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Nomos Glashütte Orion 33 Rose
Ref. 325
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Stepping up in Nomos Glashütte's range
The Orion has been in the NOMOS catalogue since the brand's founding in the early 1990s, and it remains the clearest expression of what Glashütte Bauhaus design actually means in practice: nothing on the dial that is not doing a job, and everything that is doing a job made as well as the movement inside. The pink dial here is galvanised rather than painted, which gives it a depth that shifts under different light, and the gold hands are diamond-polished — the kind of finishing you see rather than read about. At 32.8mm with ergonomic lugs that curve down to meet the wrist, this sits exactly where a dress watch of this type should: flat against the skin, unobtrusive under a cuff, present without insisting on itself. The Alpha calibre winding it is made entirely in-house, runs at 2.6mm thick, and carries the traditional Glashütte three-quarter plate with rhodium-plated surfaces and côtes de Genève ribbing — all visible through the caseback. Adjusted to six positions, it is not an entry movement dressed up; it is a genuine piece of German craft in a case small enough that most rivals at this diameter would not attempt it.
- Reference
- 325
- Brand
- Nomos Glashütte
- Collection
- Orion
- Case size
- 32.8mm
- Case thickness
- 8.5mm
- Lug width
- 17mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Pink
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Manual
- Calibre
- Alpha
- Functions
- Small seconds
- Water resistance
- 30m
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Strap colour
- Beige
- Clasp
- Buckle
- Lume
- Luminous
- Retailer
- Mappin & Webb
Additional specifications
- Lug-to-lug
- 41.3mm
- 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 Stainless Steel Watches (3,355), Back in Stock (2,731), Watches Under 37mm (1,771), 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
- 32.8mm wears small and slips under any cuff
- 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
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 hand-wound, so it needs winding every day or two but never a battery.
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?
17mm. 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 41.3mm, which suits wrists from roughly 15cm (6 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 £2,100. There is nothing to compare it against today.
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