# Nomos Club - Review



## sci (Aug 6, 2009)

NOMOS Club

== BLA-BLA, which you can skip ==

For the first time I have seen Nomos some 6-7 years ago in on-board sale on a Lufthansa flight to Germany. It was a Tangente and I was completely blown away by its design. But I just have got a Tissot Le Locle (first generation with silver dial and applied indices) as a gift from my wife, that I didn't go more after it - the dress watch was a "problem solved" for me.
The years go by, I have met Nomos in Basel 2011, they pop-up more and more frequently in the German Watch-Media (Uhr des Jahres, Goldene Unruh, IF Design, etc) and silently, but extremely quick for the watch-making business, they became one of the significant factors in the mechanical watch industry. And they are around for just over 1/4 century.

Nomos is a company with amazing history. For such a short period and with virtually none huge advertisement campaigns, they moved up as some of the prestigious watch brands by following very clear product strategy, increasing vertical integration to almost 100% and doing it "right" and honest. OK, the initial Nomos best-seller Tangente is based on a Lange design from 1930, the first in-house movement Alpha is based on Paseux 7001 movement... yes, but they knew how to start smart, how to go forward and how to win their place in the industry and in the hearts of their customers.
Nomos is also the only company known to me today, which openly declares their design philosophy as very similar to Bauhaus. Somehow reminds me to BRAUN till the 1980-ties.

Back to my story with Nomos: I have added many watches to my collection, including some very nice pieces from other German brands, like Poljot-International and LACO. Honestly I didn't expect that I will buy more watches, as I have resisted more than 3 years to do so (some digital Casio's didn't count, right). And then - BAAM! 
Going by an AD during small-walk in the city, entering, looking at Nomos, testing some Tangente, looking some others. Ah yes, here's the Club - the least "typical" Nomos, the one always behind the scenes, the model with the "ridiculously" long lugs, but... BUT suddenly the watch spoke to me. With its well-balanced design, the red minute markers and those hands! The black-orange hands. Those hands maybe made the final decision easy - this is it!

Now, after 1.5 weeks of owning it, I can say something more about the watch.

== Here starts the review ==









DESIGN:

The Club is the first real sport watch of NOMOS. Actually, it is declared as sport watch and has 100M WR rating, but by the standards of many other manufacturers, Club could be considered between casual and dress watch. As all Nomos watches, the Club has very simple functional design, at the same time completely avoiding being boring. In fact, the red-orange accents makes it looking young and playful. That's another interesting point - it looks like it came from the deep past, but modern at the same time. And not modern, because it follows some trend or fashion (with its size of 36mm it definitely doesn't), but because it IS an obvious now-a-day watch. Somehow I think "tomorrow" the Club will be again a watch from "today". 
The design of Club is considered by some not-enough Bauhaus - I think it is a misunderstanding of the concept: Bauhaus is not the typeface of the Tangente, but design philosophy of avoiding decoration without a function or putting a cost where nothing happens. And this way follows the Club exactly so much as Tangente do. 
Another frequently commented design elements are the long lugs. These are definitely a point to consider, especially when choosing the bigger sizes of the watch (the Club models range from 36mm to 41.5mm), as lug-to-lug distance is really big. Visually I not only don't have issues with the lugs length, I find them right in place for this design - the visual separation between the strap and the case puts the focus on the watch despite it small size. 
As all Nomos watches, the Club wears bigger than it is. But not because it is chunky - the Club with hand-wind movement is only about 8mm high. This, together with its light weight, the curved lugs and the 100M WR are making it a perfect daily wearer. 
You can bet that Club wears with both jeans and suit good enough.








EXECUTION:

Nomos is considered already in the luxury watch segment. I assume they (Nomos) didn't declare themselves like this, as "luxury" and "Bauhaus" are two excluding terms, but terminology aside - Nomos is positioned in a segment, where the finish and the look-and-feel are on a very high level. And theirs do not disappoint.
Despite the simplicity, the attention of the detail over-match the price segment of the watch. The finish is seamless. The execution of the dial and the hands is amazing. The dial is silver galvanized with discrete and very sharp black and red print. The sub-dial of the second hand is fine-guiloshed with concentrated rings. The color is generally white, but depending on the light can vary.








My Club has steel back, but the Alpha movement inside is very nicely decorated and finished - it is possible to order for +220EUR sapphire glass back and to look at it. No need to mention the sapphire glass and stainless steel body. The crown is comfortable and discretely signed. Winding is smooth like a butter:








The strap is Shell Cordovan leather. I have a colleague who wears 24/7 a Tangente which is already 11 years old and still with the original strap. This says enough.








