The first mechanical watch I ever purchased for myself was a Nomos Tangente. In between studying for the bar exam and prepping for my wedding a few years ago, I found myself rediscovering the world of watches. Eventually, I decided I needed a “real” watch to wear at my wedding. A new law school graduate with no discernible income except from a few Postmates deliveries I’d make before a day of bar exam studying (tip your drivers!), I needed something affordable that looked good with a suit, but that would also stand the test of time, both in function and design.
I wanted something that, while having a story all its own, was still distinctly mine — a blank slate for new memories. This led me to Nomos, a brand with a distinctly modern story and aesthetic rooted in historic design.
The Nomos Tangente and Nomos Club Campus are two of the brand’s ‘entry-level’ watches, and two of its best
Since acquiring that first Nomos, I’ve owned a number of models from the brand — for example, the Nomos Tangente Sport for Hodinkee, which I’ve also discussed in-depth. But, two of the brand’s “entry-level” (god, I hate that term), and most popular models remain my favorites: the Nomos Tangente and the Nomos Club, specifically the Club Campus. For those looking to purchase their first Nomos — if not their first mechanical watch, full stop — the Nomos Tangente and Club Campus are natural options. Let’s take an in-depth look at both.
What are the Nomos Tangente and the Club?
The Nomos Tangente is the foundational icon of Nomos, part of the original quartet of watches Nomos introduced when the brand launched back in 1991 after the German reunification. Nomos bills it “the classic Bauhaus” watch, and the Tangente lives up to the name: It has its roots in historic mid-century designs from brands like Lange and Longines, but remains distinctly modern.
Meanwhile, the Nomos Club line is a more recent introduction to the catalog. The Club Campus was introduced in 2017. The collection’s tagline is “watches for graduation”; instead of bringing classic Bauhaus to the modern era, the Club is an attempt to meet young consumers where they are: slightly larger, sportier, more colorful, and cheaper.
For this article, I’ll compare the Nomos Tangente ref. 139 and the Club Campus ref. 709, both the exhibition case back versions of the models (the Tangente ref. 101 and Club Campus ref. 708 are the steel case back versions, and the same watches in every other respect. But, as you’ll see, I think it’s worth the extra hundred bucks or so to get a look at Nomos’ in-house movements). Even better, Nomos isn’t afraid to sell its own pre-owned watches, even doing so on its own site, meaning even better value isn’t hard to find.
The Nomos Alpha Caliber
Nomos Alpha caliber inside the Club Campus
Let’s start off with the movement, since the manual-wind Tangente and Club Campus are equipped with the same Nomos Alpha caliber. The Alpha caliber is an in-house Nomos movement with 43 hours of power reserve, the Glashutte-trademark three-quarter plate, and blued screws. It does not contain Nomos’ patented in-house “Swing System” escapement, instead using a third-party escapement. But, this means Nomos keeps cost lower, and performance doesn’t suffer. The surfaces are rhodium plated, feature Glashutte stripes across the bridges, and perlage. At the price point, the finishing is quite impressive: conscientious and efficient in that stereotypically German way. If Mercedes Benz (certainly not Ferrari) were to finish a watch movement, it might look something like this. There’s certainly enough fine finishing to draw the eye, making it worth splurging on the exhibition case back so you can enjoy all that Nomos’ Glashutte workshop offers.
In short, the Alpha caliber is an excellent, serviceable manual wind movement. If a Nomos is your first mechanical watch, there’s a lot to love here, and the fact that Nomos offers all its watches with an exhibition case back makes it even more enjoyable. I’ve spent much more on watches that offer much less mechanical enjoyment, so Nomos really spoils you here.
The dials: To lume or not to lume
Now, let’s dig into the differences. First, the dials:
Tangente: Galvanic silver; no lume, printed glossy black numerals; tempered blue steel hands
Club Campus: Galvanic silver; numerals with gray superluminova (blue luminescence); rhodium-plated hands with superluminova
Just looking at the dial, it’s clear these are two completely different watches with different purposes. The Nomos Tangente is a pure, modern expression of Bauhaus design and watchmaking. Not a single design choice is superfluous, not one flourish is added just because. “Form follows function”, as the Bauhaus cliche goes, and the Tangente is the living embodiment of this aphorism. It’s simple but not sterile, as the galvanic silvered dial provides enough variation and texture to ensure it doesn’t feel flat. Sure, the design takes clear inspiration from mid-century watches, but Nomos has taken the time to get the details right. The hands are heated blue (not chemically treated), the more traditional and complex method to create the deep blue color, again illustrating that Nomos respects traditional watchmaking techniques, especially those of its Glashutte hometown. The font choice is completely unmoored from time, just as comfortable in 2020 as it would be in 1950.
