It was our first anniversary as a married couple, and Mrs. Bazamu needed a Christmas gift idea. “A Nomos Zurich Weltziet,” I sarcastically answered. I have a habit of rarely providing a straight answer when asked questions like this, so I didn’t seriously consider that she would take it to heart. That said, my watch collecting gene was still blossoming at this point, and she had noticed how passionately I droned on about the beauty of Nomos’s place in the watch world.
Nomos has been a media darling for quite a while given their independence, high quality watches, and approachable price points – a rare combination in the world of watches. For the most part, however, none of their offerings really called to me. I’m admittedly a “vintage guy,” if I was forced to be typecast, and the Bauhaus design principles, while simple and balanced, weren’t enough to get me to commit to a purchase. But then the Zurich Weltzeit entered the picture. The design was unlike anything I’d ever seen, and the functionality (essentially a creative GMT rather than a world timer) was actually useful given that I travel quite a bit. I wasn’t ready to commit myself, but then the Mrs. took that liberty for me. I’m forever grateful that she did, as well. I can guarantee that the Weltzeit will never leave the collection and my fondness for it has only grown over time.
The Nitty Gritty
I won’t go crazy on the nitty gritty of a modern watch that’s easy to Google, but I’ll note one thing about this particular version. The “True Blue” Weltzeit was the first watch to feature Nomos’ patented Swing System, which brought the escapement fully in-house and signified a truly important technical breakthrough for the company. I’m a firm believer that a watch is about much more than the movement (seriously, look at how many of my watches use the exact same, extremely ubiquitous Valjoux 72 movement), but I also think that a beautiful movement that’s manufactured completely in-house and bears a price tag of less than $6,000 deserves praise. Nomos created a winner with the Zurich Weltzeit, and I’m excited to see where the brand takes it next.
