Seiko SKX009J

May 10, 2019 in Horology

I’m the type of person that prefers to wear a watch as much as possible. I have a few different watches but few that I’m willing to wear extensively because of their value and meaning to me. Over the past few years, I’ve ended up just wearing G-Shocks on most occasions because they’re extremely rugged, can take a beating and keep going. G-Shocks function perfectly for my needs but they don’t appeal to me aesthetically. I prefer analog mechanical watches. Well, I’ve finally decided to pick up a cheap mechanical watch that I can use, possibly damage and not have to worry too much about. After some searching, I’ve settled on the Seiko SKX. My particular SKX is the SKX009J with the Pepsi bezel and being made in Japan but I think that everything that I say in this blog will be pertinent to all other SKX007 and SKX009s.

I’ve had this watch for some time now and I’ve been siting on making a review because what else is there to say about this watch? The SKX line is iconic and extremely popular so there are plenty of other people who have covered this piece. So, I just want to share with you some of the key features and how they have effected my experience with this watch.

The SKX features the Seiko 7S26 automatic movement with day and date display. This is an old but tried and true movement for Seiko. It is reliable and has been known to last a long time without the need for service. That being said, this movement is dated.

First off, the 7S26 lacks hacking. This means that when the crown is pulled out for adjustments, the second hand keeps moving. This is not a deal breaker but is an annoyance, especially for someone like me who tries to sync the time as precisely as possible. The seconds being off is just one of things that sits in the back of my head, but I can get over it. You can of course do something known as back hacking which essentially is forcing the movement to stop, which in turn stops the second hand. I personally choose not to do this just to possibly stretch the life of the movement out for as long as possible.

The second annoyance with this movement is its lack of a hand winding feature. This means that when the movement stops, you essentially have to shake the watch in order to get the rotor to wind the movement up and get everything moving. Again, this is not a deal breaker, just a minor annoyance. In use, my only complaint with this would be that it is difficult if not impossible to know how wound up the movement is. Because there is no way to measure the power reserve, you’ll have no idea how long you can let the watch sit still for. This makes it difficult for people with sedentary lifestyles to keep the watch constantly running. You’ll just have to get experience with the watch and get a feel for how much movement you need to keep the watch wound and ready to go.

However, I will give it up to Seiko because the winding mechanism of this movement is very efficient. If the movement stops, it seems like just by picking the watch up, it starts back up. The first time that I picked this watch up, the movement has stopped. I shook the watch three time and the movement came alive. I decided to put the watch down just to see how far three shakes can get me. The watch ran for over an hour before I got bored and gave up on trying to keep track of it. This is my first non hand winding movement so I can’t say if this is a little or a lot but I’m personally amazed. The 7S26 gave a lot of output for so little input. In short, it takes very little effort to get the movement going. Because of this, if you wear this watch often or you move your arms around a lot while wearing it, the movement should be wound up pretty well and you won’t have to worry too much about the power reserve.

In terms of design, the SKX features Seiko’s proprietary Hardlex mineral for the front display. This is a point of complaint for many people as a sapphire display would’ve been more desirable. Sapphire is a harder crystal so it is less prone to scratches. I personally would’ve preferred sapphire crystal, but what am I going to do? It is what it is. I would say that in my use, I haven’t had a problem with the Hardlex display. This isn’t a watch that I baby, but it isn’t something that I go out and try to abuse. I just wear it for everyday purposes wether that’s for yard work, fishing, or whatever. I haven’t gotten any scratches yet, but it’s probably just a matter of time. For me, watches are just one of those things that I know will get some damage if I wear it all the time and the probability of scratches is just higher with hardlex than with sapphire. That’s a fact. But who knows, only time will tell. If this is a big determiner for you, just hold on because we’ll get back to this.

