NOMOS Glashütte adds two new watches to its smallest square case: the Tetra 27 white and the Tetra 27 duo. Both measure 27.5mm on each side and just 6.1mm thick, both are hand-wound by the in-house DUW 4001, and both are offered with a choice of solid steel or sapphire crystal back.
The following post is based on information from NOMOS Glashütte’s official press release. Editorial commentary appears in italics.
New: NOMOS Glashütte Tetra 27 white and Tetra 27 duo
The NOMOS Glashütte Tetra 27 duo retails at EUR 1,660 with a steel back and EUR 1,880 with a sapphire crystal back. The Tetra 27 white retails at EUR 1,900 with a steel back and EUR 2,120 with a sapphire crystal back. Singapore pricing to be confirmed. Both are part of the permanent collection.
Commentary
Twenty-seven and a half millimetres reads as very small on paper, and it is not. Geometry does the heavy lifting here: a square dial covers roughly a quarter more surface than a round one of the same width, so the Tetra 27 presents on the wrist much closer to a 33mm round watch than to a 27mm one. The lug-to-lug and the double-stepped lugs keep that figure tight. This is a watch that will sit properly on a small wrist and still read as a deliberate choice on a larger one.
Of the two, the duo is the more interesting dial. Removing the seconds hand leaves NOMOS with nothing to hide behind, and the answer is a two-tone galvanised surface: a light grey square at the centre echoing the case, a matching grey band framing the minute track. It is the same idea that has run in the 29.5mm two-tone Tetra for years, but the smaller canvas tightens it. The white is the safer, more familiar proposition — Tangente numerals, blued hands, small seconds — and it is worth noting that this 27 uses a flat round sub-dial rather than the recessed square one on the long-running hand-wound Tetra 29.5.
The DUW 4001 is the quiet argument for these watches. It descends from the Alpha, which was itself NOMOS’ reworking of the Peseux 7001, but the current calibre has moved a long way from that base: a three-quarter plate, Glashütte ribbing, perlage, a double-sunburst ratchet wheel, blued screws, and the in-house NOMOS swing system with its blue balance spring. Power reserve is 53 hours, which is generous for a hand-wound movement of this footprint. At this price, from a manufacture that makes its own escapement, the sapphire back is not really optional.
Release Details
Tetra is the square watch model from NOMOS Glashütte: framed by a narrow stainless steel case and distinguished by delicately double-stepped lugs with an echo of Art Deco. The Tetra 27 is the most compact version of it, and these two new references are among the smallest watches in the NOMOS collection.
Tetra 27 duo reduces the display of time to the essentials. Two temperature-blued hands indicate the hours and minutes, while the shape of the case is reflected in the white silver-plated dial: a light grey square marks its centre, and a matching grey field frames the minute track. The watch is powered by the hand-wound mechanical calibre DUW 4001 duo, equipped with the NOMOS swing system and offering a power reserve of approximately 53 hours.
Tetra 27 white features a white silver-plated dial, temperature-blued hands and an integrated sub-seconds display. Its minute track plays with the idea of squaring the circle, while a dot marks the exact position of six o’clock. The calibre here is the DUW 4001, which adds a stop-seconds function for precise time setting.
Both models are worn on a black Horween Genuine Shell Cordovan strap with an 18mm lug width and a steel pin buckle. The case is water-resistant to 50 metres, and both offer the choice of a solid steel back or a sapphire crystal back — either of which leaves enough room for a personal engraving.
The two new watches expand the Tetra 27 family, which already includes stainless steel and 18-karat gold models. With more sizes, materials and dial variations than ever before, the Tetra collection now covers a wide range of options for anyone looking for a square timepiece.
NOMOS Glashütte notes that many of its models are also available in smaller sizes, with diameters up to 34 millimetres. These compact versions retain the same design language and proportions as their larger counterparts and are built to the same standard, including mechanical movements developed and made by NOMOS in Glashütte, Germany. They are intended for anyone who prefers them, not only for those with smaller wrists.
NOMOS Glashütte Tetra 27 white and Tetra 27 duo Specifications
References: 402 – Tetra 27 white; 410 – Tetra 27 duo
Movement: Hand-wound in-house calibre DUW 4001 (Tetra 27 white) / DUW 4001 duo (Tetra 27 duo). 23.3mm x 2.6mm, 17 jewels, 21,600vph. NOMOS swing system with in-house blue hairspring. Three-quarter plate, Glashütte ribbing, perlage, double-sunburst ratchet wheel, blued screws. Stop-seconds on the Tetra 27 white.
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds (Tetra 27 white); hours and minutes (Tetra 27 duo)
Power reserve: Approximately 53 hours
Case: 27.5mm x 27.5mm, 6.1mm thick. Polished stainless steel with double-stepped lugs. Sapphire crystal front; choice of solid steel or sapphire crystal back.
Dial: Tetra 27 white – galvanised white silver-plated with small seconds, black printed numerals and markers, temperature-blued steel hands. Tetra 27 duo – galvanised white and grey silver-plated, two-hand display, temperature-blued steel hands.
Strap: Black Horween Genuine Shell Cordovan, 18mm lug width, steel pin buckle
Water resistance: 50 metres
Price: EUR 1,660 (duo, steel back) / EUR 1,880 (duo, sapphire back) / EUR 1,900 (white, steel back) / EUR 2,120 (white, sapphire back)