TIMEKEEPING:

I will keep it short - the most accurate mechanical watch I have, point! The movement has 6 position regulation and the first week the watch is running about +2 sec. a day fast. While you can read such statements in other reviews of other brands, it is almost always the case when you read a review of NOMOS watch - I have the impression that every Nomos watch performs like this 

CONCLUSION:

Nomos makes excellent watches. Club is one of them. Highly recommended as a daily wearer or less formal dress watch with a twist.

Disclaimer: Of course, this review is solely my own point of view and own impressions.


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## sheik_djibouti (Jun 17, 2012)

Thanks for the great review! I laughed when I read you saw Nomos for sale on a flight.. they've come a long way indeed! I have a smaller wrist and I found that the Nomos ships with a longer than average strap size. Thankfully they have a great online store that sells wonderful straps in various sizes. I liked my Nomos suede strap so much that I ordered more for my other watches. At $70 a set with buckle, it was hard to resist when considering I've paid 3x that amount for a straps in the past with less-than-Nomos quality. Currently one of my favorite combos in rotation is a JLC with a Nomos strap.


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## diablogt (Oct 11, 2009)

Great interview of a very beautiful watch. I have admired Nomos since it was in the 2k range. Now its so our of reach but the quality and the in house movement are just WOW


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## shtora (Jan 11, 2009)

Hi, sci!

Congrats on a very fine and distinct timepiece and thank you for the helpful and informative review!

I have a couple of questions. Originally I thought of sending you a PM, but I guess the answer could be of use also to others, so I'll ask here:
1. What is your wrist size? I am actually interested in the 38mm datum. Normally 38-39mm is the biggest watch size I can tolerate on my wrist (19 cm wrist here), and this in most cases means shorter lug-to-lug distances. However with those long lugs I am affraid the Club will wear huge and the lugs will protrude out of my wrist (or almost, which would be a problem).
2. What is the feeling of the cordovan strap on the wrist? I am a bracelet fan. Not because of looks, but because of comfort, especially in the DST period - a slightly loose bracelet gives the watch the freedom to move. Leather straps just "stick" to my wrist, which drives me nuts.

Thank you in advance!


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## sci (Aug 6, 2009)

Mine is about 18cm. Due to the perspective in the picture all the watches look bigger in a picture as in the reality.
The strap is very comfortable. I don't know how it will feel in the hot months, but I have a Nomos strap on my Tissot since more than a year, and it feels comfortable too.
And this (phone pic quality and the tiny particles are of course on the glass):


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## shtora (Jan 11, 2009)

|>
Enjoy your new watch!


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## Level.5x (Jun 7, 2015)

Congrats on your purchase! It's a little disappointing the case back is not exhibition. With a manual movement and decorated, why not? I don't really understand this. When I saw this watch was some what "affordable" to me on Jomashop, I gave it a lot of thought. I'm pretty sure if I were to order through them, I won't have the exhibition case back upgrade available though. 

I love the dial, the color, the sizing, and the quality strap the watch comes with...

So tempting and still on my wish list!! Please take more photos when you have time!


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## sci (Aug 6, 2009)

Thank you all. True, the movement is great to look at, but even without looking at it - it doesn't turn to an ugly one inside the case (it is not soooo quantuma)  And steel back is quite classic thing - just look at most Rolexes.


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## phreeze2k1 (Oct 28, 2015)

Great watch, great review. Makes me want one.


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## briburt (Feb 1, 2016)

Excellent review. Love the detailed photos of this gorgeous watch. It's definitely on my list now! Thanks for sharing your thoughts, and wear your watch in good health!


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## markz100 (Oct 23, 2015)

Nicely done.


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## phreeze2k1 (Oct 28, 2015)

sci said:


> NOMOS Club
> 
> == BLA-BLA, which you can skip ==
> 
> ...


I like that Nomo's a lot how much do they go for?


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## psyphyc (Jan 20, 2016)

Enjoyed the write up. My tagente says hi.


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## aslan (Sep 12, 2010)

Nice watch ,one of my favorite brands .


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## jghall (Jan 15, 2016)

Well thought out and insightful review. Enjoy!


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## lantar (Dec 27, 2015)

Thanks for the review, this is like my best nomos ... it really looks pretty


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## max902 (Oct 20, 2015)

This is a watch that always interest me....thanks for the review.


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## sci (Aug 6, 2009)

Thank you all.


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## bryan00 (Nov 21, 2015)

Excellent review....nicely done


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## lantar (Dec 27, 2015)

stunning watch with well written review... nice job


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## Looper30 (Sep 22, 2014)

Great review! Congrats on obtaining a beautiful watch.


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## mindaddy (Jul 16, 2009)

Stunning. On my short list for sure. 