Being that this is a dive watch, the SKX also features a uni-directional 120 click rotating bezel, water resistance of 200 meters and a large screw down crown. The crown of the SKX is notable because it happens to be offset at the 4 o’clock position. This was a feature that I was really looking forward to trying out because I’ve always complained about the crown being at 3 o’clock. Again, I like to wear a watch pretty much all the time and that includes in the gym. Well, if you’re lifting weights and doing certain pushing exercises, your wrists will likely be fully articulated and bent back. When this happens, I find that the 3 o’clock crown often gets jammed into the top of my hand making it uncomfortable, painful and can be detrimental to my lifts. I, of course, can loosen the strap and back the watch off, which is what I do, but I don’t want to have to take this extra step. I don’t want to have to adjust my watch every time that I go to the gym and I just don’t like to wear a loose watch in general. From my experience, the 4 o’clock crown reduces this problem but doesn’t solve it. There are still times when the crown will get jammed in the top of my hand and cause discomfort. I guess the next step is to try a watch with the crown on the left side of the case.

The SKX’s dial features Lumibrite treated hands and markers. Lumibrite has come to be known for being highly luminous and I would agree with this. Everything glows extremely bright. When I wear this watch to bed and want to check the time in the middle of the night, everything is legible and I really appreciate that. If you actually intend to dive with this watch and give the Lumibrite adequate time to charge, I think that you’ll be satisfied with what you get.

One thing that I’d like to point out that not too many people mention is the day display of this movement, which features dual languages. Prior to purchase, I found out that not only are there SKXs of different size, color, band type and country of origin, but there are SKXs that feature a different language for the second language. If I’m correct, all SKXs feature English, but for the second language, I know that there is a possibility for French, Spanish, and of course Arabic. I’ve seen posts on the internet saying that versions with Japanese Kanji and Roman Numerals also exist and I’ve seen Google images of these, but I’m not sure if these are factory or modified SKXs. Nothing against French or Spanish, but I really wanted the Arabic version. This just makes the watch that bit more unique, different and cooler to me. The second language is typically randomly distributed and usually based on where the dealer that you bought the watch from is located. Say you’re in buying this watch from a dealer in France, your chances of getting a French second language is going to be pretty high. Some dealers just get a mix of everything. If this is so, you can make a request and maybe they can accommodate for your needs. I got lucky. I knew that I wanted Arabic but didn’t even bother to ask and just left it up to chance. I figured that I’d end up with Spanish since I’m in the US, but I opened up the box and the Arabic day was already displayed. At that point, I knew that it was fate. I was meant to own this watch and I couldn’t be happier.

If I had to complain about the SKX009J, it would have to be with the strap and spring bars. Let’s first start with the strap. This complaint is going to be for those who are interested in any SKX that comes with the rubber strap. I personally found this strap to be very rigged. Even after a few days of use, it didn’t seem to conform or become any more pliable. Coming from a regular G-Shock wearer, I just don’t like how this SKX rubber strap feels and I took it off pretty quickly. This leads me to the next complaint. In trying to remove the rubber strap, I found that it was much more difficult to remove the SKX spring bars than any other watch. This is because the SKX’s spring bars do not have the typical shoulders that you would hook the spring bar tool’s fork end into. It is essentially flat metal on metal contact. I found that I had to just force the spring bar tool in between the spring bar and watch case. It didn’t help at all that the original rubber strap is very thick and essentially fits in between the lugs from edge to edge. There is almost no extra room so it’s like you’re just working in the dark. You just have to jam the spring bar tool in there and wiggle it around. If the spring bars come off, that’s great. If not, you just have to keep doing it until it does. All of this is just a recipe for disaster and in my opinion, guaranteed damage to the watch case. If you want my advice, remove the strap and spring bars from the back of the watch. That way if there is any damage, at least it’ll be hidden. One up side to this is that the stock Seiko spring bars are extremely thick and robust. I have spare spring bars that I planned on installing in the watch but I didn’t realize how flimsy they were compared to the Seiko spring bars. I ended up just putting the Seiko spring bars back on the watch and this has now become a permanent NATO strap watch because I can switch those straps without needing to remove the spring bars.

