What does the affix SA in the address of NOMOS Glashütte mean?
It stands for Saxony, as there are 35 towns in Germany that go by the name of Glashütte, and they need to be differentiated. Since 2005, we no longer have the affix SA in our logo. It has been retained, however, as part of our address.
Is the name Glashütte protected?
Yes, most definitely. Not every company based in Glashütte is allowed to write “Glashütte” on its watches. A number of court cases have established the precedent that only companies that produce at least 50 percent of the movements’ value in Glashütte may use the name of the town. This helps everyone: the rulings safeguard jobs in the town of Glashütte and you, the customer, are guaranteed the highest watch making quality, a tradition to which we are committed. NOMOS Glashütte designs, develops, and builds its own movements, which means that much more than the required 50 percent is produced on-site—up to 95 percent, in fact.
A few years ago, it became known that ETA decided to no longer supply companies with ébauche kits. Has NOMOS been affected by this?
NOMOS Glashütte is not at all affected by this decision, since we no longer use ETA movements. This decision from ETA was aimed the “black sheep” who use ETA movements in forgeries, thus damaging the good name of ETA. However, NOMOS movements are our own and are made in Glashütte. Whether automatic or manually wound, our movements are of the highest precision and feature horological specialties such as the Glashütte three-quarter plate, the proprietary NOMOS swing system, tempered blue screws, sunburst decoration, and Glashütte ribbing. The work performed on every watch is mainly work done by hand. If it serves quality and precision, however, we do use high-tech production methods such as CNC and laser technology. Only individual parts such as jewels, which we use as bearings in the movements, are purchased from suppliers according to our designs.
What does the designation “DUW” stand for?
DUW stands for “Deutsche Uhrenwerke NOMOS Glashütte” (German watch movements NOMOS Glashütte). With these DUW calibers—and the watches powered by them—we have once again brought the effort involved in construction and production to a new peak. These watches show exactly what we can do: They contain all our knowledge and skill, concentrated.