NOMOS Glashütte

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MISCELLANEOUS

1. Wasn't there once another company called NOMOS?
Yes, there was. From 1906 to 1910, a company called NOMOS specialized in manfacturing pocket watches. The only thing the two companies have in common is the name. When the present company was founded in 1990, it took over the name.

2. Does NOMOS have a direct sales outlet?
No, we don't sell our watches factory-direct. NOMOS watches are only available at selected retail shops and at our small Glashütte flagship store. This store opened in December 2002 in the very same building where Glashütte watch industry was founded. And there we sell watches of the current collection as well as pieces of past collections or trade fair display model at somewhat lower prices. The price-performance ratio of NOMOS watches is, however, exceptionally good even without any kind of discount, as anyone in watch circles will tell you.

3. What does the affix SA after NOMOS Glashütte mean?
They stand for Saxony, as there are 32 towns in Germany that go by the name of Glashütte, and they need to be differentiated. Since introducing our new movements at the beginning of April 2005, we no longer have the affix SA in our logo. It has been retained, however, as part of our address.
Please see questions 6 and 13 for more information.

4. Is the name Glashütte protected?
Yes, it is. Not every company located in Glashütte may use Glashütte on its watches. After several sets of lawsuits, which were initially also directed against NOMOS, only those companies are entitled to use the town's name who create more than 50 percent of their movements' value in and around Glashütte. This court ruling serves everyone: it secures job in the town of Glashütte and guarantees you, the customer, the highest horological quality, to which we are bound by tradition. Today, NOMOS designs, develops, and manufactures its own movements in Glashütte.

5. Recently it became known that ETA decided to no longer supply companies with ébauche kits. Has NOMOS been affected by this?
NOMOS is not endangered by this decision, for NOMOS Glashütte no longer uses ETA movements. This decision is aimed at all the black sheep who use ETA movements in forgeries, thus damaging the good name of ETA. However, NOMOS movements are our own and are made in Glashütte. Whether automatic or manually wound, our movements are of the highest precision and feature horological specialties such as the Glashütte three-quarter plate, a Triovis fine adjustment system, stop-seconds, tempered blue screws, sunburst decoration, and Glashütte ribbing. The work performed on every watch is mainly work done by hand. If it serves quality and precision, however, we at NOMOS Glashütte do use high-tech production methods such as CNC and laser technology. Only individual parts such as jewels, which we use as bearings in the movements, are purchased from suppliers according to our designs.

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ABOUT YOUR WATCH

6. "made in Germany" or "Germany"
The "made in Germany" was put on our watches from the middle of 2003. With the changeover to our own movements, we exchanged this for the shorter "Germany" on the dial in April 2005.
Please see questions 3 and 13 for more information.

7. What does Langeleist perlage stand for?
The term is taken from the name of our former head watchmaker, Rainer Langeleist. Hans Irrek, an author, who often writes about art, design, and watches, coined it. His booklet "Die Tangente von NOMOS Glashütte" (The NOMOS Tangente, published by form Verlag) mentions the Langeleist perlage many times. We borrowed this term. Rainer Langeleist was the one who introduced this type of perlage at NOMOS. In general, it doesn't differ much from the types of perlage used by other companies, but each company applying this type of decoration develops its own signature and as a result various terms have become the norm.

8. Does NOMOS use nickel-free stainless steel?
The so-called "nickel regulation" has been in effect since June 2000. It says that objects that touch the skin directly and for extended periods of time may only give off 0.5 micrograms of nickel per square centimeter of skin per week. In general, it doesn't matter how high the percentage of nickel in any given alloy is. Much more important is how much nickel is passed on to the skin.
NOMOS uses 316 L stainless steel for all cases and buckles. This type of stainless steel is not fully free of nickel, but it does not pass nickel on to the skin; the amount of nickel in the alloy is about 12 percent. Thus, the amount of nickel passed to the skin is less than 0.2 micrograms per square centimeter per week and far below the medicinally acceptable amount. Other stainless steel alloys might have a lower percentual amount of nickel in the alloy, but they pass more of it on to the skin.