Nomos Club Campus
While the Club Campus dial is also galvanic silver, not much else remains the same. Where the Tangente is a faithful adherent to Bauhaus aphorisms, the Club Campus wonders what those clichés might mean in the 21st century. The numeral choices are a playful mixture of Arabic and Roman; the color choices are similarly lighthearted. The luminescent indices are surrounded by a bright orange that matches the small seconds hand, providing pops of color that wonder what might be if mid-century Bauhaus weren’t so black and white. The wider hands and lume on the dial and hands make for an overall sportier look, but one that’s still buttoned up enough to be worn with a suit and tie. On the lume: yes, it’s superluminova, but it’s truly not that strong. In extended darkness, it provides little added functionality. But hey, just use your phone then, right?
Winner: It’s a classic battle of the seasoned vet and the young upstart. As I’ve discussed before, I’m an advocate of “buying the classics” from a brand: acquiring those models that have proven themselves as timeless icons. With Nomos, that’s the Tangente. It’s been the foundation of the brand’s collection since the 1990s, and draws a clear line to Nomos’ inspiration of Bauhaus and mid-century design. It’s hard not to buy that story and heritage. The Club Campus is the sprightly upstart, but it’s not clear to me that I’ll look down at those orange accents in 10 years when I’m an exhausted dad with two kids and too many emails in my inbox and feel the same sense of whimsical joy as I do now. With that, the Tangente is the winner here; just looking at the dial, you feel yourself connected to designers and architects like Miles van der Rohe and Max Bill, if only for a second.
The cases: dressy or sporty
Case construction is perhaps where the Tangente and Club Campus are most distinct:
Tangente: 35mm x 6.6mm x 45.5mm lug-to-lug; smooth thin bezel; flat sapphire crystal; 30 meters water resistance
Club Campus: 36mm x 8.6mm x 47.5mm lug-to-lug; smooth wide bezel; domed sapphire crystal; 100 meters water resistance
The Tangente features a tripartite case, meaning it’s constructed with three pieces of 316L stainless steel. The faceted, square lugs jut out from the circular case before turning down to more closely hug the wrist. For a circular watch, the construction is notable for its sharp, 90 degree angles. Every surface is highly polished. That means you’ll start to notice micro-scratches as you wear it, but no worry — it’s a watch that’s meant to be worn and enjoyed. At just 6.6mm in thickness, the Tangente nearly disappears on the wrist. The only perceived sacrifice for this thin profile is water resistance: Nomos provides that it’s water resistant to 30 ATM.
Meanwhile, the Club Campus has lugs that more naturally flow from the case, creating a more elegant, curved case profile. When first seeing the Club, most remark on the long lugs; indeed, a nearly 48mm lug-to-lug is quite large for a 36mm watch. It means the watch wears large, more like a typical 38mm watch. The lugs have a nice curved profile, meaning the long lugs don’t make the watch wear uncomfortable or flat on the wrist. The most important difference from the Tangente is water resistance: the Club Campus features a screw back case, making it water resistant to 100 meters (compared to the Tangente’s “splash resistant” 30 meters of resistance). This is why the Club Campus can comfortably be considered a sports watch, while the Tangente remains a dress piece.
Here, we should also mention Nomos’ strap options. The Tangente comes with a black Horween leather strap, an all-business choice that perfectly complements the dressier watch. The Club Campus’ standard issue strap is a grey suede, a slightly more casual option for a slightly more casual timepiece. But, both watches are such great choices because of their ability to be paired with any number of straps. Of particular note, the Club Campus works well on Nomos’ OEM Sport Bracelet. For both watches, Nomos’ standard offerings are perfect choices, yet another detail the brand gets right.
Winner: The Club Campus provides a slightly sportier, more robust case. While the Tangente’s faithful execution of Bauhaus principles with the dial make it a timeless classic, the Club Campus’ ethos of putting a modern spin on these principles make for a more versatile case construction.
The value proposition
Let’s be honest. You’re looking at a Nomos for the value. And you’re right to. It might even be your first mechanical watch (in which case, congratulations, you’re on the right track).
