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A new, decidedly dynamic design, a new caliber – and a name that's guaranteed to stick: these are the three defining features of the new Nomos Autobahn. First unveiled at Baselworld 2018, this new creation still delivers a high degree of individuality and instant recognizability – not only compared with watches from other brands, but within the Nomos collection itself. We invite our readers along for a spin: the Nomos Autobahn reviewed!
An Unusual Name, an Unusual Design
Hardly anyone hears the word Autobahn and thinks of a watch first. All the more attention-grabbing, then, when a watch actually bears that name, as is the case with one of the latest creations from Nomos Glashütte in our review. Behind the name lies the ambition to be faster than others and to take on the role of pioneer and forward thinker. That sounds ambitious – and in that respect it fits the strategy and image of this young, successful brand 100 percent. The design of the new watch is just as unusual as its name. It does indeed evoke associations that match the name – and in more ways than one.
[box type="info" align="" class="" width=""]For one thing, it recalls the look of speedometers and other gauges typically found on a car's dashboard – at least on those not yet fitted with monitors, touchscreens and the like.[/box]This is achieved through the shape and look of the hands and the integration of a small seconds and a date display at six o'clock, but above all through the striking ring segment running from eight to four, interrupted at each hour by a thin line that serves as the hour index. The even hours are also marked with Arabic numerals. The date window at six, deliberately made somewhat wider so that the previous and following days are visible alongside the current date, recalls the digital displays in car speedometers – the kind used for the odometer or trip meter and integrated into larger analog gauges.
One of a Kind: How the New Nomos Stands Out from the Crowd
Even by day, the distinctive design of the Nomos Autobahn in our review makes it clear at first glance that mistaking it for another watch is virtually impossible. At night, the effect is heightened further: the ring segment mentioned above reveals itself as a row of fields coated with luminous material that glow brilliantly in the dark and give the watch a unique face in that situation, too. The small seconds hand stands out with its striking shade of orange, already familiar from other models by the same manufacturer. The tip of the remarkably slender hour hand is orange as well, and on the version where the hour-index ring segment appears blue rather than light gray, the somewhat broader hour hand shows the same eye-catching orange along its entire length. The Autobahn has now been on the market successfully for 5 years, and in our 2023 review it remains the unchanged original from 2018.
Despite the use of such a signal color, the Autobahn never comes across as too loud overall – thanks to the typical Nomos sober, modern design, it looks understated, elegant and distinctly sporty at the same time.
The Technology Inside the Nomos Autobahn
Inside the characteristically no-frills stainless steel case, which at 41 millimeters in diameter is relatively large, beats state-of-the-art Glashütte watchmaking technology. It is the second highly complex caliber of the neomatik line, designated DUW 6101. This movement differs from its predecessor in its additional date function. In the Autobahn review, it stands out that the date ring is positioned relatively far out, wrapped around the movement, so to speak. To protect the dial and as a transparent caseback, the Glashütte watchmakers used extra-strong sapphire crystal. The watch's sporty character is underlined not least by its water resistance to a pressure of 10 bar, or 100 meters.
That means it handles a sudden downpour in a convertible or on a motorcycle just as easily as a bath, a shower or a few laps in the pool.
Werner Aisslinger: The Creator
The creator is Werner Aisslinger. Born in Nördlingen in 1964, the designer – who focuses primarily on product design, design concepts and brand design – studied at the Berlin University of the Arts from 1987 to 1991. After working for Jasper Morrison, Ron Arad and Studio de Lucchi in Milan between 1989 and 1992, he founded his own design studio in Berlin in 1993. Aisslinger has received numerous awards for his designs, including the Red Dot Design Award and the Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Alongside his work as a designer, he taught as a professor at the Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design from 1998 to 2005 and has served several times on the juries of renowned design awards. Several of Aisslinger's works have been acquired by prestigious design collections and museums such as the Fonds national d'art contemporain in Paris, Die Neue Sammlung in Munich and the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein. Since 2007, Aisslinger has run studio aisslinger together with his partner Tina Bunyaprasit; in addition to its headquarters in Berlin, it now also has a second location in Singapore.
A Designer with a Passion for Speed
Aisslinger, who says of himself that he loves speed, has given the Nomos Autobahn a decidedly dynamic look. His design aims to express movement in as many details as possible. The curvature of the dial at its outer edge and at the edge of the small seconds, for instance, recalls the banking of the turns on a racetrack. The longer-than-usual date window shows three days at once, emphasizing the passage of time rather than a static date here as well. The ring segment made up of Super-LumiNova-coated fields makes the watch glow relatively brightly in the dark – much like the night illumination on a car's dashboard.
All in all, Aisslinger and Bunyaprasit, together with the design department of the Glashütte manufacture, spent four years working on the new model, which has now been launched under the name Autobahn.
How Does the Watch Look? – Three Color Versions of the Autobahn Reviewed
The neomatik Autobahn is available in three different color versions. The model with the white dial and the gray luminous ring segment comes closest to what you already know from other models by the design-driven Glashütte brand. By comparison, this Nomos Autobahn looks the most elegant, but also a bit tame. The sporty impression, already unmistakable here, is heightened in the other versions by the blue ring segment against a white background or by the midnight-blue dial with a light ring segment. Our reviewers prefer references 1302 and 1303, since the blue really does add an accent. Ultimately, though, only the wearer decides what appeals. By the way: even for those who spend less time on the autobahn and more on the train or on a bike, the new Autobahn from Glashütte is an attractive accessory that underscores individuality and sportiness.
Verdict: Autobahn Review
Our review of the Nomos Autobahn makes one thing clear: if you like complex watches with clean lines that are made for fast turns in the rain, you'll love this watch. Technically on a par, we appreciate the Autobahn's independent character and are convinced that it delivers simplicity with added value. In the first five years since its launch, the watch has proven itself a new classic. We believe its timeless design could ensure that it stays that way.
