant dial, the metal feels almost sculptural.
 

Furthermore, both case sizes come on chic black remborde (or “overflow”) straps crafted from Horween Genuine Shell Cordovan leather with polished steel pin buckles engraved with the NOMOS Glashütte logo. This presentation not only allows us to look at the Tangente with fresh eyes, but it also helps us re-examine just what is a dress watch.

NOMOS Glashütte’s timing couldn’t have been more perfect because as a genre, the classic, time-only dress watch is undergoing something of a rediscovery right now. And since this resurgence seems to be led by an audience of enthusiasts who enjoy simply elegant design with any dress code, these Tangente neomatik blue gold models are hitting at an opportune moment.
 

After all, these are easily the type of watches you can wear with a casual cashmere sweater while sitting in front of a fire or while attending your cousin’s destination wedding in Tuscany. Wherever you are, the Tangente neomatik blue gold is all good.

Finally, when speaking about decor and fashion, there is such a thing as luxurious minimalism. It’s a kind of less is more but more, and in this instance, there’s not a lot of embellishment. That said, the decorations that have been included – such as the dial’s sunburst finish, the needle-thin hands, and the sans-serif typography – outwardly represent the best possible materials and craftsmanship.

Once you look inside the case, however, you will see that a lot of the Tangente neomatik blue gold’s sophistication comes down to its innovative in-house movement – the automatic calibre DUW 3001 – featuring the proprietary NOMOS swing system escapement.
 

The DUW 3001 has a streamlined design, so the calibre has a thickness of only 3.2mm, which helps keep the total height of the watch to 6.7 or 6.9mm (depending on whether you opt for an engravable steel caseback or a see-through sapphire caseback). We prefer the display caseback because the wearer can admire the movement’s three-quarter plate architecture, ribbing polish, and thermally blued screws.

In addition to its svelte silhouette, the DUW 3001 beats at a frequency of 3 Hz (21,600 vibrations per hour) and features a stop-seconds mechanism and Incabloc shock protection. Enriched by gold-plated embossing, the bidirectional winding rotor builds a power reserve of 43 hours.
 

To add to its good-anywhere ethos, the resistance is up to 3 ATM for the 35mm version and up to 5 ATM for the 39mm version.

Available for purchase as you read this, there are four versions Tangente neomatik blue gold is available from which you can choose.

First, 35mm version is the Reference 190, and it comes with a stainless steel caseback and a price tag of $3,050 on a metal bracelet or $3,070 on the leather strap. The second 35mm model, the Reference 191, comes with a sapphire crystal caseback and a price tag of $3,440 on a metal bracelet or $3,460 on leather.
 

Meanwhile, the 38.5mm versions are listed on the brand’s website as the Tangente neomatik 39 blue gold and also come with either a stainless steel or sapphire crystal caseback. The Reference 145 is the stainless steel iteration and costs $3,370 on a metal bracelet and $3,390 on the leather strap. Lastly, the Reference 146 features a sapphire crystal caseback and costs $3,760 on the metal bracelet and $3,780 on the leather strap.
 

For more information, visit the NOMOS Glashütte website.

(Photography by Liam O'Donnell)