German watch brand NOMOS Glashütte will release two models from the impressive ukiyo-e blue “Tangent Japan Blau” in mid-March. Since its launch in 1992, it has been a Japan limited edition model of NOMOS’ iconic piece “Tangent”.
There will be two models to be released, a version with a blue second hand and a version dyed red.
Blue and Japan ukiyo-e from Berlin
The soft milky white dial shines with velo indigo indexes and blue needles.
The roots of the blue dye loved by Katsushika Hokusai and Utagawa Hiroshige, two of Japan’s leading ukiyo-e artists, were in Berlin, Germany. It is a scientific synthetic pigment that was discovered by chance, and is said to have entered Japan in 1747. It is a color that is not found in conventional plant-based indigo blue, and was often used in ukiyo-e prints such as “Thirty-six Views of Futaka”. This blue pigment, which came from as far away as Europe, became an innovative color that gave breadth and depth to the sky and waves depicted by ukiyo-e techniques.
The package is also designed with the motif of the ukiyo-e artist Katsushika Hokusai’s famous painting “Futaka Sanroku Views Kanagawa Oki Namura”.
The new “Tangene Japan Blau” released by NOMOS Glashütte has a milky white dial reminiscent of pale clouds floating in ukiyo-e, and a traditional German blue-fired needle with an index of the vivid blue color vividly depicted in ukiyo-e. The blue expressed in ukiyo-e, which had a great influence on famous European painters later, has become a color that expresses the spirituality of Japan people, such as samurai blue, which has taken root even today.
NOMOS Glashütte “Tangent Sonder Model Japan” Ref.NM139.S53B
Hand winding. (Cal. α) 17 stones. 21,600 vibrations per hour. Power reserve about 43 hours. SS case (35mm, 6.2mm thick). Water resistant to 3 ATM. 382,800 yen (tax included). Limited to 15 pieces.
The Ref. NM139.S53B is designed with the image of “indigo-e,” a technique that paints with a single color blue. On the other hand, the Ref. NM139.S53R makes the ukiyo-e work gorgeous, and the small seconds are arranged with “red” that tightens the whole.
NOMOS Glashütte “Tangent Sonder Model Japan” Ref.NM139.S53R
Hand winding. (Cal. α) 17 stones. 21,600 vibrations per hour. Power reserve about 43 hours. SS case (35mm, 6.2mm thick). Water resistant to 3 ATM. 382,800 yen (tax included). Limited to 35 pieces.
Since its launch in 1992, NOMOS’ iconic “Tangent” has not undergone major design changes. The simplicity of the design and the elegance that can be used unisex have been loved throughout the ages. The length of the lug, which is one of the features, is also a part that has not been touched up.
NOMOS watches are created by Berlina Brau, a Berlin-based design team based in Berlin, where Belo Ai was born. The traditional beauty of Japan is embodied in “Tangent”, which embodies NOMOS’ philosophy of simplicity.
“Tangente Japan Blau” is engraved with the letters “TANGENTE SONDERMODEL JAPAN” and serial number, which is a certificate of Japan exclusivity. The strap is a brown cordovan cordovan made by Horween that complements the blue and comes with a deployment buckle. The movement is the most produced and most reliable hand-wound in-house Alpha movement produced in Glashütte.
The outer circumference of the back cover is engraved with the letters “TANGENTE SONDERMODEL JAPAN” and the serial number, indicating a model limited to Japan.
It comes with a leather case that can also be used for travel.
Contact info: Osawa Shokai Tel.03-3527-2682
