Nomos Issues the Classic Tangente in a Limited Gold Version

In their ongoing “175 Years Watchmaking Glashütte” series, Nomos has finally unveiled a watch that we’re frankly surprised has never existed before, but makes perfect sense right now. The Tangente Rose Gold Neomatik is a precious metal limited edition version of what is indisputably the brand’s most iconic design. In any kind of celebratory context, you’d expect the Tangente to play a lead role, and now, after limited versions of the Orion and Ludwig, the Tangente gets its own luxurious turn. 

The 175 Years campaign has actually been ongoing since 2020, when a trio of stainless steel Lambdas were introduced. That release was notable because the Lambda had always been available only in solid gold, so a steel version was of particular interest to Nomos collectors who prize the brand’s watches for their great value. This release, in a way, is the inverse of the Lambda limited editions, with a model that is very much associated with stainless steel being introduced in gold. It makes a lot of sense for the Tangente, often cited as the most directly Bauhaus inspired watch in the Nomos catalog, to get this kind of treatment. In steel the straight lugs matched with the circular case appear almost severe, but the whole package has a warmer and more inviting sensibility in rose gold. It still looks delicate and impossibly precise, now just with a notably more luxe feel. 

The dial for this version is inspired by early watches made in Glashütte, and beyond tying this release to the region’s watchmaking history, I think it was the right decision to give the limited edition something other than the standard Nomos silvered dial, or any other solid color execution. The multi-tone nature of this dial makes it feel special. The interior section is a crisp white with a silver plating, and the outer perimeter and subsidiary seconds dial are both plated in gold. The familiar Arabic numerals found in most Tangentes over the years are in a complementary brown tone. It’s all very autumnal – this is definitely the right season for this watch to hit the collection. 

The Tangente, like most other Nomos models, has come in a wide variety of case sizes over the years. The brand has chosen the classic 35mm Tangente case size for this LE, which I think is the only logical choice Nomos could make. The 35mm size works on just about everyone, and it’s the right move to pay tribute to the brand’s history, a large portion of which was dominated by small to medium sized watches. Furthermore, the heavier weight of gold will almost certainly make this medium sized watch wear a bit larger. Any bigger in diameter, though, and the case really begins to feel out of proportion. You can tell when you have the 35mm case alongside any other size that the design was really conceived with that particular diameter in mind. 

As the name of the watch suggests, this Tangente runs on the DUW 3001 caliber, an extremely thin automatic movement made in-house by Nomos. It keeps the total height of the watch to just 6.9mm.

The Tangente Rose Gold Neomatik isn’t an inexpensive watch at $11,100, but it feels competitive in the grand scheme of the gold watch scene, particularly when you consider the impeccable Tangente design pedigree, and the rare opportunity to own the brand’s most well known watch in gold. This gold version of the Tangente is limited to 175 pieces. Nomos