The Nomos Club Campus, Now in Two Bold New Colorways, Should Be Your First ‘serious’ Watch

• Brand: NOMOS Glahütte
• Product: Club Campus Blue Purple/Club Campus Deep Pink
• Price: $1,500-$1,650
• From: nomos-glashuette.com

A fine watch makes a tremendous gift, but finding one that’s affordable yet well made and feature-rich is a tough proposition. Thankfully, that’s the entire remit of the NOMOS Club Campus, a hand-wound timepiece with a Bauhaus-inspired design that was made specifically to be gifted to new graduates. However, that doesn’t mean it isn’t the perfect watch to gift to oneself, too. We recently spent a week in Los Angeles with the newest versions of the Club Campus — which come in subtle, blue-purple or bright pink dials — and we must say, this classic, unassuming model from Glashütte has never been handsomer.

From the Brand

“Whether it’s high school SATs or college exams, Club Campus is a watch for life’s milestones, especially during challenging times like these. Celebrating all the academic success that didn’t get the recognition it deserved in 2020 and 2021, this watch is a symbol of motivation to achieve goals and encouragement to forge new paths.”

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What We Like

A week in Los Angeles proved the perfect testing ground for exploring the Club Campus’s charms. Due to its unobtrusive case design, the watch stayed out of the way while writing, playing guitar, and heading out for drinks with friends, while 100m of water resistance meant babying it isn’t remotely necessary. However, one of its best perks is hidden: NOMOS will engrave the solid steel case back for free, making the Club Campus even more suitable for gifting. And if this appealing feature of the watch is hidden against your wrist, the dial, on the other hand, is difficult to ignore.

While NOMOS has historically been a brand for the aficionado — the watch guy or gal in the know — its wares couldn’t be more egalitarian and approachable, and this is nowhere more apparent than in the fun yet elegant design of the Club Campus. Sized at 36mm or 38mm, it’s perfectly suited for a wide variety of wearers, and truly straddles the line between everyday timepiece and dress watch. Long, straight lugs on its polished case help it hug the wrist, and the included velour gray or anthracite leather strap is comfortable and refined.

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The Bauhaus design philosophy of “form follows function” is readily visible on the watch’s “California” dial, a design from the 1940s that mixes Arabic and Roman numerals for increased legibility. Framed by a thick, polished steel bezel and a domed sapphire crystal, it’s a thing of beauty. A matte blue-purple or bright pink background is adorned with white indices that glow blue in the darkness, while a sub-seconds display above six o’clock features a white, printed seconds track and an orange seconds hand. An outer minute track features white hash marks at every minute, plus orange or pink numerical indices every five minutes that coordinate well with the other orange elements on the dial. Simple matching sword hands and a bit of branding are all that otherwise grace the watch face, making for an extremely clean, calm aesthetic.

Powering the Club Campus is the NOMOS caliber Alpha, a hand-wound, in-house movement made in Glashütte with 43 hours of power reserve — meaning it only needs to be wound once every two days. Extremely thin, this nevertheless robust and well made caliber provides a great entrypoint into mechanical watchmaking for someone who is otherwise unfamiliar with the joy of interacting with one’s watch each morning. (Or, rather, every other morning.)

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Who It’s For

While NOMOS created the Club Campus as a watch for new graduates, it truly is a piece that can be appreciated by anyone with a love of good design, horology, or style. Well sized for both men and women and featuring a unique California dial and in-house, hand-wound movement, it’s the type of timepiece that dedicated watch lovers will appreciate, but is also perfect for someone just starting out in his or her professional journey. And in the new Blue Purple or Deep Pink colorways, it’s simply never looked better. Whether working or out and about, enjoying time with friends, the Club Campus is the perfect wrist companion.

Verdict

It’s nearly impossible not to be astonished at the value the Club Campus brings. For well under $2,000, you’re getting an in-house, hand-wound movement, a stainless steel case that looks good on any wrist, a wildly cool dial inspired by a classic horological motif, and attention to detail — despite the simplicity of its design — that’s compelling to anyone who appreciates well-made objects.

Price: $1,500-$1,650

Gear Patrol Studios

Gear Patrol Studios

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Gear Patrol Studios

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