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Nomos Glashütte Tangente 38
Ref. 164
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Stepping up in the same colour and case shape
The Tangente is where Nomos began making its argument about what a watch should look like — austere, typographically precise, drawing from the Bauhaus discipline that the brand has never drifted far from. The 38 is the grown version of that original 35mm case, and the straight, angular lugs carry it to 47.7mm lug-to-lug, so it fills the wrist more than the diameter alone implies. At 6.8mm thick it disappears beneath a shirt cuff in the way that very few watches manage, which is the whole point of keeping a manual movement here rather than an automatic. The dial is galvanised and silver-plated, the numerals printed in a typeface that reads as designed rather than merely legible, and the hands are thermally blued — heated to 290°C to reach that particular cornflower tone rather than being coated. The Alpha calibre inside is made in Glashütte, finished with the ribbing and blued screws that the region's tradition demands, and fully visible through the caseback. The strap is Shell Cordovan, which stiffens and softens differently to calf and will, over time, take on a patina that suits the dial's quiet palette rather than competing with it.
- Reference
- 164
- Brand
- Nomos Glashütte
- Collection
- Tangente
- Case size
- 37.5mm
- Case thickness
- 6.8mm
- Lug width
- 19mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- White
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- Alpha
- Functions
- Small seconds
- Water resistance
- 30m
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Strap colour
- Black
- Clasp
- Buckle
- Lume
- Luminous
- Retailer
- Mappin & Webb
Additional specifications
- Lug-to-lug
- 47.7mm
- Power reserve
- 43 hours
Learn more about Nomos Glashütte
Roland Schwertner, a photographer and computer technician from Düsseldorf with no watchmaking background, registered Nomos in Glashütte in January 1990 — two months after the Berlin Wall fell and before German reunification was complete. The town's watchmaking infrastructure had been state-owned for four decades and was suddenly available.
The design language was settled from the start and has barely moved: Bauhaus in the strict sense, drawing on the Dessau school's functionalism. Sans-serif numerals, no applied ornament, no unnecessary line, and dial layouts where every element earns its place. The Tangente, one of the first models, remains the flagship and looks the same today.
The technical ambition came later and was considerable for a company of its size. Nomos moved from modified Swiss ébauches to its own Alpha calibre, then to the DUW family, and in 2014 introduced the swing system — a proprietary escapement with an in-house hairspring, the component almost no independent manufacturer makes. Fewer than a dozen companies worldwide produce their own hairsprings.
The house is still independent, still based in a converted railway station in Glashütte, with design offices in Berlin. It occupies unusual territory: in-house movements and German finishing at prices closer to Swiss mid-range brands using bought-in calibres, which has made it the most common entry point into serious German watchmaking.
- 1990
- Roland Schwertner founds Nomos in Glashütte.
- 1992
- The Tangente launches and defines the house style.
- 2005
- Production shifts to in-house movements.
- 2014
- The swing system escapement with in-house hairspring is introduced.
Also in 5 collections
This watch appears in the Nomos Glashütte Tangente range (7), Stainless Steel Watches (3,355), Automatic Watches (1,699), Leather Strap Watches (1,083) and Dress Watches (548).
What the specifications mean
A slim watch on leather, made for wearing with a shirt.
Strengths
- 37.5mm suits most wrists
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
- Sits in the lower half of Nomos Glashütte's range as we list it
Worth knowing
- 30m means keeping it away from water
Nomos Glashütte Tangente 38 alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | 164 | L28284532 | 01 733 7810 4054-07 8 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £2,220 | £2,150 | £1,900 |
| Case size | 37.5mm | 38.5mm | 38mm |
| Water resistance | 30m | 30m | 30m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Leather strap | Leather strap | Stainless steel bracelet |
| Power reserve | 43 hours | 72 hours | — |
| This watch | Closely matched |
|
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
No. At 30m it will survive rain and handwashing, but not submersion of any kind.
Will the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Does it need a battery?
No. It is automatic — the motion of your wrist winds it, and there is no cell to replace.
How long does it run for when it's not worn?
About 43 hours fully wound — enough to survive a night off the wrist, but not a full weekend.
What size strap does it take?
19mm. Any strap of that width will fit, and on most modern watches quick-release bars make the swap a two-minute job with no tools.
Will it fit my wrist?
Lug-to-lug is 47.7mm, which suits wrists from roughly 16.5cm (6½ inches) upward.
Lug-to-lug decides fit more than case diameter does.
Is it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as unisex, and at this size it suits any wrist that takes the dimensions.
Cheapest place to buy
Mappin & Webb is the only UK retailer we track stocking this reference new, at £2,220. There is nothing to compare it against today.
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