James. 26 Posted March 20, 2015 OK so I did in fact buy a watch on Wednesday (http://www.rwg.bz/bo...l=&fromsearch=1). Finally decided, after much deliberation to pick up the Orion. Yes, the Tangomat and Tangente are both beautiful, and I'll probably buy one of those two in a few weeks time but for now the Orion is the exact watch I've been looking for, something that fits very easily under a cuff for work, that is dressy but which can be dressed down (more about "dressed down" later) So, let's go for a little review, shall we? **disclaimer** two images, the macro ones of the sub seconds and the crown, are plagiarized from Google because I don't have a macro lens. The watch comes in a quaint little wooden box. Feels....ok....doesn't scream "luxury" or even "mediocre" for that matter but i'd much prefer Nomos cut costs here than on the actual watch itself. Opening it up we have the warranty booklet, and the polishing cloth. Pretty stock standard fare. It's reasonably nice, minimalist just like the brand. Hiding under the cloth is the watch itself, secured by two elastic band thingys. OK, so the watch itself is 38mm in diameter but it wears like a 40 given the clean dial and minimal polished bezel. The hands are very thin and minimalist blued steel. In differing light the dial can appear only slightly off white, whilst at other times more opaque and silvery with texture This shows more of a silvery appearance showcasing some texture. It also highlights the giltish dial markers. They're very subtle but when they catch the light they really provide another more complex side of the dial. It can go from very plain and dressy to more blingy just from a bit of light. The hands will sparkle bright blue and markers glow gold, things that you generally won;t see most of the time. To be honest, the combination of the markers and hands is one main reason I chose this watch too be my 1st Nomos. The printing on the dial is only slightly raised. The subtle detail on the sub-seconds is also quite lovely, and understated keeping in tune with the design of the watch Printing on the dial is kept at a minimum. "NOMOS Glashutte" takes the prime real estate, and "Made in Germany" fans around the bottom of the dial, unobtrusively. The bezel as previously mentioned, is very thin. The whole case is polished. The lug holes have been drilled through, I understand specifically for strap changes rather than a a design feature but I rather like that it's a bit against the grain of traditional dress watch in style there. The crown is very finely signed "NOMOS" The watch comes on a shell cordovan strap which is surprisingly the best gen strap i've ever worn. It's soft, it's smooth and it forms around your wrist like butter. The buckle is tang, simplistically designed with the makers name engraved. The negative with the strap is that because it's so soft and conforming, if you wear it often or leave it in a watch box the strap with mold to a round shape. Additionally, and I guess more to do with the colour than anything else, scuffs and marks show up on the strap easily as you can probably see. However, as an added bonus straps direct from Nomos are like $100 shipped. So, yay for that. This watch houses a Nomos "Alpha" in house hand wound movement, PR of 43 hours, adjusted in 6 positions, Glashutte 3 qtr plate and seconds stop which means the seconds stop when you set the time. It is an absolutely beautiful movement, the finishing on it is superb, especially considering the price range it is in, most of its competitors are utilizing ETA or alike movements with barely any finishing. For this movement to be in house, and finished to this standard is nothing less than amazeballs. Look at Tudors new caliber from Basel, it's roughly finished and almost twice the price of the Nomos. OK, so rather importantly I guess with any watch is how it wears. Almost any watch can look good in a photo, but if it wears poorly, money wasted. For reference, I have a 7.25 inch wrist The lug length means it wears actually quite well on my wrist despite its diameter. The profile is very thin given it's not a complicated watch with modules, it's only 8.86mm tall, but with slightly curving lugs hugs the wrist very nicely. It's not just a dress watch IMO, though i'd say that would be it's primary purpose. I've ordered two velour straps, one in sand and one in blue to dress it down as something that I can wear on a Friday or weekend evenings. Not my image below but a reference on the sand strap, I've not seen any on blue. So, overall impressions? Wow, for the price there's no other Swiss or German makers producing such well designed watches under their own manufacture. The only similar company I can think of is the Grand Seiko arm of Seiko. Even better is that when it needs to go in for servicing, there's a local smith accredited by Nomos, or if it goes back to Nomos, they post their (cheap) serviceing costs in black and white online! http://www.nomos-sto...en/FAQ/Service/ Eat that, every other watch brand :P Pros Value proposition Stunning in-house movement Overall design of the watch, case, dial, the lot Strap, on the wrist Cons Box is a bit cheap Strap, off the wrist Polished case is a finger pint magnet, but I love it anyways Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ellistyle1 0 Posted March 21, 2015 That's a very nice watch in a very nice collection. Nice pick. