Glashütte high horology in a neat steel package

(My first post, so please be kind.)

Since I started collecting watches I’ve always been intrigued by Nomos. The German brand has a lot going for it: iconic Bauhaus design, in-house movements, and excellent quality, all at a relatively reasonable price.

I held off on buying one as I wanted an older Tangente Sport, the non-crownguard variant, however, after half a year of searching, I needed that Nomos fix and settled on a Expo 2000 Tangente, refurbished, straight from Nomos. The Tangente is in many ways the best Nomos. The  classic design, which predates Nomos by a few decades, produced by Weber & Baral, can be seen in some A. Lange & Sohne watches from the 1930’s. The size, albeit, seems small for some, but will comfortably fit a vast array of wrist sizes. Lastly, current models have a great in-house movement, which is the evolution of the early ETA based movements eg., seen in the Expo 2000 series of watches.

During my search for the first Nomos, the Lambda in steel was launched. Yes, it was very attractive, but way too expensive for me at that point in the collection journey (oh, how times have changed). Therefore, I continued my search and, finally, ended up with the aforementioned Tangente. Didn’t think much of the Lambda for a few months, but I was downtown Oslo, and thought that I haven’t been at the Nomos Authorized Dealer for some time, so I popped in. And behold they had a Lambda in steel with a white dial and steel blued hands sitting in the showcase. Mind you, this was around 10 months after the launch of the watch. They told me that they had ordered one of each of the colorways, and this was the only one left, the best variation I think. I didn’t spend long on the decision, five minutes and the deal was done, not even sitting down, but tripping with excitement. The staff was even surprised, they didn’t have to work hard for that sale.

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So now, I’ve owned it for almost one year and am still very much in love with it, however, like other watches, it’s not perfect.

Cons. 
One complaint I’ve seen other reviewers mention about Nomos watches, and which I very much agree on, is the simplistic case finishing. It’s strictly mirror polished. For the price, some brushing (maybe in the mid-case) would be appreciated. But, then again, I haven’t seen a Nomos with this sort of finish, so it might look awful.

Another concern for many is the size. I feel like this is a theme across Nomos watches, not just the Lambda, however, the challenge with the Lambda is not the long lugs as with other models. Here, the dinner plate effect can become real, that is, the watch is all dial, and one needs some empty space around it on the wrist to balance it. 
For me, with a 19 cm wrist, the Lambda is a perfect fit, and I feel like it looks proportional. The Lambda would have a larger range of customers if it was reduced by a few millimeters. Maybe in a future launch.

The final con with this watch might be unique to mine, and they both have to do with the movement. Firstly, Nomos claims that the DUW1001 movement is regulated to chronometer standards, albeit, not being certified. However, my experience is that it runs rather fast. Not horrible, but a bit disappointing for such a high end movement. Secondly, after a few months, I noticed that the hacking seconds had stopped working. Therefore, I promptly sent it back to Nomos to be fixed. Luckily, it was back within a month.

This seems all bad, but it’s far from it.

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Pros.
So what is there to like about the Lambda? A lot, actually, but I’ve now limited this to a few standout features that make this watch stick. 
I would say that the dial, with its symmetric nature and that massive power reserve, is just fantastic. The placement of the four hands is pretty unique and the patterns created by aligned or crossing hands are striking. I find it rather whimsical in its very serious first appearance. Continuing that theme, we must talk about the movement finishing. The DUW1001 has radial striping, several screwed chatons, an engraved balance cock which reads “lovingly produced in Glashütte'', and a swan neck regulator. These are all traits of Glashütte watchmaking that are executed in a way that makes it very enjoyable to look at in detail. You cannot do anything else than smile, even as silly as it sounds.

Finally, as a fairly casual dresser, the ability to change up the straps is a big plus. The glossy shell cordovan strap the watch comes on is great, but a little too nice for me. I’ve been enjoying it a lot on a black suede, ostrich, coloured leather, or even a nato strap. It’s truly versatile. I still have left to try it on a bracelet, but I think it’s going to take some time to find the perfect bracelet as I’m not fully sold on the Nomos one.

I’ve truly enjoyed the Nomos Lambda over the past year, and it has a solid place in the collection. I would even go as far to say that it’s permanent. 
 

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Glashütte high horology in a neat steel package

4.6
Yes No
5/5
5/5
4/5
4/5
5/5
  • Dial and hands plays together brilliantly.
  • Movement finishing.
  • Endless strap choice.
  • Simple case finish.
  • Requires a larger wrist.
  • Questionable movement accuracy and reliability.
Reply
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nice review, and beautiful movement. but the bezel is too thin so the watch looks bigger in your wrist

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Unholy

nice review, and beautiful movement. but the bezel is too thin so the watch looks bigger in your wrist

Yes, that’s one of the gripes with this one, it’s all dial. 

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I love the look of the movement in the exhibition case back.  But may not fit my 16cm wrist. 😢

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Jt0909

I love the look of the movement in the exhibition case back.  But may not fit my 16cm wrist. 😢

Thanks. Yes, that might be a stretch. 

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What an amazing watch the Lambda is, I'm a huge fan of NOMOS myself (I consider it to be my favorite brand and I love the Club that I have). 

Enjoy that beautiful piece! If I were you, I would be looking at the case back 24h a day 😂

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TheLeftyWatchNerd

What an amazing watch the Lambda is, I'm a huge fan of NOMOS myself (I consider it to be my favorite brand and I love the Club that I have). 

Enjoy that beautiful piece! If I were you, I would be looking at the case back 24h a day 😂

Cheers 😀 

To me, Nomos is something special, hard to say why, it just is.  

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Great review. But I'm a little bit shocked about that movement. For me personally Nomos especially stands out because of their movements. Sad to hear, that you have some problems with it. Nevertheless the Lambda is a real beautiful watch with a stunning caseback! 

Yes the finish is simple but I think that just suits the Lambda better. But I think that some brush on the Club Campus would be great.