So that in a nutshell, this is the Seiko SKX. At first, I was attracted to this watch purely for its aesthetic. I just love this Pepsi Bezel and knew that I wanted to add it to my collection. It’s just a bonus that it provided me with what I was looking for, a cheap automatic watch that I can wear, possibly beat up and not have to worry about too much. At around $250, I think that the SKX fits the bill perfectly. This watch provides the essentials and that’s about it. It’s a low frills watch. I have to be honest, this isn’t even the best watch that you can get for the money. There are other watches that feature hacking, hand winding, and a sapphire display at a similar if not lower price than this watch, but I believe that those who want an SKX are partially buying into the legend of the SKX. Like I said earlier, the SKX is iconic. It has a history. It’s extremely popular, sought after and is able to bring the hype even though it’s a relatively cheap and super mass produced item. The SKX itself has a certain prestige that not many other watches have and that alone is priceless. And at the end of the day, if you really need those things that the SKX lacks, you can just buy it and retrofit it. The SKX has so many aftermarket parts and such a large custom community that you can essentially make this watch look like and do anything that you want. If you don’t want to do the work yourself, there are plenty of people out there selling custom SKXs, so the sky is the limit. Me personally, I like this watch as is and I’m just going to stick with the SKX009J for as long as possible.

If you're considering on buying any of the products mentioned, please support my work by using the links below.

Seiko SKX https://amzn.to/2ILCO7C

Seiko SKX009J https://amzn.to/2DAPvxY
Seiko SKX009K1 https://amzn.to/2PwQ0NZ
Seiko SKX009K2 https://amzn.to/2DCIf4o

Seiko SKX007J https://amzn.to/2PxIDWT
Seiko SKX007K1 https://amzn.to/2UZQ9Qb
Seiko SKX007K2 https://amzn.to/2GNAyKR

Seiko Divers Automatic Blue Dial Men's Watch Buy on Amazon

Seiko Men's SKX009K2 Diver's Analog Automatic Stainless Steel Watch Buy on Amazon

Seiko SKX007J1 Analog Japanese-Automatic Black Rubber Diver's Watch Buy on Amazon

Seiko Men's SKX007K2 Diver's Automatic Watch Buy on Amazon

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Wrist Candy Watch Club Watch NATO Straps

May 06, 2019 in Horology

NATO straps have always been one of those things that just did not appeal to me. The fact that they are generally made from nylon and other similar materials made these straps seem cheap and somewhat childish. NATO straps look like something that you would put on a child because you’re afraid that they’ll ruin the more expensive stuff.

You know how your taste buds change as you age? How something you hated as a child suddenly becomes enjoyable as an adult? Well, that’s how I currently feel about NATO straps. I’ve suddenly become obsessed with the NATO look and have actively been on the lookout for some that will match with my watches.

Luckily, I was able to communicate with one of the Wrist Candy Watch Club (WCWC) founders and he was kind enough to send me some of their products for review. I received a total of 6 NATO straps in the care package from WCWC. Even so, that is not going to sway me or make what I write about biased. My opinions are my own and I will still honestly tell you how I feel about these products.

The WCWC NATO straps are made from premium nylon. The nylon material is 11.5" long and 1.25mm thick. This material is softer than typical nylon and helps to keep things comfortable. One thing that I noticed right away with these straps is how pliable and flexible they are right out of packaging. There was absolutely no break in time needed for the straps that I received. This transfers to when actually using the straps on the wrist. Everything just feels right. The materials of the WCWC straps are also smoother than the NATO straps that I already own. This makes them move more easily against my skin and adds to the comfort.

Holding everything together is 316L stainless steel used for the buckle and leash keepers. If I had to complain about the WCWC NATO straps, it would have to be with the hardware. Nothing against the materials or build quality but just how they look. All of the hardware is polished but to my eye, it seems like the buckle and tongue is polished to a higher degree than the keepers. There is some shine to the keepers but they are definitely not a mirror polish like the buckle. This is just a little thing but the devil is in the details and this is a minor annoyance to me. Another minor annoyance with the hardware is that the keepers are circular. I prefer NATO straps with more squared off keepers because they stand up on their own. The circular keepers of the WCWC straps tend to fall over and you have to lift them up to get the straps through more easily.

