What's Wrong with Esquire's Black Book?

Well, when it comes to watches, a fair little bit.  For those of you who have seen this or (like myself) bought it twice  a year, you know that it is a great compendium for style for men.  Clothing, shoes, accessories - and of course watches.  But if you really check it out each time it comes out, you will notice a familiar theme - Richemont, Swatch and LVMH are well represented.  Beyond that and Rolex it is sparse pickings.  And I guess that there isn't anything REALLY wrong with that - but if I had the "man power" to have one or more people tasked to gather information on watches, I'd go a little deeper, and not simply call my advertisers.  I'd try to introduce my readers to something different, something that they might not have seen before, something they might not already know about thanks to a full-page ad in my magazine.  So to that end, for the next five days I will be featuring 5 watches that I think you should know about.

A Watch You Should Know About - Sunday, October 7th

NOMOS Glashütte Club

A wonderfully basic watch with hours and minutes and a sub dial for seconds at 6 o'clock.  And for me two very important aspects - hand winding, and a solid case back.  

Courtesy of NOMOS Glashütte

I suspect that for many, NOMOS Glashütte is one of those watches that you have some awareness of, but truth be told, you have never seen, touched or held one in real life owing to the way they are marketed and sold here in North America and some other countries.  Go to Germany, or even Switzerland - and it is a different story.  You can find the NOMOS in what has become its "Natural Environment".  This lack of "tactile appreciation" in North America and elsewhere is a shame.  NOMOS Glashütte makes wonderful watches that are very well-finished and in many ways will stand the test of time and fashion.  Year in, year out the NOMOS CLUB continues to be a watch I would buy and wear regularly.  

The CLUB was originally conceived as an "entry level" NOMOS.  A watch that would be bought by, or given to a recent graduate as a gift.  It's design is not "of the moment".  It is, in fact a modern design that shares some Bauhaus design elements without hopping into the "Way Back Machine" to create a "replica" of a different era.  The CLUB is very much of its time - and it is a design that will endure gracefully.

Another thing to praise NOMOS Glashütte about is the fact that they do manufacture their own movements.  And on this point, I find myself in agreement with the Watch Snob, NOMOS Glashütte are doing something original.  They are following their own vision, their own path.

My favorite version of the CLUB is the standard model:

Movement: α (Alpha)—manufactory caliber with manual winding

Case: stainless steel, bipartite; domed sapphire crystal glass; diameter 36 mm; screwed steel back, height 8.17 mm 

Dial: galvanized, white silver-plated

Hands: black (hour and minute hand with red inlay)
Strap: Horween Shell Cordovan brown, lug width 18 mm
Water resistant to 10 atm (DIN 8310)


This is the watch I wish I had received when I graduated.