# Nomos Club Dunkel 36mm - pictorial review



## ghingus (Jan 4, 2008)

*Nomos Club dunkel 36mm and 38.5mm datum - review*

I discovered the Nomos Club about a year and a half ago. I came across it on Watchbuys and even though I was looking for a chrono, it just struck me as a beautiful watch. I recently remembered the watch and ended up purchasing both the 36mm (sold) and the 38.5. Nomos Glashutte isn't talked about as much as many of the others, but I think they should be, so I decided to put down my thoughts for the benefit of the forum.

Below are pictures of the Nomos Club Dunkel 36mm. It features:

The Nomos inhouse Alpha 17 jewel handwind movement: +2 seconds a day (tested), 43.5 hour reserve (tested).
A beautiful and comfortable shell cordovan Nomos strap.
A slightly domed sapphire crystal and a sapphire caseback.
10atm water resistance
Lume on hands and hour indices.





























































I've always worn watches between 39-42mm, so I was nervous about this size of this piece. Let me assure you that the large diameter of the dial and the long lugs combine to make this watch wear larger than 36mm indicates. My wrist is 6.5 inches so you know the scale in the wrist shot below:









As I mentioned, I sold this piece and then purchased the 38.5mm Club Dunkel Datum. This model features:

The Nomos inhouse Beta 23 jewel handwind movement: +0.5 seconds a day (tested), 42 hour reserve (untested).
A beautiful and comfortable shell cordovan Nomos strap.
A slightly domed sapphire crystal and a sapphire caseback.
10atm water resistance
Lume on hands and hour indices.
A date display
Here are some pictures of this model, and I will conclude with some thoughts at the bottom.





































To be honest, even though there is only a 2.5mm change, I think there is a noticeable difference in the way these two watches present and this really surprised me. Here are two pics side by side:















Even though I ended up with the 38.5mm, I actually think the 36mm has the best look. There is something about the smaller dial that makes the bezel look a bit stronger and the long lugs more stylized, and it just looks right. I know the Club was originally designed as a 36mm watch, so maybe that is the reason. That said, I really like having the date display, and you can't get that on the 36mm. The 38.5mm is about all my 6.5 inch wrist can handle - FWIW I ordered it on the short strap. See below:















I've owned a lot of watches. Anything from Casio and Invicta, to Seiko and Citizen, on up to (and this is when my wife starts to get pissed) MKII, Stowa, Ball, Breitling and Omega. I actually currently own a Speedmaster, and I took it under the loupe vs. the Nomos, because the Nomos just looks so perfectly put together to the naked eye. Believe it or not the Nomos dial print and lume application is actually superior to the Speedmaster.

But really these watches are about the movements. This is why all their watches (now) have display backs. They want to show off their greatest asset - a beautifully designed and executed inhouse movement. And as someone who loves mechanical watches and has even tinkered with vintage movements, this is what really drew me to this watch - I wanted a premium quality and unique movement (no ETA) without breaking the bank.

The Nomos beta movement in the Club datum is basically an alpha movement (which is what is in the 36mm) with the added date complication, which is ingeniously situated around the movement rather than on top of it to keep the watch nice and thin - 8.45mm. It is really fun to inspect these movements up close. In fact, with the loupe, I located the movement serial number just west of the balance cock on the base plate. Then, to my surprise I found that further west (near the center of the base plate, just under the center wheel you can see it) Nomos had signed the base plate with a beautifully etched and tiny "Nomos Glashutte". Unfortunately, my pictures can't capture this. You'll just have to look for one in person to appreciate this. This fun little surprise impressed me and added to my enjoyment and satisfaction of this watch. To me, this is really what watch making should be about - delighting people with the artistry and craft of watchmaking. I'll end with another shot of the Beta:


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## GregoryD (Jan 31, 2009)

*Re: Nomos Club Dunkel 36mm - pictoral review*

Great pictures of a great watch. I think Nomos is really a good value in German watches.


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## Beau8 (May 24, 2008)

*Re: Nomos Club Dunkel 36mm - pictoral review*

COngrats~Classy looking piece, cheers!


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## ghingus (Jan 4, 2008)

*Re: Nomos Club Dunkel 36mm - pictoral review*

Bump for a fuller review and comparison between 36mm and 38.5mm datum.


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## davidg10 (Feb 2, 2020)

Hi. I am writing this a decade after the original thread, but if anyone is selling a 36mm dunkel, I would be interested.


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