When buying fabric straps in general, there are a few key things to look for. First, it’s important to have quality stitching. The stitching holds key components together, so you need it to last. If you look at the stitching on the WCWC straps, they don’t extend all the way to the edges. I can’t say if this is better or worse than the straps with stitching that wraps around the edges but it can be argued that those straps are more prone to having damaged stitching. As the edge of the strap constantly comes in contact with other things, the stitching towards the edge may be the first to break. This is just speculation so we’ll have to see how the WCWC strap’s stitching lasts in the long run.

The second thing to look out for in fabric straps is reinforcements along the edges of the strap. One issue that many low quality NATO straps have is with fraying. With normal use, the holes and edges of a strap will come apart if it doesn’t have some form of reinforcement. I’m glad to say that the WCWC straps do feature these reinforcements. However, it should be noted that the reinforcement does not extend along the entire edge of the strap, but only on the tail end corner. I don’t know why this is, maybe it’s just not necessary, but I don’t mind it because if the strap was reinforced along the entire side, the stiffer, reinforced surface may cause some discomfort. Either way, the reinforcements available on the WCWC straps should help to make the them last some time.

In talking to one of the WCWC creators, it was mentioned that each of the straps that they sell are handmade. I have to give props for that. In a field like this, where there is a large turnover of products, I thought that production would be allocated to a machine. I’m sure some companies do this but the fact that the people at WCWC hand make their straps, it just adds to the value of the product, in my opinion.

At $15 per strap, I think that the WCWC NATO straps are a good option. The pricing is competitive with other brands and the quality is top notch. I have some no name cheap NATO straps that although are much cheaper, the WCWC NATO straps provide much higher quality and better feel.

If you’re interested in these straps, head over to the official WCWC website and check them out for yourself. The straps come in a variety of color and there is something to match every watch.

https://wristcandywatchclub.com/

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I bought a watch from Long Island Watch and I never will again.

April 26, 2019 in Horology

I recently purchased the Seiko SKX009J. I love this watch and really have no complaints about it. That being said, the buying process was absolutely terrible. I purchased the SKX through Long Island Watch (LIW) and it was possibly the worst buying experience I’ve ever had. This comes from a gear reviewer, from someone who constantly buys new products, from someone who has to communicate with dealers on an almost daily basis, and most importantly, someone who actively tries to not spread negativity. It’s like that old saying, “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all”. I’m not one of those people who will, for a lack of a better word, shit on someone else’s work or will purposefully try to bring them down. I don’t even dislike YouTube videos unless it promotes something that I find truly immoral. Of the hundreds of videos that I’ve produced on YouTube, I can think of three where I was really negative about a product. This was because I truly believed that these were bad products and people needed to know about them in order to save some headaches. Don’t get me wrong, there’s room for constructive criticism, but there are those who set out to be negative just for the sake of it. I am not one of those people. Yet today, I’m going out of my way to do something that I really do not like to do and that is to make a negative review in an attempt to provide a warning for anyone looking to make a purchase from LIW.

Let me first lay out the groundwork. I’ve been into watches for a long time but would definitely consider myself a novice on the topic. Before making a purchasing decision, I do research on whatever it is. YouTube provides a big chunk of information as it is the world’s second-largest search engine and essentially has anything you can want to know about. That being said, anyone can upload to YouTube and that really muddies the water. One major influencer in the timekeeping space on YouTube is the channel The Urban Gentry. I’ve seen a couple of his videos and noticed that he repeatedly recommends the LIW storefront. I checked it out and it turns out that LIW is another major timekeeping YouTuber who happens to also sell watches via their own website. Again, my first experience with LIW was via The Urban Gentry who stated that LIW sells authentic watches. This planted the seed in my head.

