why not? The Nomos Glashuette Tangente 2date

Mechanical watches are a niche, not for us watch enthusiasts, but for everyone else who doesn’t breathe or love these wrist wonders, well they can be considered obsolete.

Then if we drill down to the next level, watch complications are even more obscure to the general public. Moonphases are pretty but irrelevant, chronographs are now used to boil eggs and dates are, well useful but usually not set correctly. So how about 2 dates in the same watch? If you had any doubt that Nomos is a brand run by passionate watch lovers, well this new Tangente 2Date will wash those thoughts away.

Let’s be clear, there is no real use for 2 concurrent dates on the same watch or at least I couldn’t find/think of one, but that doesn’t mean that a brand should be constrained by functionality, and at the end of the day Nomos design is driven by the Bauhaus movement, where form is the genesis of an object. All of this thinking brings us to the original question, why not 2 dates instead of 1? 

Join me to discover the new elegant quirky kid on the block.

The specifications

I am happy that this watch comes in a smaller case more precisely at 37.5mm, as the thin bezel makes the watch a tad larger but the 47.7mm lug to lug make the watch stay in place nicely. I am always a fan of a blue watch from Nomos, their radiant finish its outstanding and coupled with the white typical font, it is a classic look than still feels fresh today.

Coming to the actual complication, one date is displayed at 6 o clock with an aperture that matches the color of the dial, while the second one can be found at the periphery almost touching the bezel, kind of like a futuristic pointer date when 2 white apertures surround the correct date, it’s a marvellous thing.

What I enjoy about the Tangente 2Date is that Nomos went with all the trouble to create and decorate a new caliber for the watch, it was not a lazy endeavour, it was a well thought one. The new in house caliber DUW4601 it’s a beautiful thing to look at. That said, it is not the biggest caliber but as the main plate was decorated with the same sunbeam pattern, well the effect it’s outstanding , this watch deserves to be exhibited and celebrated with a sapphire case back which is offered as an option.

Coming back to the functionality, you can now quick set the date back and forth with a few turns. The Tangente also offers 50 meters of water resistance, perfect for everyday use and we will come to that in a few seconds.

On the wrist

The Nomos Tangente it’s an elegant thing. The 2Date wears well on my 6.25 inch wrist thanks also to the 6.8mm height, it’s an ultra thin watch. The shape is what we are used to from the Tangente line but because the dial is a bit busier, the watch has less negative space which adds charm and complexity to the 37mm with change of the dial. 

The classic sub-seconds dial on top of the date aperture adds to the legibility, in my opinion, this is the primary source to read the date and also to check if the watch is running. The second date complication at the edge of the dial gives a different feeling, something in the lines of: “we are reaching the end of the month…” which I think is the right way to approach it. You see, a normal date gives you what you need to know and a pointer date zooms out of the actual day to give an understanding where you are inside a particular month, that would be my read of this unusual but lovable layout.

I wore the Tangente mostly at the office, that radiant blue it’s hypnotic and with winter around the corner, the contrast of the dial it’s appropriate. The thinness of the watch is remarkable, it fits under any cuff, somehow the Tangente line always feels as the modern object from the brand, it is timeless but it will not be mistaken for a vintage watch, in other words it is very refreshing.

The Tangente 2date is manual watch which means that you have to interact with the caliber daily, Nomos offers 52 hours of power reserve, but it is a joy to operate, and there is nothing better than turning around the watch and see that finishing, it would be the only time of the day when you will get to see it (unless you are like me and take the watch off all the time) but it is worth it.

Conclusions 

A watch today is an object that comes integrated in cars, phones and even fridges. Almost every smart device can tell you the time, the date and plenty more but we are not here for that, we are not trying to be accurate or even informed, we are trying to appreciate beauty. To me, this is what the Tangente 2date does, it’s a well crafted piece that provides feelings in a gracious way, it’s not trying to replace nor copy anything that I’ve seen before, it’s original and makes no apologies.

In complete Nomos fashion the Tangente it’s offered at a price point that is unheard off, the attention to detail it’s very high and with a caliber that looks this good, this is surely a winner for the German brand.

The Nomos Tangente 2date it’s available now starting at 2360 EUR and comes in a stark white  with red accents and our lovely royal blue.

Technical specifications 

CASE

stainless steel, bipartite 

stainless steel back

GLASS

sapphire crystal glass with anti-reflective coating (front and back)

DIMENSIONS

diameter 37.5 mm

height 6.7 mm

lug-to-lug 47.7 mm

WATER RESISTANCE

5 atm (splash-proof)

DIAL

galvanized, white silver-plated

date ring and date window at six o'clock red

HANDS

rhodium-plated 

STRAP

Horween Genuine Shell Cordovan black

lug width 19 mm