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The Nomos website describes all their watches as unisex, but that description is perhaps most fitting to the Nomos Tetra collection. The Nomos Tetra’s square 29.5mm case is 6.3mm thick and fits well on wrists of various sizes. When a woman with a six inch wrist puts it on, it takes up a large percentage of the wrist and almost looks like a sports watch. On a slender man’s wrist, it takes up much less space and the tone of the watch is much more formal.

Since people are more used to thinking about size in reference to the diameter of round watches, it’s a little harder to visualize the wrist presence of a 29.5mm square watch. While the pure surface area of the Nomos Tetra is around the same as a 33mm round watch, it’s square shape gives it slightly more wrist presence. The overall feeling is probably most similar to the original Tangente and Orion.

While most of the dial variations of the Nomos Tetra feature playful executions of vibrant color, the “Tetra,” which technically could be called the “Tetra” model within the Nomos Tetra collection, uses the signature conservative Nomos color scheme, consisting of heat-blued hands, black indices, and a galvanized, white silver plated dial. It is also the one 29.5mm version of the Nomos Tetra that comes in both a steel back ($2,080) and a sapphire back ($2,320). When Nomos has shipped us stock watches of the model, they have arrived on the short shell cordovan strap. While the short strap will be the length of choice on models such as the Tangente and Orion for owner’s wrists that are between six and a half to seven inches, the Tetra’s shorter case makes the regular strap the length of choice for this size range.

Five years ago, it was unusual for men to be purchasing watches of this size at Topper. Today, an ever growing percentage of clients seem to be cherishing smaller, more understated pieces. While we anticipated doing well with only the 38mm and larger models of the Nomos line, it seems a large percentage of the Nomos fan base, and people interested in timepieces, walk in drawn to models such as the Club, Orion, and Tetra.

A side by side comparison of the Tangente 35mm (left) and the Tetra 29.5mm (right).

A side by side comparison of the Tangente 35mm (left) and the Tetra 29.5mm (right).

Most men with six and a half to seven seven inch wrists who would pick the short strap on a watch like the Tangente, will be picking the regular length strap on a watch such as the Nomos Tetra. The short strap is perfect for a woman with a six inch wrist.

The Nomos Tetra on a womans’ six inch wrist. The short strap fits perfectly.

The Nomos Tangente (35mm) on a womans’ six inch wrist. She would have needed the short strap to have the watch comfortably fit.

A Nomos Tangente 38mm on a womans’ six inch wrist.

My wrist shot for the Nomos Tetra. My wrist is around seven inches.

My wrist shot for a Tangente (35mm)

The 38mm Tangente 38 Datum on my seven inch wrist.

While the “Tetra Kleene” features the DUW 4301 movement [whose two most defining characteristics are a power reserve indicator (like on the Metro) and their Swing System (the Nomos in-house balance complete)], all of the other Nomos Tetra models feature the Alpha Calibre, their basic calibre which is a manual wind watch with the small-second hand as the only “complication.”

At Nomos Day at Topper Jewelers a few weeks ago, we had a chance to photograph almost all of the larger Nomos Tetra models, which you can see below. Here are photos of the various Tetra models.

A look at the Alpha Calibre inside all of the Nomos Tetra models except for the Tetra Kleene.

A close up view of the Nomos Alpha Calibre.

The Tetra

Below are more photos of the Tetra in the Nomos Glashutte Tetra Collection. This is the version of the watch that was photographed above along side the Tangente. The Tetra is $2,080 with a steel back and $2,320 with a sapphire case back.

The Tetra Clärchen

Named after a ballroom in central Berlin, the watch features a baize green dial with gold colored hands and indices, and comes on a gray velour leather strap. The Tetra Clarchen retails for $2,390.

Tetra Nachtijall

Named after the German word for nightingale, the Nomos Tetra Nachtijall features a lacquered deep blue dial with gold colored hands and indices, and comes with the gray velour leather strap. The Nomos Tetra Nachtijall retails for $2,320.

Tetra Goldelse

The most feminine of all the Nomos Tetra watches, the Goldelse is named after the Berlin Victory Column, and features a galvanized dial the color of rose gold. The watch features gold colored hands and white indices, and comes with the gray velour leather strap. The Tetra Goldelse retails for $2,390.

The Tetra Kleene

The Nomos Tetra Kleene features a turquoise dial, as well as golden hands and a power reserve indicator. It also comes with the gray velour leather strap. This is the only watch in the series that features the Nomos Swing System. The Nomos Tetra Kleen retails for $2,920.

Rob Caplan is a fourth generation watch retailer whose family owns Topper Fine Jewelers on the edge of Silicon Valley in Burlingame, California. Topper is an authorized dealer of Muhle Glashutte, Nomos, OMEGA, Glashütte Original, Longines, Zenith, Ball, Bremont, and other fine Swiss & German watch Brands.