Latest Review
Neither Ace Jewelers or Nomos Glashütte are strangers to collaborations, especially with each other: the two companies have released a total of seven collaboration models so far. To celebrate the Amsterdam boutique’s 50th anniversary, they’ve teamed up once again with the German watchmaker to create two bold and bright new references in the Metro line. Interestingly, the Metro is one of Nomos’ least-riffed on designs—meaning that they’ve done the fewest amount of novelties and collaborations using the platform as compared to other watches in their catalog. This is partly because the Metro’s designer, Mark Braun, must explicitly approve any collaboration that uses the watch as a base, highlighting the pedigree of Ace Jewelers, and the gravitas of their 50th anniversary.
The most obvious punch that both new Metro models carry is right there in the name: the vibrant orange color. As a diehard San Francisco Giants fan, I’m partial to the color, but it is a daring choice—most bright colors are rare in the 2020s, where finding a car that isn’t black, white, or gray is the new needle in the haystack. The Metro, then, is actually the perfect choice for such a colorway, as its design revels in clean, postmodern design, rather than aesthetic noise.
Both Orange models feature round stainless steel bezel-less cases with a crown at 3 o’clock, and a DUW 3001 automatic movement with Nomos’ proprietary swing system and up to 43 hours of power reserve visible through a sapphire crystal caseback. Where they differ is in size and colorway: the Metro neomatik comes in at 35mm in diameter and 42.1mm lug-to-lug, while the Metro neomatik 39 wears larger at 38.5mm in diameter and 45.5mm lug-to-lug. The smaller Metro features a darker orange dial and a lighter orange subdial at 6 o’clock, while the 39 flips the script with a lighter hue on the dial and a darker shade on the subdial.
Initially, I thought the dark and light shades were the same between both models, but the 39’s oranges do seem to have a poppier tint—the lighter orange leans more towards yellow, while the darker is approaching terracotta. Both models feature black text details and hands, with “neomatik” standing out as the only text in red. What results is, in my opinion, an elegant dial that doesn’t let the orange colorways overtake the subtle design cues of the Metro. The hues chosen are both unique enough to make the watch stand out, and subdued enough to give it a more mature aesthetic that matches the original Metro’s design. The included strap for both models is a Horween Genuine Shell Cordovan black leather with quick-change spring bars, resting within a 17mm and 19mm lug width for the standard Orange and the 39, respectively.
Naturally, the Metro neomatik Orange models are both limited to 50 pieces and available at both Ace Jeweller’s physical boutique in Amsterdam and online at www.AceJewelers.com. The first ten sets will be sold only as matching pairs, adding to the collectability. The Metro neomatik Orange and Orange 39 retail for EUR 3,400 and 3,540 (including VAT) respectively. Nomos
