First Look: The New Nomos Club Sport Neomatik 37
Subtle updates at the perfect size.
I’ve talked about the elusive “one watch collection” before, and it’s a tricky mark to hit. Designing a watch that looks at home on your wedding day, in the office and at the beach is no mean feat.
The new Club’s 20ATM water resistance means the internals will stay safe when your jackass neighbour drunkenly shoves you in the pool. A high water resistance often introduces bulk, so unless your wedding tux falls along the lines of Prince’s, flared sleeves and all, you’re going to want a fairly slim watch that looks handsome on a strap or bracelet, comes with a clean dial, and offers a versatile colour palette.
There’s a short list of watches that fit the bill. Fortunately, German watchmaker Nomos Glashütte’s new Club is one of them. But enough jibber jabber. Let’s get nerdy.
Coming in at 37mm, the new Club Sport neomatik’s presence is more reserved than it’s 42mm big brother. Continuing comparisons, it sacrifices a date complication for the sake of simplicity and symmetry.
The ‘polar’ dial has a radial sunburst finish, transitioning the watch from a dusty slate blue to a vibrant chambray with a slight tilt towards the sun. If blue is too typical for you, there is also a striking ‘petrol’ green dial available.
Popping off the dial are bold, Superluminova-filled Arabic numerals that really glow when the sun goes down. Moving outward, a combination of polished and brushed stainless steel finishes maintain sportiness while adding an eye-catching gleam suited for dressier occasions.
The two-finish contrast continues down onto the bracelet, which I can tell you after a few days of wear, it’s quite comfortable. The bracelet has quick-change spring bars, allowing one to throw on a leather strap sans-tools in a matter of seconds.
There’s also a quick-change clasp bar, letting you incrementally change the bracelet size for that post-dinner bloat. The polished lugs are quite lengthy, so I wouldn’t shy away from this watch if you have mid-large size wrists.
Turning the watch over, we can marvel at the fine German engineering visible through the optional sapphire glass caseback. The Club Sport contains a personal favourite of mine: the in-house cal. DUW 3001.
Coming in at just 3.2mm in height, this caliber offers a low-profile and 94.2% efficiency at an unmatched price point (~80% is fairly standard). It’ll keep on ticking for 43 hours, which is by no means groundbreaking, but as a one-watch collection it hardly matters anyways.
It’s a gorgeous movement to gawk at. The Glashütte ribbing dances in the light, and the tempered blue screws contrast beautifully with the red ruby bearings. The DUW 3001 punches well above its weight; it’s not often you find an in-house movement built to this standard in the four-figure range.
All things considered, I think Nomos Glashütte’s new 37mm Club Sport neomatik would make a great addition to an established collection, or hold up on its own as a daily driver. If you’re looking for mechanical prestige, understated design, and versatility matched with durability, this may be the watch for you.