NOMOS Metro

The NOMOS Metro is perhaps best described as urban, modern, and cosmopolitan. Mark Braun, a Berlin-based designer, is responsible for the look of this popular watch. Its distinctive features include domed sapphire glass, wire lugs, and a knurled crown that is easy to operate. Thanks to the thin bezel, the dial feels especially large and open. Subtle colorful accents, dot indices, and thin hands create a design that is both elegant and fresh. The Metro is truly the ideal watch for city living.

Since its release in 2014, the NOMOS Metro has received numerous prizes and accolades, including the Red Dot Design Award, the German Design Award, and the Goldene Unruh. The trade press, watch fans, and design award juries continue to celebrate the Metro year after year. There are now multiple editions of this timepiece available, including one in gold.

The rose gold model is the highlight of this collection. It houses the automatic in-house caliber DUW 3001 from the Neomatik series. This movement is only 3.2 mm thick and features NOMOS' own escapement – the NOMOS Swing System. An escapement is composed of a balance, balance spring, lever, and escape wheel. The development of a proprietary escapement serves as a statement of independence to the rest of the watch industry. It took about seven years and cost 12 million euros (approx. 16 million USD) to develop. In fact, the Metro was the first NOMOS watch to utilize the NOMOS Swing System.

The NOMOS Metro premiered in 2014 alongside the manual caliber DUW 4401. This movement was the first NOMOS caliber to use their proprietary Swing System. It features a date display at 6 o'clock and a disc-shaped power reserve indicator on the upper half of the dial, which lets you know when the watch needs to be wound. Once fully wound, the DUW 4401's power reserve lasts for about 42 hours.

The NOMOS Metro ref. 1101 has a 37-mm stainless steel case that is only 7.7 mm thick. Its galvanized dial is silvery white and has dot indices. The dots at 3, 9, and 12 o'clock are mint green in color. The minute scale is also made up of dots, with Arabic numerals every five minutes. The small seconds hand is red, while the black hour and minute hands bear a striking resemblance to the Empire State Building and are thinner in their final third. This further underscores the urban feel of the Metro.

A cordovan leather strap keeps this watch on the wrist. NOMOS frequently uses this robust and hydrophobic material for its straps. Their innovative quick-change spring bars make changing out the strap quick and easy. You can purchase a mint-condition NOMOS Metro for around 2,800 USD. Pre-owned watches sell for about 2,600 USD.

The Metro 38 is available with or without a date display. This timepiece is 1.5 mm larger than its sister model with a date display and power reserve indicator. In terms of the dial, you can choose between white or urban gray. Versions with a sapphire glass case back and no date display cost some 1,800 USD new and 1,600 USD pre-owned. Watches with a stainless steel case back are more affordable. Those with an urban gray dial cost slightly more than their white counterparts.

The Metro 38 Date comes exclusively with a sapphire glass case back that offers a view of the finished movement. New, these watches demand around 2,300 USD. Pre-owned examples change hands for about 2,200 USD. Once again, urban gray models are a bit more expensive.

The NOMOS Metro collection also features automatic watches. These timepieces are 35 or 38.5 mm in diameter and are powered by the Neomatik caliber DUW 3001. The larger models come with a white, midnight blue, or silvercut dial. Silvercut dials have a horizontally satin-brushed finish and are especially elegant. You can buy a Metro Neomatik 39 Silvercut for around 3,000 USD in mint condition and 2,600 USD pre-owned. Both the white and the slightly sporty midnight blue editions sit in a similar price range.

The 35-mm NOMOS Metro Neomatik with a white dial is slightly less expensive. This timepiece sells for between 2,300 USD pre-owned and 2,800 USD new. The champagne-colored model comes on a beige leather strap and has a more feminine feel. Its costs about 120 USD more than the Metro Neomatik with a white dial.

The highlight of the collection is the Metro Rose Gold Neomatik 39 . In addition to the Lambda and Lux, it is one of the few gold NOMOS watches. Gold-plated hands and gray dot hour markers contrast nicely with the white silver-plated dial. A brown cordovan leather strap rounds off the look. With a total height of only 8.4 mm, the rose gold Metro is comfortably flat. Prices for a new timepiece sit around 6,900 USD, which is relatively affordable for a gold watch. In contrast, the rose gold Lambda costs almost twice as much, and the rose gold Lux demands over 13,800 USD.