Flash forward, I was in the market for a Seiko SKX009J. A Google search showed LIW as the first non-advertised recommended link. I went to the site because it was a name that I recognized.

Screen Shot 2019-04-26 at 10.16.33 PM.png

After looking through the product page, everything seemed legit. The pricing may be on the higher side, but maybe it was worth it since this is a reputable dealer. Take a look at the image that I’ve attached to the side. The important thing to note is the advertised 2 year warranty.

It is now important to inform you about the difference between an authorized dealer and a grey market dealer. In summary, authorized dealers are authorized by the watch manufacturer to sell their products. Grey market dealers get their merchandise via other means. These dealers get the merchandise at a lower price so they in turn are able to sell the merchandise at a lower price. One of the benefits of buying from an authorized dealer is that you get the watch manufacturer’s official warranty for the item. The downside is that you generally pay more for the item than if you were to buy the same item from a grey market dealer.

Again, this product page seems pretty legit as information is lining up. The advertised 2-year warranty on the LIW product page adds to the facade that this product is not a grey market item because grey market items typically do not come with a warranty. If that isn’t enough, maybe this other statement will help convince you.

“Island Watch is an authorized retailer for Seiko...You can be assured that all of offerings are 100 percent authentic and new in-a-box”

Screen+Shot+2019-04-26+at+9.57.14+PM.jpg

So from what I can tell, this store sells authentic and authorized Seiko watches. This was great news because I could not find any other store that was an authorized dealer for the SKX that I was after. There were grey market sites that were selling the SKX for around $230 while LIW was selling it for $264, but in my mind, there was no point in going grey market. The price difference was only about $30. In this case, I would rather have the official manufacturer’s warranty. I felt that it was better to save the headache of trying to deal with possible manufacturer defects through an official warranty than to save a few bucks. So, I purchased the SKX from LIW.

LIW took two days to ship the package and it took two additional days for the package to arrive. The package arrived within the advertised shipping times via the LIW website so there’s no justified complaints here. I received the package in an unpadded FedEx shipping bag. I thought that the shipper just threw the watch box in a shipping bag and sent it off but the watch box was inside another box so there was some protection provided. Shipping packaging could’ve been better, but I’ll take it.

After the unboxing and taking a look at the watch for the first time, I was extremely happy with my purchase simply because I liked the watch. Shortly after, red flags started to appear. The watch was not only dusty, but had minor stains as if someone had been handling it. It’s that type of stain that you get when handling metal with bare hands and you leave behind oils, dirt, skin cells, etc. There were also some dried water spots. All of this wiped away, so I didn’t make a big deal out of it. Then, I noticed some micro scratches on the high polished portion of the watch case. I, again, didn’t make a big deal out of it because this is a watch. It’s bound to pick up some scratches. After a few minutes, I realized that I did not receive a manufacturer warranty card. This comes with all authorized watches and provides the particular watch’s information and seller details. This is a particular item and is required for warranty services. This is a BIG DEAL and the whole reason why I purchased from LIW in the first place.

Prior to purchase, I looked at the reviews for this watch on the official LIW website and remembered seeing a few different reviews mentioning that the buyers also didn’t receive a warranty card. One reviewer mentioned that he emailed Marc (LIW owner) and the card was sent out to him. I tried to do the same thing.

Screen Shot 2019-04-26 at 10.49.47 PM.jpg

I have the full email correspondence but will save you the time and provide the Cliff Notes. Most of what you’ll see are direct copy & paste from the emails. The only changes where made to my first email which included personal and irrelevant information.

“My watch did not come with a warranty card or any warranty information. The only paperwork I received is the instruction manual. I purchased from (your) website because it stated that you’re an authorized Seiko dealer. If I’m not mistaken, that comes with the advertised Seiko factory warranty. Please let me know how I’m able to take advantage of this.”