9. Allergic reactions
It's a fact: allergies don't give a hoot about regulations and limits. We only hear very, very rarely of cases where people were not able to tolerate the materials we use. Unfortunately, however, allergic reactions can never be ruled out all together. We advise people who are very sensitive to choose - in consultation his or her physician - a material which, in all probability, will not provoke an allergic reaction.
It is our goal to use the best possible materials for you. Our straps are tanned in an elaborate manufacturing process using vegetable lye that lasts for several months. The stainless steel we utilize passes less nickel on to the skin than legally permissible and is therefore suitable. The so-called "nickel-regulation" by the european union has been in effect since June 2000. It stipulates that objects that touch the skin give off less than 0.5 microgramms of nickel per square centimeter of skin per week. In general, the percentage of nickel in any given alloy that matters. Far more important is how much nickel is passed on to the skin.

10. Can I swim, shower, or go to the sauna with my watch?
Our watches are water-resistant to 30 meters; the Sport models to 100 meters. However, these terms often lead to confusion, for "30 m water resistance" unfortunately doesn't mean that you can dive 30 meters deep with it. According to the DIN norm, watches may be called water-resistant if they are protected against splashing water, sweat, and rain and will survive thirty minutes under one meter of water. Swimming, and above all diving, are not recommended due to the arm movements and the resulting change in pressure conditions. Watches that are water-resistant to 100 meters can tolerate a swim in the pool, a relaxing afternoon at the sauna, or even a cold shower. However, temperature changes, chemicals, and such have an adverse influence on your watch. They attack the sealing materials, eventually leading to less or no water resistance. For this reason, you should have your watch checked once a year (your local watchmaker will do that very quickly). In order to protect your watch, we recommend taking it off before you go to the sauna or the pool.

11. How, how often, and when should I wind my watch?
If you wear a NOMOS automatic, you don't have to do much. Your watch winds itself using the motion of your arm. The spring in the automatic movement tensions itself regardless of how the arm is moving. We recommend to the owners of manually wound watches to wind your watches regularly - best is every morning. Then it will have enough energy for the whole day to withstand all of the trials and tribulations you might undergo. You wind the watch by taking the crown between your thumb and forefinger and turning it back and forth lightly. After a few revolutions, the balance will start moving. Continue to turn the crown until you feel a clear resistance. And no worries: only with violent movements could you overwind your watch. Once your watch is fully wound, your NOMOS has a power reserve of 43 hours. Without having to rewind, it will run for two days. Only the watches with date have a little less (42 hours), as the changing the date costs the watch energy.

12. How can I set the date on my NOMOS?
Our watches do not have a so-called quick-set date. But you can still set the date fairly easily. You just pull out the crown and turn the hand forward until the date has changed once. Then turn the hand back at least three or four hours until you hear a slight cracking sound. By turning it forward again by about three hours, you will have changed it again. Repeat this process until you have reached your desired date. Now you can set the time on your watch keeping the 24-hour rhythm of the day in mind. This means, for example, if it is 3 o'clock pm, you will need to turn the hands forward past the 12. Then the date won't change at noon the following day. Even though this might sound somewhat complicated, it is really quite simple. Just try it. In the little guarantee booklet that you received along with your watch, the setting of the date is also described in detail.

13. How do I recognize whether my watch features one of the new movements?
One way to recognize this is the missing "SA" behind NOMOS Glashütte logo on the dial. If you own a watch with a sapphire crystal case back, you will of course be able to recognize the new movement by its changed surface color. The surfaces of the bridges, which have so far been matte gold-plated, are now rhodium-plated and have beautiful Glashütte ribbing.
Please see questions 3 and 6 for more information.

14. My watch's movement has gold-plated surfaces. Is it a forgery?
No - you can rest assured that it is not. Until now, the surfaces of our bridges were matte gold-plated, and the names of our movements were 1 TS, 1 TSDP and 1 TSDPG. In April 2005 we started using the new NOMOS calibers, which were named after letters of the Greek alphabet (for example NOMOS movement Alpha).

15. My watch is equipped with spring bars even though I didn't buy it on board a Lufthansa plane. Why?
Our standard models were outfitted with screw-mounted bars until the spring of 2005. Due to constant requests from our clientele, we have equipped all our watches containing the new NOMOS calibers with spring bars since the changeover in order to facilitate a smooth strap change all over the world.

