Nomos Glashuette  Ludwig  Watches

NOMOS Glashutte Ludwig Watches: Timepieces with Poise

NOMOS Glashutte Ludwig watches are a cut above the rest because of their poise and style. While the timepieces stick to just basic design elements, they are already elegant in their own right.

Poise is reflected through the timepieces’ clean dials that resemble the faces of vintage pocket watches and clock towers. The dials have a light tone, alternating stick and Roman numeral indexes, classic railroad-style minute markers, and slim hands. Noticeably, the Roman numeral for four on the watches is IIII instead of IV, a style that adheres to 13th-century timepiece aesthetics. If there are any complications, it is only the date window at the 6 o’clock position.

These NOMOS Glashutte watches strongly evoke class but this does not mean that they are outdated in the modern era. Following contemporary trends, the timepieces tout an ultrathin profile which is a post-quartz movement design revolution in watches. Some models go modern with unconventional accent colors, too, such as neon orange and cyan.

Prices at a Glance: Most Popular NOMOS Glashutte Ludwig Watches

How much is a NOMOS Glashutte Ludwig watch?

In terms of price, the NOMOS Ludwig collection falls in the midrange. Hand-wound versions without complications start at $1,000 USD, while self-winding models with date windows have a base price of $3,000 USD. Whether manual or automatic, the Ludwig is an affordable luxury watch because it costs no more than $5,000 USD. Here are the bestselling variants of the timepiece and how much each one is:

Prices for the NOMOS Glashutte Ludwig 33 Watches

The Ludwig 33, as its name implies, is a 33mm-diameter timepiece. This is the most classic model in the NOMOS Glashutte Ludwig collection, both inside and out. The timepiece’s internal movement, the in-house Alpha caliber, is powered the vintage way. Wound by hand, it lasts 43 hours or about two days per power-up cycle. 

The watch’s façade is dominantly retro with a hint of modernity. The dial, such as that of the Ludwig 33 Ref. 243, looks archaic as it is plated with silver and given black Roman numeral hour indexes and railroad-style minute markers. Its contemporariness is subtle, only reflected by the tempered blue hands. Alternatively, the dial can come in a champagne gold hue and have a sub-dial hand in neon orange, such as that of the Ludwig 33 Champagne Ref. 247.

The NOMOS Glashutte Ludwig 33 Ref. 243, a model that is classic all over, goes for $1,099 USD. Meanwhile, the NOMOS Glashutte Ludwig 33 Champagne Ref. 247, a variant with a modern hue, is priced at $1,660 USD.

Prices for the NOMOS Glashutte Ludwig 38 Models

The Ludwig 38 does not veer too much from the design of the Ludwig 33. There are only a few key differences between the two popular classic watches.

The Ludwig 38 is unisex, unlike the Ludwig 33 that is designed for the ladies. This is because it is slightly bigger at 38mm, giving it a better proportion to male wrists. Moreover, the watch has a leather strap available in darker colors such as black, compared to the Ludwig 33 that typically has a beige or brown one. Additionally, the Ludwig 38 can integrate a date window below its sub-dial due to its bigger dimensions and if equipped with the hand-wound DUW 4101 caliber.

The NOMOS Glashutte Ludwig 38 Date Ref. 231 that has the date complication is worth $1,999 USD. The Ludwig 38 Enamel White Ref. 236, which does not have the feature, costs slightly less at $1,960 USD.

Prices for the NOMOS Glashutte Ludwig Automatic 

Self-winding and classic-looking, the Ludwig Automatic is the best choice for fans of traditional watches who find it tedious to wind the timepieces thrice a week. At its heart, the Ludwig Automatic is the first automatic movement designed by NOMOS, the DUW 5101. The caliber outputs 42 hours of power after it winds itself. Moreover, it adopts the NOMOS Swing System, a revolutionary escapement that can effectively regulate the movement’s pace despite it being as light as a feather.

The self-winding NOMOS watch comes in two versions, the $2,519 USD NOMOS Ludwig Automatic Ref. 251 and $2,679 NOMOS Ludwig Automatic Date Ref. 271. Both are as classic as the Ludwig 33 and 38 watches. The only difference between the two releases is that the latter model can display the date.

