The Weltzeit has been around for quite some time now, more than 10 years at the time of this recording, yet it is, in my opinion, still pretty much unmatched. In this video review we get up close, really close, with the NOMOS ZÜRICH World TimeWorld Time Complication A world timer is a complication that displays the time in multiple time zones simultaneously. It typically includes a rotating bezel or a dial with city names or time zones printed on it and a 24-hour hand or a subdial that can be adjusted to indicate the time in a different time zone. The user can rotate the bezel or use the crown to align the city or time zone they want to read with the current time on the watch's main dial, it allows the user to know the time in different time zones at a glance. Some world timers have a day/night indicator which helps to know if the time shown is during the day or night at the selected time zone. [Learn More] Midnight Blue (Reference 807):
“Weltzeit” stands for world time, however, I would say this is not exactly a world timERWorld Time Complication A world timer is a complication that displays the time in multiple time zones simultaneously. It typically includes a rotating bezel or a dial with city names or time zones printed on it and a 24-hour hand or a subdial that can be adjusted to indicate the time in a different time zone. The user can rotate the bezel or use the crown to align the city or time zone they want to read with the current time on the watch's main dial, it allows the user to know the time in different time zones at a glance. Some world timers have a day/night indicator which helps to know if the time shown is during the day or night at the selected time zone. [Learn More], which shows the time everywhere, at once. This is instead more like a GMTGMT A GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) complication is a feature found in some watches that allows the wearer to track two time zones simultaneously. It typically includes a 24-hour hand and a bezel or a second hour hand that can be adjusted independently of the main hour hand to track the time in a different time zone. [Learn More] where you can see two time zones at any given time, home time and local time. You read the time as follows:
- At that little red home icon at 3 o clock, you can see the home time. Alternatively, if you so choose you could sync this up with the displayed time, and use this to display the 24-hour time. Adjusting the home time is done by pressing the little ressessed button at 8 o clock on the side of the case. NOMOS provides a handy little tool alongside this watch to help you do just that.
- The local time is the displayed time and you know where that is by looking at the city name at 12 o-clock. Wherever your airplane lands, with the press of a button you can flip through the various timezones in a split second (I must have pressed this button at least a thousand times the first couple of days I had this watch, and everything worked like a charm, every single time).
The Zurich Weltzeit exists in two dial options in the regular catalog (there are more variations in the wild, thanks to various limited and special editions having been released to date). Reference 807, which we are looking at, has a midnight blue dial, and reference 805 has a white dial. I intentionally picked the blue, not only because I like that color, but because my wrist is on the smaller side and a darker dial visually tends to wear smaller to my eye. Floating above the dial is the domed sapphire crystal which has anti-reflective coating inside and out. As you might see throughout the video a blue tint can sometimes be seen when the light hits the crystal just right.
The case is fully polished and wears nice and compact. It features a lug width of 20mm, a case diameter of 39.9 mm, height 10.9 mm and a lug-to-lug of 49.4 mm. That lug to lug will sound scary to some. More on that in a bit. The case features a display caseback, which reveals the movement.
The watch features an in-house automatic caliberCaliber The caliber ('movement') is the heart and engine of a watch. It consists of a number of interconnected components that work together. Energy is transmitted through the gear train, to the escapement mechanism. The escapement mechanism releases this energy in a controlled manner. This drives the gear train, which ultimately rotates the hands of the watch and keeps time. [More Info], equipped with a world time and 24-hour display. This caliber also uses the NOMOS swing system, the in-house escapementEscapement The escapement is a mechanism in a mechanical watch movement that regulates the release of energy from the mainspring and keeps the watch ticking at a steady rate. The escapement is made up of two main components: the escape wheel and the pallet fork. The escapement is responsible for the ticking sound of the watch, and it ensures that the watch runs at a consistent rate. As the escape wheel rotates forward, it locks and unlocks with the pallet fork, allowing a small amount of energy from the mainspring to be released. This causes the balance wheel to oscillate and the watch to 'tick'. [Learn More] which you can recognize by the blue hairspringHairspring The hairspring is a thin spring in a mechanical watch movement that is connected to the balance wheel. The balance wheel oscillates back and forth at a consistent rate, and the hairspring helps regulate these oscillations. The hairspring works by applying a restoring force to the balance wheel, which helps to keep the balance wheel oscillating at a consistent rate. The hairspring is also known as a balance spring. [Learn More]. The power reserveRéserve de marche Also known as Power Reserve. A watch's power reserve refers to the amount of time a mechanical watch can run without being wound. The power reserve of a mechanical watch can vary depending on the size of the mainspring, the efficiency of the gear train, and the rate at which the mainspring releases energy. If a watch has a Power Reserve 'complication' it simply means that the status of the power reserve can be seen on the watch itself (either on the dial or movement side of the watch). [Learn More] is limited to 42 hours, which isn’t amazing but sufficient as this is an automatic caliber. Despite the complications, this is a very thin caliber at just 5.7mm. If you haven’t yet, make sure to watch our “Visit to the Manufacture” video, which gives you a detailed look at how NOMOS makes its own calibers.
So how does it wear on the wrist. As indicated, the case dimensions are well, let’s say hotly debated online, especially the lug-to-lug size which is almost 50mm. In fact, it was the one point concerning this watch that had me write this one off as simply too big for my wrist. Now, fast forward to me wearing the watch for some time now, and here, I have to say that it wears very well. Due to the relatively complex dial layout, the dial also wears smaller than the overall dimensions would suggest. The simple truth is that this watch will fit more wrists than the dimensions would suggest. Thanks to the thinness of the watch it also has no problem whatsoever fitting under a shirt cuff. It is a very versatile watch which can be worn for most occasions, but keep it away from water as it is only splash proof.
If you love the NOMOS design aesthetic and are in the market for a very nicely constructed watch with an in-house caliber, with a world time display, then look no further. As said in the introduction, despite this watch being around for quite some time now, it knows no equals and still outshines similar watches in a higher price category. Given the particular NOMOS proportions, as always, give this one a try on the wrist before you take the plunge.
More information right here.
ZÜRICH WELTZEIT