Tangente: $2,180 MSRP
Club Campus: $1,800 MSRP
But, here’s the great thing about Nomos. The brand has embraced the pre-owned and refurbished market in a way other brands have not. On Nomos’ own website, it sells refurbished watches. Nomos has also partnered with pre-owned marketplace sites like Chrono24 and Chronext to re-sell old models, which hasn’t exactly endeared it with the retailer cognoscenti. As such, with a bit of patience, you can find a pre-owned Tangente or Club Campus, certified Nomos, for as little as 75 percent of the MSRP. If it’s your first watch and you decide a couple years down the road that you want to resell it, that means you likely won’t be taken much of a loss (if any) on your purchase. This acknowledgement of the pre-owned market and commitment to ensuring consumers can buy certified pre-owned Nomos watches at reasonable prices truly sets the brand apart from others — it’s something I can’t emphasize enough, and I wish other brands would recognize the long term benefits of this philosophy that creates new collectors and brings a new generation into the community.
Winner: You. At MSRP, both watches already offer a ton of value: in-house movement, distinct design (which, by the way is also done in-house by Nomos’ Berlin-based design team). Both watches are designed to be worn all day, every day, for years to come. By the way, Nomos also makes servicing easy if you need to ship it back to Glashutte. If you decide to go the pre-owned route, the Tangente or Club Campus are downright steals. To me, they’re the two best entry points into mechanical watches.
The Intangibles: Tradition and youth
So far, the matchups have given the tale of the tape: which watch offers better design, performance, etc.? But, I’d be foolish not to acknowledge that watches are mostly purchased for that intangible X factor — how does it feel when you slip it on your wrist? While the specs of both are similar, they elicit quite a different feel on the wrist.
As soon as I buckle the Tangente on, I immediately feel as though I’m a part of some amorphic, global cosmopolitan class of creatives. We are writers, architects, programmers, as unconcerned with borders as we are with dropping $6 on a latte. But, the Tangente is more than that. We’d be naive not to make passing reference to the dozens of online and Instagram watch brands that have imitated the minimalist Nomos aesthetic, but by leveraging global supply chains and Alibaba to deliver cheap, quartz-powered watches with little inspiration and even less personality. The Tangente rises above this: it, instead is connected with a very physical location: Nomos’ Glashutte workshop, where the brand has dutifully revitalized the town’s proud watchmaking heritage left for dead in post-World War II East Germany. This revitalization occurred on the back of the Tangente’s success. While one of those Instagram watches exposes a consumer that’s minimally aware and makes purchasing decisions to look like a well-crafted Instagram post, the Tangente is something much more. Unlike most modern brands that seem to have perfected an aesthetic, and not much more, Nomos has perfected every single detail, from the heated blue hands to its customer service.
To be sure, all this is also true of the Club Campus. However, here Nomos swaps tradition for youthful modernity. While the Tangente is clearly rooted in Bauhaus tradition and Glashutte watchmaking, the Club Campus leaves all pretense behind, trying something new entirely. And this is important: watchmaking must be as forward looking as it is rooted in tradition. The very fact that the Tangente and Club Campus exist alongside each other in Nomos’ catalog makes the pair even more endearing. That Nomos can make a watch (the Tangente) so rooted in tradition while also crafting one that pushes the boundaries of what Bauhaus can be (the Club Campus) is a testament to the brand’s own personality and commitment to charting its own course. The Club Campus is the personification of Nomos’ playful, youthful spirit.
Winner: Given the choice between tradition and youthfulness, I err on the side of conservatism. Call me old fashioned.
Tangente v. Club Campus: The winner
For those not keeping score, the Tangente has won two categories, the Club Campus one category, while they tied for both offering a great value. Listen, once you strap either watch on your wrist and feel the intangibles, you might assign a different winner. For me, the mystique and tradition of the Tangente wins out. This was the watch that brought back Glashutte watchmaking, and now it’s here on my wrist. Further, as a collector with a particular taste for vintage watches, the Tangente is clearly rooted in the designs of other brands from the 1940s and 50s. I have a particular appreciation for modern watches that draw on horological history, but that put their own modern interpretation on it. Too much “inspiration” becomes plagiarism, while something with no clear through line to the past doesn’t inspire my imagination and penchant for narrative.
For you, that might be different. The Club Campus’ youthful exuberance is undeniable, a watch that needs to exist just as much as the Tangente. What’s more, it’s hard to deny the Club Campus is slightly more wearable and versatile. 100 meters of water resistance (especially on Nomos’ bracelet) makes for a true sports watch that, at less than two grand, is really tough to beat.
Most importantly, if you’re looking to buy a Nomos, you’ve already made a good decision. Legendary watchmaker Philippe Dufour — he of six-figure time only timepieces — himself has sung the brand’s praises. If he can appreciate the brand’s design, movements and finishing, so can you.
The Nomos Tangente ref. 139 and Nomos Club Campus ref. 709 can be purchased new or refurbished on the Nomos website. For more on Nomos, read our brief history of the brand.