— Hai

“Hello. The warranty is through our store. So if you have any issues, just contact us.”

— Marc

“Just to be clear, there is no warranty card/paperwork? I don’t have to register through Seiko or anything else? I was reading through the reviews for this watch on your website and noticed a few others who were missing the warranty card. One person mentioned that they reached out to you and you sent the warranty card.

Is the store’s warranty strictly handled by the store, as in you have your own watch makers to do the repairs or do you send the watches out to have Seiko do the repairs? Is this an official Seiko warranty?”

— Hai

“We have our own watchmakers.

The SKX is not a USA model, so you cannot get a USA warranty.”

— Marc

“I’m curious then, did you buy the SKXs through official Seiko outlets or through other backend dealers?

This is a major point of concern because this in turn would essentially make these watches grey market.”

— Hai

“They are grey market. They have to be. I’ve even done videos saying they are grey market. This is not a secret.”

— Marc

“This is very unfortunate to know. I’ve seen a few of your SKX videos but did not have the time to watch all of them as they span many videos and probably hours of footage. This info may have just snuck past me. I went by the “Island Watch is an authorized retailer for Seiko” statement on your Seiko page and took that as a general statement for all your Seiko watches. Had I known and had it been clearly indicated that these were grey market watches, I wouldn’t have made this purchase as there are other grey market sellers who list these watches for cheaper, other sellers who I’ve reached out to you about price matching with proof of pricing and you declined to do so and that is your right and I respect it. But I decided to buy from you anyway because I truly believed that I was not buying grey market. This is just an unfortunate situation and I personally feel misled by the information on your website. I know you will likely feel otherwise and you’re entitled to your opinions. We do not need to argue about semantics. It’s just too bad that this all took place. Thank you for your time and good luck with your business.”

— Hai

This is a tough situation. Perhaps the owner did state that the watches are grey market somewhere within the hours and hundreds of videos that he has produced. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. But what if there was another buyer who doesn’t even know about the LIW YouTube channel or has no interest in watching the videos and wanted to buy this watch? How would they know that these are grey market watches? It is not specifically advertised anywhere. It is actually the contrary. More effort is made in an attempt to persuade people of the store’s authenticity and authorized status. I believe the buyer has absolutely no obligation to find that information especially considering how obscurely hidden it is within LIW’s YouTube videos, if that information is indeed even available. It is the seller’s job to make this information clear and apparent.

Purchasing from an authorized vs grey market seller is a major point of consideration for many shoppers. I wholeheartedly believed that I was receiving an authorized watch from LIW. That is the ONLY reason why I purchased from this store. Had I known that it was grey market and that was the only option, I would’ve shopped at other grey market stores and saved the $30.

On the bright side, LIW offers a 2-year in-house warranty. If that means something to you, then great. I’ve never personally trusted these kinds of warranties because they are not held to any strict standards. The seller holds all say over the warranty process and can deny that warranty at any point. Especially after a write-up like this? That warranty is probably meaningless for me.

Again, I’m not one to spread the hate or negativity but what happened here is absolutely distasteful.

P.S. If you’re in an industry where you have to provide customer service, especially service through text, put some time and effort into your communications. There’s a reason why there are memes about how one-word replies can set people off and end relationships. Simple, quick, short answers can come off wrong and really make you seem off-putting. Maybe, that’s just me.

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NOMOS Glashütte Tangente neomatik 41 Update

April 12, 2019 in Horology

Backstory

This year for my birthday, I decided to treat myself to something nice, a new watch. Now, horology has been a long time interest of mine but I’m by no means an expert or very deep into the culture. I consider myself as somewhat of a window shopper or someone on the outside looking in, interested but not fully committed. Over the years, I’ve owned a few different watches but these purchases were more about function than form. I purchased watches that I could use and beat up while I’m outdoors or at the gym. For this new watch, I wanted something a little more classy.

