Nomos Glashütte Autobahn Director’s Cut Limited Edition

Very dashing, in very special colors: With three new “Director’s Cut” versions of the automatic watch Autobahn, Nomos Glashütte is celebrating 175 years of Glashütte watchmaking heritage in a very contemporary way. Designed by renowned designer Werner Aisslinger, the timepiece is the latest model from the watchmaking company. The three new colors—A3 in white-orange red, A7 in blue-yellow, and A9 in black-gray—are much more eye-catching than the existing versions, and are reminiscent of the kinds of vehicles that adorned the streets of Germany in the ‘60s and ‘70s.

But, the new Nomos watches are much more beautiful than vintage cars; their engines are more efficient and, of course, better for the environment: neomatik caliber (neomatik stands for new automatic) DUW 6101 uses a highly efficient winding mechanism to charge itself through motion.

Despite the date complication, the movement is exceptionally slender, measuring just 3.2 millimeters in height. The lean design of the in-house built caliber enables the dial to transition from curve to curve: Once around the edge of the raised dial, and again on the sub-seconds dial. The elegant curves give the impression of depth on the dial, a dynamic and novel feature for such a timepiece. Eye-catching below the six and set into the curve of the dial: The generously proportioned and patented date window.

Thanks to the striking luminous ring, all three special models are legible in the dark. These limited-edition models have been adjusted according to chronometer standards in Glashütte. The bracelet with its characteristic openings and the NOMOS secure deployant clasp is, like the watch, a creation by the renowned designer, and is only available with these special versions. As such, the Director’s Cut bracelet is also limited edition.

The white version of the “Director’s Cut” edition features a luminous ring in orange red. Like the watch, the bracelet is also a creation of the renowned designer—manufactured in stainless steel, inspired by racing straps from decades ago.

The movement of Autobahn, in-house caliber DUW 6101, is extremely slender. This enabled the designer Werner Aisslinger to add depth to the front side. The edge of the dial and the sub-seconds dial each slope into a curve—a completely new feature in this form. Despite this dynamic design, the elegant automatic watch measures only 10.5 millimeters in height. It is water resistant to 10 atm, 100 meters.

The date display of Nomos watch Autobahn — an elongated window showing yesterday, today, and tomorrow all at once. The date mechanism has received a patent: Positioned far out on the edge of the dial, controlled by a program disk (and not by the usual 24 hour wheel), this design saves space and downtime. The bidirectional quick correction with a special clutch is user-friendly and uncomplicated—a rarity in this price range, in other words.

Nomos special model Autobahn A3 was named by Werner Aisslinger after the tourist route from Holland through Passau into Austria. The inspiration for these watches comes from the dashboards of beautiful vintage cars.

Even during the times of the Berlin Wall, the A9 freeway was the fastest route between Northeast and Southeast Germany for Werner Aisslinger. The black and gray tones of the dial are like a night trip along this freeway, which gives the watch its name. The designer still frequently takes this route from Berlin toward Italy. The deep curvature of the dial is particularly beautiful on this black dial face.

As the longest German freeway, the A7 connects the north and the south. Aisslinger, also loves it because it often takes him to his home, the Allgäu region, giving him a feeling of homecoming. He named the dark blue model with the yellow luminous ring after this route — an evocative and masculine watch that is typically Glashütte despite its striking features.