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## Emospence (Feb 18, 2014)

I really like this watch a lot. Huge value proposition


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## bryan00 (Nov 21, 2015)

Congrats on your stunning watch...very tempting.


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## maxi11 (Dec 28, 2015)

This is a watch to kill for ... Stunning ...great review 


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## hedgehog_ (Aug 30, 2015)

Good review! My respect to nomos, not only a young brand which serves stunning time pieces but also an incredible well designed business model. I have a friend working in this manufacture and the adaptability to change and growth is something remarkable


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## jupiter6 (Jan 8, 2015)

phreeze2k1 said:


> I like that Nomo's a lot how much do they go for?


Dude, quoting the whole review just for a one sentence reply? That's just rude.

Great review. I've been considering a Club for about two years now and am weeks away from finally committing to making the purchase. I've been trying to decide between the 35mm and 38mm datum model. Did you try both 35 and 38 in the shop? If so, what were your impressions?


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## sci (Aug 6, 2009)

Thanks for the nice words to all!
jupiter6: I haven't try the bigger versions, as I have big watches (42MM Laco Münster for example) and even if they don't sit ridiculously on my wrist, for a daily wearer I prefer the compact 36mm (I have few 35-36mm watches and I fell most comfortable with them). The big lug-to-lug distance of Club would make the 38mm wearing as 40-42mm watch for me. But if you have bigger wrists, the presence of 36mm Club could be a little bit "low". This is one of the very few watches I have, which I wouldn't order online without testing it before


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## Hitlnao (Feb 22, 2016)

"Somehow reminds me to BRAUN till the 1980-ties. "

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dieter_Rams


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## michael8238 (Sep 13, 2015)

The Club has the more distinct proportion compared to other pieces from the Nomos family---less slim, less crisp, a bit chunkier and rounder. I think it is a good thing here. It means people with bigger wrists can finally pull off a Nomos.


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## Cauchy (May 18, 2015)

I really like the 36mm on the Club. Elegant and timeless but still with some presence with the long lugs.


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## timeguy123 (Jan 5, 2016)

Thanks for the information. I enjoyed it.


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## Showmecw (Feb 22, 2014)

I love this watch. Thanks for the review; makes me want to buy.


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## aaroniusl (Nov 3, 2015)

Thanks OP for the interesting review! I enjoyed reading it, i am in the midst of procuring the exact same model and your review is very useful and informative. Hope you are still enjoying your Club!


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## sci (Aug 6, 2009)

Thank you all for the nice comments. I'm glad so many people enjoyed the review.


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## dr_ranger (Apr 5, 2016)

Thank you for a great review.


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## Sxgt (Feb 16, 2015)

Great review and very sharp watch!


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## Timelist (Aug 11, 2016)

Thank you for the great review. It is indeed an incredible piece of watch. And the orange hands... one of my favourite details.


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## md324 (Nov 17, 2010)

Very nice watch! Thanks for the review.


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## rubberduck (Jul 9, 2016)

Beautiful watch , love the red hands....


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## pk22 (Jul 1, 2016)

Thank you for this, I am scoping these out and this helped a lot!


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## dantan (Dec 16, 2014)

Very nice!


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## Zain A (Jan 16, 2016)

Excellent review!


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## Funan (Feb 12, 2017)

Those hands are awesome


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## imaCoolRobot (Jan 1, 2014)

Are you still loving the 701 now that the Neomatik versions are out? Or are you counting your spare change and seeing if you can afford an upgrade.


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## himynameiswil (Sep 7, 2015)

Looks awesome! Such a good size. 


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## harshad4005 (May 22, 2014)

Nice, beautiful watch mate 

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## cuthbert (Dec 6, 2009)

The Club is for me the best of Nomos, elegant but obsolete, classic but works fine with jeans and t shirt, unlike the bigger ones the dial of the 36mm version looks proportionate (the seconds' subdial doesn't look to close to the centre of the dial)...the only flaw I can see is the lack of lume.

And yes they discontinued the black one.


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## Hj3lm (Jun 24, 2015)

Great review! The watch is super cool and seems like a very good value for the money.


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## Csyoon25 (Feb 20, 2016)

I have the tangente but would like to add a club to the mix as well for more casual wear.


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## sci (Aug 6, 2009)

Thank You all for the nice comments.


Funan said:


> Those hands are awesome


 I have assumed in the beginning that you like my hands, then I realized you mean the pointers of the watch :-d


chuasam said:


> Are you still loving the 701 now that the Neomatik versions are out? Or are you counting your spare change and seeing if you can afford an upgrade.


