Tap the image to enlarge
Nomos Glashütte Tetra Basalt 29.5mm Watch
Ref. 440
See more premium optionsHide
Stepping up in Nomos Glashütte's range
The Tetra is the square case that NOMOS has built its identity around since the studio's founding years in Glashütte, and the Basalt sits within the Tetra Origins line — the series that holds closest to the original proportions and intent. At 29.5mm across and only 6.5mm tall, it is a watch that earns its square footprint: the slim profile keeps it from reading as a geometric experiment on the wrist, and the 40.5mm lug-to-lug means it settles flat rather than bridging the wrist. The anthracite dial is severe enough to absorb the applied indices without fuss, and the yellow small-seconds hand is the single deliberate disruption — a quiet insistence that this is not purely an exercise in restraint. Winding and setting are done through a manual-wind DUW 4001, built in-house at NOMOS with the proprietary swing system escapement and the stripes-and-bevels finishing that Glashütte workshops treat as a matter of professional pride. Fifty-three hours of reserve means a weekend off the wrist causes no drama. The beige vegan velour strap softens what could otherwise be a hard-edged combination, and it reads as a considered contrast rather than an afterthought.
- Reference
- 440
- Brand
- Nomos Glashütte
- Collection
- Tetra
- Case size
- 29.5mm
- Case thickness
- 6.5mm
- Lug width
- 18mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Square
- Dial
- Anthracite
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Manual
- Calibre
- DUW 4001
- Functions
- Small seconds
- Water resistance
- 50m
- Bracelet / strap
- Fabric strap
- Strap colour
- Beige
- Clasp
- Buckle
- Lume
- Luminous
- Retailer
- Mappin & Webb
Additional specifications
- Lug-to-lug
- 40.5mm
- Power reserve
- 53 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 4 collections
This watch appears in Stainless Steel Watches (3,355), Watches Under 37mm (1,771), Rectangular & Square Watches (477) and Grey Dial Watches (257).
What the specifications mean
Strengths
- 29.5mm 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
- 50m suits rain and handwashing, not swimming
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
Showering yes, swimming no. 50m covers splashes and brief immersion, but a swimming stroke generates well above the pressure that figure describes.
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 53 hours fully wound — enough to survive a night off the wrist, but not a full weekend.
What size strap does it take?
18mm. 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 40.5mm, 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 £2,300. There is nothing to compare it against today.
More Nomos Glashütte watches like the Tetra Basalt
In stock, and close on style and price
