The beauty that goes behind a Mechanical watch
Mechanical watches - They are the representation of artistic ingenuity. If you are wondering what is so fascinating about mechanical watches, I welcome you to take a look at some Youtube videos that shows how a mechanical watch is manufactured. It is after knowing, understanding and appreciating the artwork that goes behind the making of a mechanical watch, I decided that I will get one for myself.
I'm not a watch collector, I have never owned a time piece until I got my first mechanical watch in the spring of 2018. Here is a snap of that elegance!
I'm going to talk about my NOMOS Tangente Reference 139. This comes with a sapphire crystal glass back so that you can stare at the inner body and feel the heart beat of the Tangente!
A few terminologies first!
The movement or in horology terms, a caliber is the central part of any mechanical watch and is the only component that you find in your watch. The movement consists of the following components:
- Power Source - This is the hand screw that you wind your watch every morning
- Wheel Train - A set of gears that transmits the force of the power source to the escapement
- Escapement - Responsible for controlling the power source to the counting mechanism, the basis for counting seconds
- Oscillator - Also called as a balance wheel, oscillated back and forth at a constant time interval
What is so special about NOMOS is that they have their own in house movement. Ok but what is so special about having an in house movement? Let's first define what an in house movement is - It is a movement that is designed, developed and assembled by the watch manufacturer that uses it for their watches. NOMOS in this context did exactly that! The Tangente has the Alpha movement from NOMOS.
If you have watched those videos about how a mechanical watch is made, you will realise how hard it is to compose a movement on your own! It requires a lot of time, research and investment. I've got to appreciate NOMOS for putting that effort in coming up an in house caliber. Mind it - it is not easy to come up with an in house movement for a company that is relatively young in terms of horologic timescales!
The NOMOS Tangente has this so-called Bauhaus design. Have a look here of what it represents! So to me this kind of Bauhaus design on a watch would mean simplicity and elegance. The Tangente stands true to this simplicity and elegance! There is not very much happening on this watch. Even lettered with a seconds dial located at the 6 '0' clock position. This is elegance in simplicity.
So if you are in the market for a simplistic mechanical timepiece, I would recommend having a look at the NOMOS Tangente. You could also get one with the date option! They look absolutely stunning!