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nyckid 0 Posted March 21, 2015 Very nice, James! Congrats on a great buy mate, wear it well and thanks for the review. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Boycie 586 Posted March 21, 2015 Beautiful, congratulations James. Actually wears bigger than I thought.....bonus! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HeavyKrush 32 Posted March 21, 2015 Nice addition. Congrats. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hsmooth 0 Posted March 21, 2015 This sure is lovely. I think I'll spring for a gen Nomos soon. I'm digging the soon to be released Club Timeless. http://forums.watchuseek.com/f2/nomos-news-timeless-club-model-revealed-1694026.html Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RussP 27,704 Posted March 21, 2015 Love the sand strap.................great combo. Nice write up too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
James. 26 Posted March 21, 2015 Thanks gents, I highly recommend the brand, all their pieces are lovely. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
simonbolivar 1 Posted March 21, 2015 These are really starting to grow on me, and the prices are not exorbitant. Unfortunately, a bit too dressy for my typical dress code. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
baxter 6 Posted March 21, 2015 Congrats James ... that really does wear well for the size, beautiful piece mate and fits very nicely into your collection. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
muzz671 0 Posted April 7, 2015 You wear it like a boss too - congrats on the pickup! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kiko1314 0 Posted April 7, 2015 Beautiful Bauhaus! May I ask how loud is the movement? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LightGeek 41 Posted April 7, 2015 Nomos offers a velour in chocolate color too by the way. Congrats on the awesome purchase! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nikohublot 0 Posted January 16, 2017 Thanks for this review and wear it in good healts ... atm im thinking of buying a gen nomos as a dress watch but cant decide between the zurich or orion models , date or no date :S they are all so beautiful . I also want a tangente or tango at but first of all im looking for a plain dress watch . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
James. 26 Posted January 16, 2017 Thanks for this review and wear it in good healts ... atm im thinking of buying a gen nomos as a dress watch but cant decide between the zurich or orion models , date or no date :S they are all so beautiful . I also want a tangente or tango at but first of all im looking for a plain dress watch . The best thing to do would be to find an AD and try all those models on. The date versions are larger than the nondate but i didnt want the dial yoo cluttered. The tagente and tango are great too, im trying to not buy one of those, they're a bit more casual and funky than the zurich and orion Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bash64 17 Posted January 18, 2017 It looks "right" on your wrist. Love the sand strap. I think i need to see one in person as I seem to be more accepting of smaller watches. This post is almost two years old - did you keep this one James? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
James. 26 Posted January 18, 2017 It looks "right" on your wrist. Love the sand strap. I think i need to see one in person as I seem to be more accepting of smaller watches. This post is almost two years old - did you keep this one James? Yeah mate kept it, i dont wear dress watches often but it fits the bill when required at a very good price point. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wriggles 12 Posted February 10, 2017 Nice watch friend someone wants access to M2M..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
onzenuub 363 Posted February 10, 2017 Nice watch friend someone wants access to M2M..... Someone will not get it this way. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
greg_r 107 Posted February 10, 2017 Nice watch friend Any more like this and you'll find yourself with a minus post count. You have been warned. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
silvertip 0 Posted March 12, 2017 There is beauty in simplicity!! Congratulations! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thrichar 47 Posted March 26, 2017 Was playing with a macro lens for my iPhone and took a few dial shots of my Orion 38. Forgot how beautiful the detailing was! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
James. 26 Posted March 26, 2017 Was playing with a macro lens for my iPhone and took a few dial shots of my Orion 38. Forgot how beautiful the detailing was! Nice pics. I need to get an attachable lense for my phone... those are very clear and crisply detailed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