My search for a new watch led me to all corners of the market. Because I was going to be spending a decent chunk of money, I wanted to make sure that I got something that I’d be happy with for a long time. At first, my only two requirements were for the watch to be automatic winding and to have a moonphase complication. I wanted an automatic just for the sake of not winding the watch everyday and the moonphase, well it’s just my favorite complication because I think it looks cool. I’m not going to bore you with all the watches that I considered, but a big problem with what I was looking at was that they were all very busy. After much thought, I decided to be a little more sensible and tone everything back. This led me to NOMOS.

At first, I was sort of put off by just how minimal the NOMOS timepieces were. I questioned why someone would want to pay so much and get so little, as far as design. After days of looking at watch after watch, most of them kind of just faded away in my mind as nothing really stood out. Although these other watches featured a lot of bells and whistles, they didn’t feature anything meaningful, at least to me. Throughout my search, NOMOS kept popping up in my mind and I then realized why I was attracted to the brand. The simplicity is what makes NOMOS special. Although NOMOS timepieces didn’t scream “LOOK AT ME!” on the surface, it managed to really plant itself in my mind and keep me coming back to the manufacturer’s website and that sealed the deal. I was going to buy a NOMOS watch.

Screen Shot 2019-03-29 at 5.32.58 PM.jpg

Okay, now that I’ve decided on the manufacturer, what watch do I go with. NOMOS has a few different watch collections but I was mainly attracted to the Ludwig, Orion and Tangente. All three featured circular dials and the main difference that I considered were the hour indicators. The Ludwig featured alternating roman numerals and indexes. The Orion featured just index bars. The Tangente featured alternating Arabic numerals and indexes. All three are very similar yet offers a completely different feel. Ultimately, I decided on the Tangente because it offers a simplistic design, yet is still playful. Maybe this is just how I secretly consider myself and am looking for a watch to match my personality.

Screen Shot 2019-03-29 at 5.57.38 PM.jpg

Then, of course, within each collection are a multitude of timepieces to choose from. Luckily, the official NOMOS website features a watch finder module which allows for the filtering of watches by selected criteria. I knew that I wanted a neomatik (automatic) watch that showed the date. This narrowed the search down to four options. A white dial and leather straps were preferred so that left me with only one option. It was clear, the neomatik 41 Update was the one.

At this point it was just a matter of actually buying the watch. So one thing about me is that I’m very sentimental about things and that includes notable dates in life. Remember how I wanted to treat myself to a new watch for my birthday? Well, wouldn’t it be more special if I actually received the watch on my birthday? I had to make this happen and planned the shipping times out perfectly so that the watch arrived on April 1st (my birthday). This was especially tricky since I was supposed to be in New York on March 31st. I actually pushed the flight back until the night of April 1st to make sure that I had time to receive the package. A lot of work, but completely worth it in my mind.

Review

Upon first impressions, the NOMOS neomatik 41 Update may seem like a very simple watch. A round 40.5mm stainless steel case with sapphire crystal for the front and back display. But pictures really do not do this watch justice. Holding it in hand, it is evident why NOMOS considers the Tangente as “the round watch with many right angles”. Along the case are abrupt angle changes to denote the different surfaces with the only curve being the case sidewall itself. Everything else consist of sharp angles which really adds to the depth of what is seemingly an ordinary round watch.

The dial itself is another example of complexity disguised in simplicity. At a glance, we see black indicators on a white silver plated dial with alternating Arabic numbers and indexes to denote the hours and a small sub-dial at the 6 o’clock position to denote the seconds. All very simple. But encompassing all of this is the date indicator which is pushed out and runs along the entire edge of the dial. The date ring features two red dots which signifies the date in between. Although seemingly simple, this is a big delineation from what is normally offered, really with any manufacturer, and provides a different perspective to the idea of a date display.

The date ring is in part possible due to the proprietary in house DUW 6101 automatic movement, which is NOMOS’ first neomatik movement with a date. Considering that this is an automatic movement with date complication, the movement itself remains relatively thin at only 3.6mm and helps to keep the overall case height to 7.9mm.

