Hands-On Nomos Glashütte Introduces The Tangente 2date With A Brand New Movement

Yes. Haters of date windows, be warned: Nomos just released a Tangente with two date windows. But before we get to that, let's quickly talk about the new hand-wound movement. Collectors of Nomos may have noticed that the brand's "ring date" complication was only available on two models featuring automatic winding Neomatik calibers – the 41mm Metro and Tangente variants.

The new DUW 4601 caliber is the brand's first hand-wound movement to feature the ring date complication with quick-set functionality. What's impressive is the caliber's thickness, at only 2.8mm. Nomos manages this by keeping the date mechanism on the same plane as the rest of the caliber instead of on top, as most movements have it. With an improved power reserve of 52 hours, it's a very admirable movement from the brand.

That brings us to the two watches introduced today – the Tangente 2date in both white and blue colorways. What was great to see was the fact that Nomos released this in the 37.5mm Tangente case, a significant departure from the much larger models, bringing a "complicated" version of the Tangente to its more classic proportions.

In either a whimsical or bizarre sense, depending on how you feel about date windows and date wheels, Nomos decided to emphasize the concept of the date on these watches by including both the ring date as well as the more classic date window. Yes, wild. The brand says that the date window provides a direct readout, while the ring date is more to complement as a visual indicator of the passing of the month. Regardless of whether you like this decision or not, the choice is intentional.

Proportions of the trapezoidal date window, now juxtaposed against the outer cutouts of the ring date, have been adjusted, and so has the typeface for the date window. Kerning and spacing of the serif numerals have all been carefully adjusted individually for each date of the month so that visually, it all maintains the same proportions even when you get into the double digits. It's an important detail for a brand that so heavily emphasizes the importance of precise design in all of its models and one that most brands don't bother with at all.

While it would be easy to assume this contributes to a busy and cramped dial, especially in the 37.5mm case, in person I was surprised by how it didn't feel like it at all. With the way the cutouts of the ring date is designed, it essentially takes the place of a typical seconds track at the edge of the dial so nothing feels extraneous. Sure, two date indications may be unnecessary, but the execution here is quite well done and shockingly works.

The two dial treatments for the 2date are not necessarily new to the brand, but with this implementation, some slight changes were made. The white silver-plated dial is closest to its 41mm Neomatik cousin, but the addition of the vibrant red date printing means a heavier accent on red and creates a more playful look. The bigger change, however, comes with the blue dial variant. On the 41mm Neomatik version, the ring date is in bright green, creating a very readable but more informal look. With the 2date, the colorful accents are ditched for white to complement the white printing on the dial. In-person, this execution means that the ring date is much more subtle, even if it could occasionally be a bit hard to read. But the blue is certainly the chameleon of the two – in overcast and indoors light, it comes across as dark and flat. But the minute you put the sunburst metallic blue dial in sunlight, it shines, and the texture glimmers. For me, though, I prefer the white dial, as I'd want to double down on such a strange complication with the red popping significantly more.

The case wears beautifully on the wrist, as I saw with many wrist sizes trying on the watch today. The long, thin lugs that are a trademark of the Tangente design are perfect at this size. The thinness of the new caliber is welcome, with the case coming in at only 6.8mm thick. Both colors deliver on black Horween shell cordovan straps, a signature of Nomos, though I think the white dial is begging to be put on a more casual strap.

Flip the watch around, and we are back to looking at the new caliber. Immediately apparent is the new finishing style on this caliber – typically, Nomos saves the sunbeam-style ribbing for the decoration on their precious metal Lambda models, but this is the first time we see the brand ditch Glashütte stripes on a steel model for a more dynamic decoration. While Glashütte striping comes from the history of the local watchmaking there, I think this is a really refreshing visual change, especially for a watch at the $3k price point. The watch technically starts at $2,760 with a solid caseback, though I think the option at $3,020 with a sapphire caseback is more compelling to me with the new finishing.

The Tangente 2date was not something I had on my 2024 Nomos Forum bingo card. This seems like one of those designs that no one necessarily asked for, but weird decisions like this are what make me love Nomos as a brand. I also think the brand doesn't get enough credit for its capability of making such thin watches with in-house movements at this price point – it should continue to be a wake-up call for other brands to hopefully follow. Much like some of Nomos' more quirky older models, I have a feeling this may end up being one of those watches we look back at ten years from now and see as a fascinating collector's item for die-hard fans of the brand. Can't wait for people to comment that they wish this watch didn't have a date window.

Nomos Glashütte Tangente 2date. 37.5mm diameter by 6.8mm thick. 47.7mm lug-to-lug. Stainless steel case with 5atm water resistance. White silver-plated or blue sunburst dial. Hours, minutes, small seconds, date window, ring date complication. DUW 4601 manually-wound caliber with quickset date and 52 hours of power reserve. Black Horween shell cordovan leather strap. Price: $2,760 with solid caseback, $3,020 with sapphire caseback.