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ABOUT THE TANGENTE

16. Is my Tangente with an ostrich leather strap that came in a small blue cardboard box a fake?
You can rest assured, it is not. On long-haul Lufthansa flights, the Tangente is offered for sale on board. There was, however, the necessity to change a few details according to Lufthansa's specifications: on board, the watch comes in a blue cardboard box instead of the beautiful wood case because our wood packaging was unsuitable for cargo purposes. The strap made of Shell Cordovan was exchanged for an ostrich skin leather strap as the oils in the horse leather will weep when undergoing great temperature changes - the like you encounter in an airplane's cargo space - and subsequently bear ugly white marks. These can be easily wiped off with a soft cloth, but of course, it put Lufthansa customers off. They naturally wanted a spotless strap. As in our current collection, the Lufthansa Tangente also comes with spring bars instead of screw-mounted bars facilitating a hassle-free change of strap worldwide, as the tools required to change our former strap were available to German watchmakers and dealers but not necessarily to their colleagues abroad.

17. Can my steel Tangente also be equipped with a sapphire crystal case back?
In general, all of our watches except the Sport models, the small Tetra and the Club can be refitted with a sapphire crystal case back. Upon request we'll be happy to send you an offer.

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SERVICE

18. Can I as a consumer make special requests?
In order to keep our collection as clear and small as possible, we can only comply with certain requests for individual wishes. For example, it is possible to laser an engraving on the case back of your watch. Upon request we'd be glad to send you an estimate. Though we won't change the dial or handle similar requests.

19. Will I receive a confirmation when I have registered?
Registry postcards rarely get lost in the mail. For this reason you can assume that your postcard will reach us. So far we have not confirmed the receipt of postcards separately, for we daily receive a great deal of mail from our customers and dealers.

20. What does the extended guarantee mean?
When you register with us, you are granted a guarantee period of two years from the date of purchase. According to the european law, this guarantee is only given you by the seller of the product, in this case the watch dealer. Our extended guarantee means that in case of repair you may turn directly to us and do not need to go through your dealer first.

21. How often should my watch go in for service?
As you go to the doctor once in a while or your car must put to service, every mechanical watch also needs regular maintenance. At the latest after three to five years, a complete revision should be carried out by one of NOMOS's authorized dealers or a specialized watchmaker. After this time, it is quite possible that the lubrication may have evaporated. Where metal rubs against metal, wear and tear can be the result. We also recommend having your watch checked once a year for water resistance, and if necessary have it restored.

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ABOUT OUR STRAPS

22. How long will my Shell Cordovan strap last?
Shell Cordovan comes from Texan workhorses whose skin is very dense and thick so that the strap is extremely robust, water-repellent, and breathable. It turns comfortably soft after being worn for only a short time. Ordinary leather straps usually last for 6 to 9 months. NOMOS straps will have to be replaced less often.

23. How do I care for my Shell Cordovan strap?
The leather of your strap is so rich that you will never need to lubricate it. Should it look as if it were powdered after being subjected to temperature changes, be aware that it is only grease that can be polished away with a soft cloth. The strap requires no other special care. If you like, you can wash it with a mild detergent and let it air dry. After that rub it with a towel until it shines once more.

24. Why does my Shell Cordovan look a bit brownish?
Shell Cordovan - a special horse leather - comes from the particularly massive hind quarters of Texan workhorses. These horses are not bred primarily for their leather. For several months, our straps are tanned in an elaborate manufactuirng process using pure vegetable lye. The coloration occurs only on the surface. Furthermore, the strap is cut at the edges. That means that the natural color of the leather after tanning remains at the lugs and on the underside. And as the basic material is usually brown, many of the straps have a slight brownish tone to them. This is not a sign of inferior quality, it rather confirms that we are dealing with a natural product.

25. My Shell Cordovan now has some ugly white spots. What does this mean?
If your strap was subjected to great changes in temperature it occasionally looks powdered afterwards. That is only grease that seeped from the material and can be easily polished away with a soft cloth.

26. Can I also get a metal bracelet or a deployant clasp for my watch?
Unfortunately, no, not from us. We only deliver our watches with leather straps and buckles because we believe they look best this way.

Miscellaneous