About the neomatik version, I don't consider it, as I explicitly wanted hand-wind watch. Which doesn't mean I don't think about Neomatik at all - I like some models that are available only as Neomatik - like the Minimatik or the new Tetra at Work with the brushed dial. But maybe I will remain only with thinking about them


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## correctomundo (Jul 27, 2009)

Don't really like the size, but I like the brand especially the Champaign look

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## MassiF (Dec 17, 2017)

Sorry for bumping the thread, and congratulations for the nice review. Good pictures too.

Now a more generic question...any reason not to buy a Nomos Club 701? :-d
The Club, I think, would be my daily watch: I already have a Nomos Tangomat for those days when I wear smarter and a Longines Conquest for the jeans and polo days. I also have a SARB033 which I love but for some reason don't wear as much.
I'm not planning to buy anything really high-end, but the other 'small dial for small wrist' options (like the Tudor Black Bay 36, the Christopher Ward C65 Trident Vintage, Max Bill Handaufzug) are not as attractive as the Club.


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## zamboey (Feb 18, 2016)

Great Review. I love the closeup shots.


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## ttommywatches (Jan 23, 2010)

Nomos makes some solid watches for the price. Thanks for the review.


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## dinhhong (May 15, 2017)

Great review and congrats with the new friend.
I’m thinking to buy an Ahoi atlantic midnight blue 552. Need advice from all of you and review for Chronext.com. They have very impressive offer but there are some bad reviews on trustpilot. 
Should I go with this company?
Thank you!


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## abdullahnr (Mar 15, 2020)

Thank you for this review. It has been very informative, I just bought one and cant wait to get my hands on it.


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## sci (Aug 6, 2009)

Today it is 5 years + 1 day since I have the watch. Still enjoy it, even wearing it today. Definitely my favorite, and the single watch I would keep if I must go down to one.
abdullahnr, congrats for your choice!


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## matty_dubs (Apr 1, 2021)

Great review. I've had my Club Campus for over a year now, and couldn't agree more with the takes here. Amazing value for the money!


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## NotPennysBoat (Aug 10, 2020)

Thanks for the review! 


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## StrangeQuark (Nov 19, 2018)

Thank you for this review, @sci , and especially for the update. How is the time-keeping after 5 years? Is it still around +2 spd? I am thinking about getting a Tangente 41 Update as the unique date indicator design really appeals to me. If I get one, I will be sure and post about it.


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## sci (Aug 6, 2009)

StrangeQuark said:


> Thank you for this review, @sci , and especially for the update. How is the time-keeping after 5 years? Is it still around +2 spd?


I haven't measured it, but it is still very accurate and I correct it once per couple of weeks. Also the power-reserve didn't change.


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## StrangeQuark (Nov 19, 2018)

sci said:


> I haven't measured it, but it is still very accurate and I correct it once per couple of weeks. Also the power-reserve didn't change.


 Great to hear - thanks! I ordered my NOMOS yesterday and will post a review after I receive it. This is my first "luxury" watch - at least it is a luxury for me in that it cost more than $1000 USD. Very excited to see it in real life, but it ticks all the boxes for me: related to my collection theme (Citizens and Comrades) in that there is a deep connection between Glasshütte and the Russian watch industry), quirky and unusual, and a clean design that appeals to me. I expect that this will be a keeper for me.


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## lasttango (Sep 2, 2012)

Does anyone with a larger wrist think that it wears well? I have been looking at this watch for a long time - but with a 8 inch wrist, I don't know.


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## PapaChorizo (Apr 5, 2021)

easily my favorite watch i own. review does a good job of highlighting the excellent quality this watch provides, but there is one problem i've had with my club campus that op didn't mention.

my watch is the night version with the sapphire caseback that comes on the Velour leather anthracite.

the op mentioned that the cordovan leather strap will last forever.

one problem i have had with the velour strap is that the keeper and free loop has two materials. on top that is the facade and then a more robust leather on the bottom that the strap itself loops under. the materials are not connected anymore after a year and half of using the watch almost daily. sucks when putting the watch on, but not too noticeable afterwards.

just my two cents, but still absolutely love this watch and recommend it to anyone.


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## holsomback (Apr 9, 2018)

I have now had my 36mm Club for 3 years. It is currently the only watch in my collection that I would not sell. My wrist is around 6.75" and the club fits perfectly. I am considering buying the metal/mesh bracelet for it so I can wear it in the summer here in Alabama. 

The only issue I have had with it is that one of the stays on the original cordovan leather strap has started to separate and is sometimes bothersome trying to get the end of the strap through it after it is buckled. I have worn it enough though that it is not a big deal.


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## NatiDred (Aug 7, 2021)

I own the Club Campus Neomatik in midnight blue. It's a beautiful piece, and is far different from my preferred dive watches.


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