Hands-On with the Timeless Club II by Nomos

Just over a year ago, I had the opportunity to review a unique limited edition version of the Nomos Club Date that was created for Timeless Luxury, a boutique and Nomos AD in Texas. What made it different was simply the use of color. Rather than the typical light (silver or cream) dial or dark variety the Club comes in, they went with a deep dark blue, accented with red. It worked really well, making it easily one of the most attractive Nomos’ to date. As such, it sold out quickly.

Now, in 2016, they decided to follow up with a new and slightly different version, the Timeless Club II. Though similar at a glance to the first edition, there are actually a handful of differences making these quite unique in the world of Nomos. First, these feature the 38.5mm case that is used on the Club Date models, but there is no date window. Taking a step back, one of the very curious things about the Nomos Club is that each of the four version has a different case. The simplest version, which is manual-wind no-date, is 36mm then the manual-wind with date is 38.5mm. Next you have the automatic no-date at 40mm and lastly the automatic with date at 41.5mm. By being a manual-wind no-date in a 38.5mm case the Timeless Club II is actually a version that Nomos themselves don’t sell. As such, it’s priced quite literally between the Club and Club Date at $2,160.

This was an interesting choice that I think will make the watch tempting to a lot of people. The 36mm Club (which I own personally) is a great watch, but small for some. Though only 2.5mm larger, the 38.5 date version wears substantially larger, making it better for a bigger wrist, but also for people who just want a bit more presence. After all, 38.5mm is still fairly small in the scheme of watches. Now, one doesn’t have to pay a near $1,000 difference to get the larger case if they don’t also want the date.

Apart from the no-date, the other major difference is the addition of a second accent color. Now, you can choose blue and red, or blue and yellow. The blue and red is basically the same as the first Timeless Club, though the red accents on the dial are actually a bit brighter to match the sub-seconds hand. It’s really a fantastic combo that works very well with the Club platform, which mixes typical Nomos elegance with something more sporty and youthful. The blue and yellow works too, but has a different feeling. The Canary yellow accents jump off the blue, but rather than having the playful feel of the red, they seem more serious and conservative.

The lack of date on the 38.5mm version creates a larger gap under the sub-seconds dial. It’s not so big as to feel empty, though a dot or small line might have been nice. Either way, having the larger no-date is nice. On the wrist both version have a lot of presence, though the red might stand out a bit more. Regardless, the blue looks amazing on the wrist and the size definitely gives the watch overall more impact than the 36mm Club.

As with the last model, the Club IIs come on Nomos’ black Horween shell cordovan straps. These are great straps, though I find the choice of black a bit puzzling. It doesn’t accentuate the blue at all, even at times making the blue feel gray. Brown or burgundy would have been a better choice in my eyes.

As with all Nomos’ the Timeless Club II features one of their in-house movements, but rather than their newer generation, which are designated by DUW followed by a number, it is one of their older Alpha movements. But, it’s an Alpha movement with their swing system thus making it seemingly the same as the newer generation, but with an older name and 3/4 plate markings. Not really sure why they would choose do to this, perhaps they had older movement parts they are going through.

In the end, the Timeless Club II by Nomos is another very cool collaboration between the two brands. For those who missed out on the first one, here’s another chance to get it, or something similar. For those who always wanted a 38.5mm club but without a date, this might your only chance. And for those who just really like blue and yellow together, I’m pretty sure this is the nicest option. Each color is limited to 100 pieces, and if the last version was any indicator, they’ll go fast. For a more detailed look, I recommend reading my review of the first Timeless Club which shares many traits with the newer model.