NOMOS Glashütte, the German brand that makes its own calibres, offers its hand-wound Club in 38.5 mm for the first time, with a white silver-plated or grey ruthenium dial.
NOMOS Glashütte introduced the Club in 2007 as its entry-level mechanical watch, with reference 701, a 36 mm case and the brand's own hand-wound Alpha calibre. That first version left the catalogue in 2017 and returned in 2023 as reference 701.1, in the same size and with an updated dial featuring larger numerals and broader hands. According to NOMOS, the Club is now one of its best-selling models.
On October 22, NOMOS introduced the Club 38 with two dials: a white silver-plated one, reference 769, and a dark grey ruthenium-plated one, reference 770. The launch coincided with the brand's debut at the Salón Internacional Alta Relojería in Mexico City, where it showed its watches for the first time.
Technical Specs
| References | 769 (white silver-plated dial) and 770 (ruthenium); 769.GB and 770.GB with sapphire caseback |
| Case | Two-piece stainless steel; 38.5 mm diameter, 46.7 mm lug to lug; 8.4 mm thick with steel back, 8.5 mm with sapphire back |
| Crystal | Domed sapphire |
| Water resistance | 10 atm (100 m) |
| Dial | 769: galvanized, white silver-plated, black numerals and red details; 770: galvanized and ruthenium-plated, white numerals outlined in yellow and orange details; Super-LumiNova indices; sub-seconds in a recessed disc |
| Hands | 769: black oxidized, with red Super-LumiNova; 770: rhodium-plated, with white Super-LumiNova |
| Caliber | NOMOS DUW 4001, hand-wound; 23.3 mm diameter, 2.6 mm high; 21,600 vph (3 Hz); 17 jewels; approx. 53-hour power reserve |
| Calibre details | NOMOS swing system escapement, blue balance spring, stop-seconds, three-quarter plate, adjusted in six positions, blued screws, Glashütte ribbing and perlage |
| Strap | 20 mm Horween Genuine Shell Cordovan: brown with red stitching (769) or black with brown stitching (770) |
| Price | 769: USD 2,010 and EUR 1,520; 770: USD 2,070 and EUR 1,560 |
The white dial and the ruthenium dial
Both versions share the polished steel case, with a wide bezel and lugs that taper towards the ends; what sets them apart is the dial. The 769, in white silver-plated, keeps the classic Club look: black numerals, broad hands with a red luminous inlay and the minute-track numerals also in red. The 770 has a dark grey ruthenium-plated dial; ruthenium is a platinum-group metal applied in a very thin layer that gives the surface an anthracite tone. On it, the numerals are white with a yellow outline and orange appears only on the minute track, a combination NOMOS describes as sportier. Each comes on a horse-leather cordovan strap from the American tannery Horween, brown on the white version and black on the ruthenium.
Compared with the current 36 mm Club, which is 8.0 mm thick, 44.3 mm lug to lug and takes 18 mm straps, the Club 38 is 2.5 mm wider, 2.4 mm longer and just four tenths of a millimetre thicker with the steel back, and takes 20 mm straps. The watch grows without losing the slim profile the brand sees as typical of its watches.
The DUW 4001 calibre
The Club 38 uses the DUW 4001, the same hand-wound calibre as the 36 mm Club. NOMOS designs and makes it in Glashütte, the Saxon town where watches have been made since 1845, and the calibre keeps several features of that school. The three-quarter plate, a single plate that covers most of the movement and holds several of its wheels, is a hallmark of Glashütte watches. The escapement, the mechanism that works with the balance to regulate the watch, is the NOMOS swing system, developed and made by the brand itself, with a blue balance spring. The calibre is adjusted in six positions, meaning it is set to keep time accurately with the watch in six different orientations. The stop-seconds function halts the seconds hand when the crown is pulled out, so the time can be set to the second. Through the sapphire back of references 769.GB and 770.GB, the bridges with Glashütte ribbing, the perlage and the blued screws are visible.
Prices and availability
NOMOS sells the Club 38 through its online stores in the United States and Spain, at the prices listed in the specifications. The store does not cover Mexico or other Latin American countries, and the brand does not publish prices for the region. Buyers in Mexico, Colombia, Argentina or Chile can ask NOMOS about purchase and shipping options. In Spain it is also sold through authorised retailers, listed in the dealer finder on the brand's website.
Its place in the Club collection
The Club 38 sits in the NOMOS catalogue between the 36 mm Club, priced at USD 1,830, and the Club Campus 38 night, from the colourful-dial line, from USD 2,360. For USD 180 more than the 36 mm model, the Club 38 offers the same design of large numerals and broad hands, the same hand-wound calibre made in Glashütte, and a case NOMOS designed to suit most wrists. With it, the classic Club is now available in two sizes.
