NOMOS Glashütte Tangente neomatik 41 Update and the Calibre DUW6101

In this video, I talk about the NOMOS Glashütte Tangente neomatik 41 Update and in particular its supremely slender movement the neomatik Caliber DUW6101.The movement proffers the convenience of being automatic and yet, it remains little thicker than the brand's slender hand-wound movements.

Usually on watches measuring over 40mm in diameter, the date disc isn't at the edge of the movement, but sits a few millimetres in. With the Caliber DUW6101, the brand has pushed the date right to the edge of the movement. Placing the date around the movement. This allows the brand to make the numerals on the date disc much larger, presenting the date in a widescreen format.

While there are already large date models on the market, these use two separate discs, one for tens and one for units, to indicate the date. Unfortunately, this latter approach comes at a cost, culminating in a price much higher than NOMOS charges for its date models. The Caliber DUW6101 allows the wearer to quickly and easily change the date with the crown in either direction. No spending an inordinate amount of time, turning the hour and minute hands in order to display the correct date. NOMOS has made this possible by incorporating a star shaped gear wheel that engages with the date disc. And yet, despite this feature, the movement remains slim.

With most watches, the date begins its changing sequence at about 2000 hours and completes it around 0200 hours. This window differs from model to model. However, adjust the time during this transition period and you may well damage the date mechanism, necessitating a costly repair. Typically, the date-switch wheel turns once every 24 hours. The NOMOS has a special program disc, a triangle with rounded edges, that rotates four times every 24 hours. Thanks to the program disc, the transition period is much shorter, meaning the 'no touch policy' is just 90 minutes.

All of this ingenuity doesn't mean bulk, on the contrary, NOMOS has packed all of this mechanical loveliness within a very small space.

With the mechanical watch, the mainspring is tensioned by turning the crown or, in the case of an automatic movement, a weight rotating within the watch, energising the mainspring. That energy is often too great, hence it has to be stepped down, a bit like an electrical transformer, in order to deliver a suitable supply to the escapement. Unfortunately, as the teeth on the barrel, engage with the centre wheel, transferring energy, and the centre wheel engages with the first wheel, transferring energy, and so.... some of the energy is lost to friction, etc.

Typically, only 80% of the energy from the barrel reaches the escapement. NOMOS expended much energy on improving the efficiency of the gear train by looking at the order, angle and number of teeth found on the wheels of the train. The result was that the firm achieved an efficiency of 94.8%. This meant the movement could deliver a power reserve of 42 hours, but with a smaller mainspring, reducing the overall height of the calibre.

Look at the oscillating weight, it's openworked and is adorned with golden engraving, as is the rest of the movement. On this movement, the bulkiest part of the rotor runs in a channel, termed a trottoir, encircling the three-quarter plate, contributing to the calibre's remarkable, slender profile.

This movement features a three-quarter plate. By using this instead of a series of small bridges, there is less potential for flex, providing a more stable form of construction. The balance bridge is secured at two points with two thermally blued screws. In fact, thermally blued screws abound on this movement. Additional refinements include Glashütte ribbing and perlage on the mainplate. The level of detail is very impressive, especially for a watch at this price point.

So having made a movement that facilitates a large date display, you may be surprised to learn that the Tangente neomatik 41 Update doesn't eschews a conventional date window. Instead, 31 lozenge-shaped apertures encircle the dial with 31 date values in between. Two red apertures straddle the prevailing date. Simple to understand, clear to read and eminently stylish.

In 2018, the Tangente neomatik 41 Update won the GPHG Challenge Watch Prize and has scooped more silverware since. It's been a huge commercial success with the brand going on to release the Metro neomatik 41 Update, harnessing much of the know-how found on the 2018 watch, but presenting it in a slightly different form.

Furthermore, the German marque subsequently released additional versions of the Tangente neomatik 41 Update releasing midnight blue and ruthenium dial options. But lastly, returning to the DUW 6101, if the Update is not to your taste or you simply crave a watch with a large date aperture, don't worry, NOMOS has got it covered.