Nomos Glashütte Lambda 175 Years Anniversary

The importance of the new NOMOS Lambda Limited Editions

Haute horology is the epitome of watchmaking and demonstrates what a manufacturer can do. Although companies have shown their artistic and engineering abilities in making beautiful pieces, they unfortunately have to charge astronomical prices (which is understandable). However, with the new Lambda trio, NOMOS has managed to produce high horological timepieces while also presenting a price offering to consumers that is highly competitive.

Background

NOMOS is well adored by enthusiasts and serious watch collectors all around the world for many reasons. Personally, one reason why the brand speaks to me is their ability to maintain the core philosophy of the ‘Deutscher Werkbund’.The Deutscher Werkbund was a movement that started in 1907 to compete against the Arts and Crafts movement that was gaining popularity in England and America which solely focused on making beautiful products by hand. The issue with this, was that these products would come with a hefty price tag and were only affordable to a small population. On the other hand, the Deutscher Wekbund movement aimed to make high quality goods that were affordable to most and achieved this by employing machines instead of relying solely on human hands.  Adding on, the Germans wanted to focus more on utilising designers and technology in perfect harmony, to create beautiful objects. While meeting this criteria, it is of course important to remember that the idea of form following function was always employed. Fast forward till this very day, NOMOS has always maintained a collection of watches that paid respect to these principles.

Nomos Glashutte Lambda 175 Edition StainlessSteel 16

Nomos Glashutte Lambda 175 Edition StainlessSteel 19

Nomos Glashutte Lambda 175 Edition StainlessSteel 24

Without a doubt, NOMOS has clearly rooted their brand into the history of the most influential watchmakers. In the 21^st century where everything is hyped up through social media, consumerism being more prominent than ever and brands increasing the prices of goods, NOMOS has still remained true to their beliefs. So where to next? Well, our favourite understated brand has shown that they too can sit at the table with the big boys. In 2013, they released their first ever haute horology Lambda collection which were designed in 42 mm cases. They then later released smaller 39 mm versions which also utilised white and rose gold, similar to its larger predecessors. By revealing this collection, the brand showcased to its neighbouring watch houses in Glashutte (and the rest of the world), that they could produce state of the art watches while simultaneously manufacturing those within the obtainable range. But what I love personally about NOMOS, is that even though they successfully create pieces of the haute horology class, they humbly play it down to the fact that they are just paying a small tribute to Glashutte watchmakers who passed their craft down from generation to generation.

Exploring the Limited-Edition Steel Lambda Collection

175 years on and here we are in 2020 celebrating the growing success that Glashutte watchmaking is enjoying. Cousins of NOMOS which include brands like A. Lange and Sohne and Glashutte Original, have also enjoyed tremendous appreciation in the market. And what a way to celebrate 175 years of watchmaking then to release two collections that sold out almost immediately. First the Ludwig trio, a beautiful modern recreation of the classic time only pieces from Glashutte (which satisfied the “thirst” in the affordable market). A few months later, collectors are salivating over a trio of Lambdas on the oppositie end of the spectrum that showcases the technical and artistical prowess of Glashutte. I assume you are confused, why are they releasing three Lambdas that look almost identical to the current line up? My friend, all three of these haute horological darlings come in steel. That’s right, making them half the price of the precious metal versions!

So what do I love about the new trio of Lambdas? Apart form the obvious fact that they were (most likely sold out by the time this article gets released) within reach for us mere mortals, I strongly believe that this is a nod to the Deutscher Werkbund that I mentioned earlier. The trio comes cased in 40.5 mm with a height of 9 mm. The gorgeous enamel white, black and blue act as a brilliant canvas for the sleek hands and typography to work their magic. These dials literally demonstrate why less is more. In terms of the movement, each model comes equipped with caliber DUW 1001. Note that this is a movement NOMOS expresses, “We have gone to extreme efforts in engineering and producing”. Honestly, NOMOS does not need to tell us how much effort went into these masterpieces. I mean, the movement speaks for itself right? This is all evident in the large three-quarter plates with sunbeam polishing and that stunning hand-engraved balance cock with swan-neck fine adjustments.