Two snippets from the Nomos Encyclopaedia

[tribe125]

Cultural watch
Some people also call NOMOS watches 'cultural watches' - because they are loved first and foremost by people with a kind of 'cultural wealth' (Pierre Bourdieu) rather than by the well off. So it is not the people who want to show what they can afford who wear NOMOS - there are probably better models for them - but those who know what they want, who know what is beautiful and who want a good watch that will last them a lifetime. People who, in case of doubt, have to save up for a while to buy their NOMOS (and are then even more excited about it). Watches from NOMOS are modestly simple, elegant and yet robust. They are suitable for everyday use, for going to the opera, a gallery exhibition opening or concert, or can be worn just as suitably when changing the baby's nappy, looking after canaries or doing a cycle tour through the countryside. They last for a lifetime or even two or three. You can bequeath them and thus pass on a part of yourself.


Czech Republic: the country that begins behind Glashütte
The Czechs are our neighbours and we like them very much. In this country, which begins about 20 kilometres behind Glashütte, men are called Pavel, Jan and Marek and the women's names are Eva, Lenka and Markéta. The latter are all tall and thin and work as top models. They say "ahoy" instead of "hello" because they are sad that the sea is so far away.

[tempocalypse]

I really would like this book. Unfortunately they don't deliver to my country, thinking of writing to them to see if they will add it to the list though.

Mail service to the Maldives is really quite poor though, anything except courier is super slow. I've been waiting for a month for Daniel's Art of Breguet from Amazon US.

[geoffbot]

... looking after canaries..

How odd!

True of course though - they're great value watches, imo, subtle yet esoteric - just enough to make you feel a little smug

[OhDark30]

Perhaps 'looking after budgies' was the tone they were after?
Beautiful sound, but things might get messy

[tribe125]

How odd!

It's the precise but off-beat humour that runs through the book like a silver thread.

[Nokie]

It sounds like it would be a good read.

[skywatch]

... because they are sad that the sea is so far away.

I laugh at very strange things. I would like this book.

[geoffbot]

It's the precise but off-beat humour that runs through the book like a silver thread.

I was half hoping it was just lost in translation...

[skywatch]

Tribe125 - I blame you and this thread for inspiring me to spend $54 USD on the Encyclopaedia and a free bundle of beautiful catalogs from Nomos. The crazy thing to start - they promised 2-4 day free shipping... across 9 time zones to California! It showed up this morning by FedEx. I can imagine that shipping probably cost about the price of the book. They are an odd bunch over there.

What fun! Such odd understated humor, subtle like their design aesthetic. Here's my first little Easter Egg discovery:


Clepsydra: Translated literally from the Greek, clepsydra means "water thief," but refers to an antique water clock with a hydraulic drive, which originally showed the trickling time during court hearings. In "Asterix and the Magic Carpet," for example, the villains Hoodunnit and Owzat use it to time the 180 hours remaining until Princess Orinjade is sacrificed. She can only be saved if it rains before this deadline. However, only one person can make it rain and that is the bard Cacafonix, with his unbearable voice. Apart from using sundials, the Egyptians also used water clocks. The water trickled through a small opening in vessels made of stone, copper or ceramics. (See also: Asterix XXVIII/27)


Why do I find this so funny? I dunno, maybe it's that little bit of German left in my ancestry. One thing all this effort from their marketing department has done: it has augmented my fondness for Nomos watches with a very friendly warm feeling about the human element behind the company. These guys and gals are pretty cool, and their design aesthetic is clean, consistent, understated and technically beautiful.

And this... drool drool drool...

[tribe125]

Tribe125 - I blame you and this thread for inspiring me to spend $54 USD on the Encyclopaedia.

One thing all this effort from their marketing department has done: it has augmented my fondness for Nomos watches with a very friendly warm feeling about the human element behind the company.

Same here. I have worked out a path to my first Nomos. It will take a while, but I've set the co-ordinates. Actually, I was thinking that way already, or I wouldn't have come across the encyclopaedia, but it's been a confirmation.