Glashuette in the Ore MountainsWatches from the mountain village to the grand boulevards
In Saudi Arabia, timepieces from the Mecca of fine watchmaking are in high demand. You can find them in London, Tokyo, and Manhattan. All over the world people dream about Glashütte watches. The town is famous, nearly more so out there in the wide world than here in Germany. However, Glashütte is in fact tiny: with a population of about only 2.500 living in the eastern hills of the Ore Mountains; there’s one hotel, two banks, five citizens’ associations, six hair salons—and “the Watch,” as people here succinctly refer to the entire watch industry, comprised of ten factories, three of which have the status of “manufactory.” Add to this a bit of ancillary industry and that about sums up Glashütte.
NOMOS Glashütte is one of the three manufactories and it is the brand that produces timepieces that are among the most beautiful in the world of fine watchmaking. These are watches that can be made only here in this specific town in the eastern Ore Mountains. Glashütte has a history and a long tradition, which have given rise to a number of special innovations that watchmakers elsewhere only have a slight understanding of, if they even understand them at all.
And NOMOS is expanding: in 2005, it brought its first automatic watch, Tangomat, onto the market; this was followed up in 2007 and 2008 by, among other things, the release of the Club model in both manually wound and automatic variations; then, 2009 saw the arrival of the Zürich model; and now in 2010, NOMOS is introducing a whole assortment of fine new watches. All of the movements are produced entirely in Glashütte: the calibers (including chronometers and tourbillons) are engineered, developed, and constructed here. With only a few minor exceptions, the purchase of components from outside sources is no longer necessary. Depending on the caliber, between 75 and 95 percent of a movement’s value is added right here at NOMOS Glashütte. This means the creation of jobs for local watchmakers, engineers, and toolmakers. It also means that our customers receive the best possible watches and the assurance that the name of this little mountain village will permanently remain a synonym for handicraft of the highest quality.