Nomos Unveils a New Movement with Two Dates at their Annual Forum

I attended the 5th year of Nomos’s annual forum this week, and even though the theme was about design and colors, it was the new manual winding movement that received the most attention. 

As a seasoned writer who has closely followed Nomos’s trajectory, I often find myself anticipating the brand’s future moves. However, even with my extensive experience, the unveiling of the Tangente 2date ($2,760-$3,020) caught me off guard. I will be very open about what resonated with me, and what left me puzzled.

Let’s begin with the movement itself. The DUW 4601 is a new manual winding caliber with a slim height of 2.8mm, and 52 hours of power reserve. Speaking with Mirko Heyne, head of research and development at Nomos, I learned that the previous manual winding caliber, DUW 4101, had the same height with a normal date complication, 42 hours of power reserve, and not the nice finishing we see on the new 4601. Both have the Swing System, the proprietary escapement developed by Nomos. In summary, the new movement delivers extra power reserve, better finishing, and has an additional date complication while still remaining the same height as the previous movement – that’s because the patented date wheel is integrated into the mainplate. Another significant technical advancement in the 4601 caliber is the quick set date mechanism. You can easily jump forward with the crown in the second position. 

When I saw the standalone movement with Mirko, my first impression was the slimness, and then upon flipping it, it was the finishing. At first, the higher-end Lambda and Lux movements came to mind, and there are definitely some similarities. The “sunbeam” perlage on the ¾ plate appears similar, but the beams are wider in the previous movement and much more compact in the new one. I like the consistency of the pattern visible throughout the movement including the balance cock. Even though beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, I find this contemporary finishing more in tune with current times and more to the taste of Gen-Z enthusiasts. Just to be clear, however, I’ll reiterate that the finishing on the DUW 4601 is not at the same high level as the Lamda and Lux movements. 

Now, to the more controversial subject of two dates. Nomos addresses the date as a more whimsical complication, where you can see how many days are left in the month, while also calling out practical applications for a multi-date display. For example, som may simply be able to process a “digital” date faster than a view of the date in the context of the entire month, and vice-versa. Honestly, I believe Nomos did it simply because they could. They remain true to their quirkier side of watchmaking with humorous marketing, creative color combinations, and I can respect that. Were two dates necessary to show the same information? Absolutely not! However, Mirko hinted that the next iteration could be with a single date with all the added benefits of this movement. 

Controversy out of the way, let’s dive into the design language – the theme of this forum. What I love about the Tangente 2date is the typography. The subtle “Tangente” narrow serif font is very easy to read and perhaps more whimsical than the two date complication itself. For example, if you look at the date ‘22’ – the first 2 is different from the second 2. It is a small detail, but a practical one where legibility is concerned. 

I like the 37.5mm case with thinner angled lugs and the total case height of 6.8mm. The lug-to-lug measurement is 47.7mm, and the watch fit perfectly on my 17.2cm wrist. Personally, I am not a big Cordovan leather fan, but this is a high quality strap (19mm lug width) and is the standard for the Tangente model. It has the right proportions for a modern dress watch.

The two dial options are the typical white silver-plated option or the more exciting sunburst blue dial with white date indications. I preferred the blue dial, but I am confident Nomos sells more of the shiny silver-plated dials. 

I will follow the evolution of this new movement closely. I wonder what Nomos has in store for us in the coming years. Will we see a different complication since the base caliber remains intact? Nomos