The DUW 6101 was redesigned from start to finish with the date complication in mind, intending for it to run along the edge of the dial. This movement is implemented in other NOMOS timepieces but the date ring of this particular Tangente is really the stand out. It offers something different and unique. I can’t speak for you, but this is the first time that I’ve ever seen the date displayed in such a manner on a wristwatch.

Because the date complication is such a prominent feature of the DUW 6101, NOMOS took the time to make sure that it was designed in a way that would not only allow for quick date changes, but the ability to do so in both directions. Although this is seemingly trivial, being able to move the date forwards and backwards, this is actually something that many other watches cannot do. Adjusting the date backwards on a watch not designed to do so can cause some serious damage to the movement so what NOMOS has implemented here is quite appreciated.

With the DUW 6101 is also the NOMOS swing system. This is NOMOS’ proprietary escapement that is denoted by its tempered blue balance spring. This movement also features various other characteristics that are typical for Glashütte timepieces such as the three-quarter plate, Glashütte ribbing and tempered screws. All adding to the craftsmanship and engineering which NOMOS has come to be known for.

Attached to the case is a genuine shell cordovan black leather strap with a lug width of 20mm. The strap itself is beautifully made and seems to be of very high quality. What I found interesting is that NOMOS used Horween leather. Horween is of course an American leather company and I have absolutely no problem with Horween as they do incredible work, but it is just strange to me that a company like NOMOS who is very proud of its German roots would use products not manufactured in Germany. It should be noted that embossed on the strap itself are the words “Handmade In Germany”. Perhaps the raw materials were sourced from Horween and made in Germany. Even so, I’m surprised that NOMOS doesn’t source directly from a German manufacturer.

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Another thing to note about the strap is that based on the stock images that I’ve seen of this watch, it would seem that the strap is black on the outside and a shade of grey on the inside. This does not seem to be the case. The lining leather of the strap actually has a greenish tint. This is nitpicking but I would’ve personally preferred the grey as pictured. It’s a good thing that this part of the strap sits directly against the wrist so no one will see it. I have read somewhere on the official NOMOS website that some of their straps may leave a little color on the skin (that will come off with washing). I haven’t had this issue yet but this does seem to make sense with the green dyes of the strap.

Lastly, everything is packaged in an elegant and functional black leather wallet case, which allows for storage and protection of the timepiece while on the go. This addition is greatly appreciated as it is multi-purposed. Whereas with other watches you may get a box that is only really useful in a single environment, the NOMOS leather wallet can easily be stowed in a bag and used when need be, anywhere.

My experience with this timepiece has been positive. If I had one complaint, it would not be with the watch, but with the manufacturer. Prior to my purchase, I had questions about this watch and tried to get information about from NOMOS. I first sent emails through the official website’s contact portal and did not get a response. Then, I tried through the official site’s live chat function and was able to connect with someone. An agent joined my chat, I asked my questions, the agent kept me waiting for sometime, then left the chat. I then had to repeat this procedure and was gradually able to get some help with a noticeable wait times between each interaction. This does not speak well to me. If a company cannot give satisfactory service prior to purchase, how will it be after purchase? This does raise some concerns as I will be needed to deal with the manufacturer again for planned servicing. Perhaps a better option would be to visit an authorize dealer and have them deal with everything. I guess I won’t know until it’s time to service my watch.

At the end of the day, this is an amazing timepiece. It is definitely not for everyone but for those looking for a seemingly simple watch that actually offers a lot, this Tangente is the outlier. However, at $4100 I think this watch sits at a weird place. That’s a good chunk of money and there are a lot of other options that you can get for a similar price. That being said, NOMOS offers something that really no other manufacturer does. Those who want a NOMOS timepiece are looking for something very particular and again, it is something that in my opinion, cannot be received anywhere else and that’s where the value of this company comes in. My opinion is of course bias, but I think anyone looking for a new timepiece should seriously consider the offerings from NOMOS.