Since I started collecting watches I’ve always been intrigued by Nomos. The German brand has a lot going for it; iconic Bauhaus design, in-house movements, and excellent quality, all at a relatively reasonable price.

During my search for the first Nomos, the Lambda in steel was launched. Yes, it was very attractive, but way too expensive for me at that point in the collection journey (oh, how times change). Therefore, I continued my search and, finally, ended up with a Tangente. Didn’t think much of the Lambda for a few months, but I was downtown, and thought that I haven’t been at the Nomos Authorized Dealer for some time, so I popped in. And behold they had a Nomos Lambda in steel with a white dial and steel blued hands sitting in the showcase. Of cource it came home with me.

So now, I’ve owned it for almost one year and am still very much in love with it, however, like other watches, it’s not perfect.

One complaint I’ve seen other reviewers mention about Nomos watches, and which I very much agree on, is the simplistic case finishing. It’s strictly mirror polished. For the price, some brushing (maybe in the mid-case) would be appreciated. But, then again, I haven’t seen a Nomos with this sort of finish, so it might look awful.

Another concern for many is the size. I feel like this is a theme across Nomos watches, not just the Lambda, however, the challenge with the Nomos Lambda is not the long lugs as with other models. Here, the dinner plate effect can become real, that is, the watch is all dial, and one needs some empty space around it on the wrist to balance it. For me, with a 19 cm wrist, the Lambda is a perfect fit, and I feel like it looks proportional. The Lambda would have a larger range of customers if it was reduced by a few millimeters. Maybe in a future launch.

The final con with this watch might be unique to mine, and they both have to do with the movement. Firstly, Nomos claims that the DUW1001 movement is regulated to chronometer standards, albeit, not being certified. However, my experience is that it runs rather fast. Not horrible, but a bit disappointing for such a high end movement. Secondly, after a few months, I noticed that the hacking seconds had stopped working. Therefore, I promptly sent it back to Nomos to be fixed. Luckily, it was back within a month.

This seems all bad, but it’s far from it.

So what is there to like about the Nomos Lambda? A lot, actually, but I’ve now limited this to a few standout features that make this watch stick. I would say that the dial, with its symmetric nature and that massive power reserve, is just fantastic. I find it rather whimsical in its very serious first appearance. Continuing that theme, the DUW1001 has radial striping, several screwed chatons, an engraved balance cock which reads “lovingly produced in Glashütte”, and a swan neck regulator. These are all traits of Glashütte watchmaking that are executed in a way that makes it very enjoyable to look at in detail. You cannot do anything else than smile, even as silly as it sounds.

The glossy shell cordovan strap the watch comes on is great, but a little too nice for me. I’ve been enjoying it a lot on a black suede, ostrich, colored leather, or even a nato strap. It’s truly versatile. I still have left to try it on a bracelet, but I think it’s going to take some time to find the perfect bracelet as I’m not fully sold on the Nomos one.

I’ve truly enjoyed the Nomos Lambda over the past year, and it has a solid place in the collection. I would even go as far to say that it’s permanent.