The Nomos Club is one of the most prestigious watch lines out there. It’s also one of the most numerous in terms of options. The line has traditionally included watches in 36mm, 38mm, 41.5mm, and 42mm. It ranges from a minimalist everyday watch to heavy-duty dive-rated versions.
Last October, Nomos released two more variants of the Club: the 37mm Club Sport Neomatik Polar, and the 42mm Club Sport Neomatik 42. But other from their sizes, what sets these two new Nomos watches apart? Here’s a quick overview of both timepieces.
Club Sport Neomatik Polar
The Club Sport Neomatik Polar has a 37mm polished stainless steel case that measures just 8.4mm thick. It has a clean, round profile, with well-proportioned 18mm lugs. A knurled screw-down crown decorates the 3 o’clock position, and gives the watch a classic appearance. This is further enhanced by a flat, narrow bezel that allows a large dial for the diameter.
Inside the bezel is a flat sapphire crystal that doesn’t distort the dial. It’s tough and scratch-resistant, with an anti-reflective coating on the inside. This helps to reduce glare, even under brightly-lit conditions. A similar crystal appears on the back, creating an attractive display case. Even so, the watch is water-resistant, with a depth rating of 200 meters.
The dial is a gorgeous pale ice blue, with a brushed sunburst pattern that creates highlights that change depending on the angle of the light. The main index consists of large painted lume Arabic numerals at the even-numbered hour positions. In between, at the odd-numbered hour positions, are wide hashes, painted in the same color. Outside this main index is a subtle outer index, with tiny hashes at the 1-minute marks and similar small Arabic numerals at the 5-minute positions.
The hour and minute hands are straight, not tapered, with pointed tips on the ends. They’re primarily silver, but have lume stripes down the centers. All in all the look of the dial is very clean, and it’s easy to read at a glance by day or night.
There’s no second hand. Instead, you’ll find a 60-second subdial at the 6 o’clock position. It’s slightly recessed into the main dial, with hashes every five seconds and Arabic numerals at 20, 40, and 60 seconds. The hand is a fine silver needle that sweeps smoothly around the subdial.
The Polar is powered by a 27-jewel DUW 3001 automatic movement. This movement is only 3.2mm tall, which is a big part of how Nomos was able to create such a slim case. It also has a 43-hour power reserve, enough to retain power through almost two full days of disuse.
The tri-link bracelet is crafted from brushed steel, which forms a sharp contrast to the polished case. It also sports quick-change spring bars that allow you to easily adjust the length on your own.
In addition, the watch ships with an attractive leather travel case that closes with a zipper. This is a small bonus, but it’s a welcome one for collectors.
Club Sport Neomatik 42
The Club Sport Neomatik 42 has a similar overall profile to the Polar. The main difference is the case size, which at 42mm wide is decidedly larger. Even so, it’s fairly slim and lightweight, with a thickness of just 10.2mm. It sports a similar narrow bezel and rounded screw, although the lugs are proportionally wider at 21mm.
The sapphire crystal is of a similar high quality, but it’s domed rather than flat. This creates a distortion around the edge of the dial when viewed from an angle, which is an attractive highlight. The 42 has a similar display back to the Polar, but a higher water-resistance rating at 300 meters. This impressive rating is highlighted by a small copper “1000ft” inscription beneath the seconds subdial.
The dial is mostly the same as the one on the Polar, but all the numerals and other elements are proportional. In other words, it looks like it’s been scaled up, rather than the same elements being placed on a larger background and spread out. The inner and outer indexes look the same, as do the hands. There’s even an identical seconds subdial.
That said, there are two major differences between the dials. To begin with, the background is a deep blue sunburst rather than a pale blue. Secondly, there’s a date window at 3 o’clock, with white Arabic numerals on a lume background.
The 42 runs on a DUW 6101 automatic movement. It’s similar in most respects to the DUW 3001, except for the fact that it supports a date function. It’s very slim, at just 3.6mm, with a power reserve of 42 hours.
This watch comes with a similar tri-link bracelet and zippered case to the Polar, including the quick change spring bars on the strap.
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