Introducing the Nomos Red Dot 2019 for The Hour Glass’ 40th Anniversary

Nomos first started to retail with The Hour Glass in Singapore, back in 2015. Prior to that, anyone in the region looking to get their hands-on a timepiece from the German watchmaker would’ve had to resort to Nomos’ online shop.

So welcomed and successful was Nomos’ arrival to these shores in such a manner that just two years in, the German watchmaker created its first collaborative timepiece with The Hour Glass. This watch was the Red Dot variation of the Nomos Zürich Weltzeit.

As a world time type, the watch naturally had Singapore incorporated into its city ring as the city of reference for GMT +8 — a simple nod to The Hour Glass’ home state. But the watch also managed to make a more significant nod to the island nation by incorporating a red dot icon next to the home time sub dial. The icon found on regular Zürich Weltzeit piece at this position is otherwise a small hut, signifying home.

Now for those wondering why a small red dot equates to Singapore, all you need to do is a quick Google search, or have a detailed read about the Red Dot variation of the Nomos Zürich Weltzeit, here.

Shortly after, in 2018, Nomos created the Tangente ‘Red Dot’ in partnership with The Hour Glass. Suddenly, Nomos and The Hour Glass no longer simply had collaborative watches, but a collaborative collection held under the Red Dot umbrella.

This year on the occasion of The Hour Glass’ 40th anniversary Nomos is taking the opportunity to add yet another creation to the Red Dot family of watches. Introducing the Tangente neomatik Red Dot, in four different dial colors.

The dial colors include midnight blue, ruthenium, silver and — a recognizable staple of the Red Dot collection — salmon. The silver and the salmon dials have hour markers printed in Chinese oracle bone script. While the ruthenium and midnight blue pieces have hour markers printed in Hindu-Arabic numerals.

Uwe Ahrendt, CEO of Nomos shared with Revolution saying, “It’s enough to say that this is just another iteration of the Tangente. But let’s not forget that the two scripts used on the dials of the watches are completely unfamiliar to us.

“What is familiar to us is our design and what know about our style of typography. But to adapt two ancient venerable scripts into our design language, in a way that would be respectful to both the Tangente and scripts in consideration, now that’s where the real challenge stood.”

Says Uwe, “It’s thanks to the research that The Hour Glass had engaged in, to ensure the accuracy of the scripts they had proposed that we were in turn confident to have our designers give the scripts our own touch.

Several rounds of back and forth with The Hour Glass to ensure our accuracy, and then some more rounds to get the color combination of the dials versus the numerals just right, we were at last ready to celebrate The Hour Glass’ 40th anniversary.”

The last time we saw Chinese oracle bone script used on a dial was on a unique F.P. Journe Line Sport Rattrapante created in partnership with The Hour Glass, to be auctioned off for The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation at a gala dinner in Singapore.

While that was a pièce unique timepiece that sold for SG$ 400’000, the Tangente neomatik Red Dot is sure to prove to be a more approachable option for those after a timepiece that uses these ancient scripts.

More information TheHourGlass.com