Prices for the NOMOS Glashutte Ludwig Neomatik

The Ludwig Neomatik is a classic self-winding watch like the Ludwig Automatic but has more evident modern design elements. Although it retains most of the signature Ludwig features, the timepiece showcases new marker styles and accent colors.

The watch’s vintage railroad-like markers have been replaced with lines and two-digit Arabic numerals like those on contemporary timepieces. Furthermore, the said indexes are cyan or neon blue.

The Ludwig Neomatik’s hour indicators and hands also come in modern accent colors. The $2,759 USD NOMOS Ludwig Neomatik Champagne Ref. 283, for example, features neon orange stick and Roman numeral hour indexes, and silver hands to complement its champagne gold dial and beige leather strap. Meanwhile, the $2,659 USD NOMOS Ludwig Neomatik Ref. 282 has a sub-dial hand that stands out in red.

Up Close with the Ludwig – 175 Years Watchmaking Glashutte Ref. 205.S2 Watch

Launched in 2020, the NOMOS Ludwig – 175 Years Watchmaking Glashutte Ref. 205.S2 is the latest Ludwig timepiece from NOMOS Glashutte. It was made to celebrate the brand’s long legacy in watchmaking. To reflect this, the timepiece stuck to the first Ludwig watch’s looks and build.

The Ludwig Ref. 205.S2 is 35mm in diameter, the same case dimensions the original watch came in. Inside the housing is a clean enamel-white dial. The disc has stick and Roman numeral indexes, railroad-style minute markers, and thin blue leaf-style hands. At the back is a special anniversary engraving that distinguishes the watch from regular models.

The Ludwig – 175 Years Watchmaking Glashutte is a limited-edition release. With only 175 pieces available in the market, it is a hot item for classic watch collectors. Each timepiece goes for $2,260 USD.

NOMOS Glashutte Ludwig's History: Design Inspiration and Caliber Innovations 

The first Ludwig watch was part of the original NOMOS Glashutte collection launched in 1991.Made during the rise of the Bauhaus movement in art and architecture, the timepiece reflected a style characterized by minimalism and symmetry of shapes in form and function. The design, inspired by the 20th-century avant-garde trend, was the work of German graphic designerSusanne Günther.

The NOMOS Glashutte Ludwig watch has not undergone big changes in form through the years; therefore,the current style still looks like Bauhaus. What drastically changed over time was the function because of caliber innovations.

The in-house Alpha movement, used by the Ludwig 33 and 38 timepieces, was developed in the 2000s. The caliber can make the watches work for up to two days even if it was manual. It only required winding two to three times a week to continue functioning.

The in-house automatic Deutsche Uhrenwerke or DUW calibers were first used in 2013. Many of the movements were about 3mm thin and had groundbreaking components like the NOMOS Spring System within. Those gave rise to slender self-winding watches with complications, particularly the Ludwig Automatic and Neomatik. The calibers were a great match for the said timepieces because the watches were meant to be classic and modern at the same time.

5 Reasons to Buy a NOMOS Glashutte Ludwig Watch

Here  are the top five reasons why you should buy a NOMOS Glashutte Ludwig watch:

1. The NOMOS Ludwig is classic but would not make the wearer look old-fashioned, thanks to its slim form factor and subtle modern design elements.

2. The watch has many gender-neutral versions.

3. Manual and automatic variants are consistent in style, so everyone can enjoy the signature Ludwig design no matter the caliber preference.

4. The watch goes well with a range of clothing styles, from casual to formal.

5. The timepiece is from NOMOS, which has more than a hundred years of experience in the craft and originated from Glashütte, one of the world’s best watchmaking hubs.

NOMOS Glashutte Ludwig: A Classic Watch That Transcends Time

Vintage meets modern in the NOMOS Glashutte Ludwig watch. The watches bear a style that marries classical elements with contemporary ones, which gives them a beauty that transcends time. This is why even young generations of watch enthusiasts are drawn to it, a feat many classic manual and automatic timepieces of the present day could not achieve.