The New NOMOS Ahoi Neomatik 38 Date In Sky And Sand Is Ready For A Cooling Plunge
Temperatures are higher than ever this year. For some, that’s a good thing because it can never be too hot. For others, it’s a reason to increase the number of cooling plunges into the pool. Meanwhile, NOMOS, in its turn, keeps launching new watches. This time it’s a summer duo of its Ahoi Neomatik 38 Date in Sky and Sand. Let’s see what the watch — that works equally well on the beach, in the office, or on a classy rooftop — looks like!
Right now, I’m on my way to spend the summer in Spain with my wife and kids. We decided to go by car this year, so I’m writing this article from the southwest of France. The temperatures are pretty acceptable here, in the mid-twenties. They will increase the more we drive toward the south, but I hope we won’t be experiencing anything forty-plus, which seems so familiar these days. I would’ve enjoyed having one of these new NOMOS Ahois on the wrist because they seem like the perfect summer holiday companion.
The NOMOS Ahoi Neomatik 38 Date
Last year NOMOS updated its dive-inspired Ahoi Atlantic in 40.3mm and presented a new 36.3mm size. The Ahoi Neomatik 38 Date being presented today falls right in between those sizes with its 38.5mm case. It also measures 49mm from lug-to-lug and is only 9.9mm thin because of the extremely thin DUW 6101 automatic movement inside. The case and lugs, once derived from the brand’s Tangente, are still very recognizable. And also, the dial layout, apart from that date window at three, is still pretty much the same.
No, the biggest news is, of course, those sophisticated summer colors on the dial. The first option is called Sky and looks almost like a lilac blue. It’s a flat-colored dial, like so many of NOMOS’ dials, with contrasting golden printing at 12 o’clock and a bright orange sub-seconds hand. But the real star of the show here is the option called Sand, which has a grainy metallic gold-colored dial. It’s not often that NOMOS goes this bold, but when it does, it works exceptionally well. I’m a fan of the brand’s more daring dials; this golden one is no exception.
Date ahoy!
Other than on the bigger Ahoi, the date window has now moved to the three o’clock position. NOMOS proudly mentions that the window is about three times bigger than the date windows you usually find on watch dials, and they’re right; it’s big. It was the first thing that caught my eye when I saw the press pictures of the new Ahois. I’ll be honest with you; I thought it looked a bit ridiculous. Also, because it’s placed right on the edge of the dial, it doesn’t look completely in sync with the rest of the well-organized dial layout. So yes, I would’ve preferred a version without the date.
But I guess many people out there like to have a date on their watch. In that case, the date window execution on the Ahoi 38 Neomatik does make a lot of sense. It’s big for good readability, and the date wheel has the same color as the dial, which causes a nice ton-sur-ton effect. So even though it’s pretty large, it still blends nicely with its environment.
Another nice feature of the date is that it can be set forward and backward. That’s thanks to the use of the ultra-slim DUW 6101 movement. Another nice benefit is that you can set the date all day and every day except between 23:15h and 00:45h. That’s a much smaller window of error than on most other watches out there. So maybe that date isn’t that bad after all.
On the wrist
As you can see in the pictures, the new 38.5mm size of the Ahoi works well on our average-sized wrists. The infamous long lugs make it wear more like a 40mm watch. But as the lug holes aren’t placed too far to the end, the wearability isn’t affected much. And the gap between the case and the strap isn’t that noticeable, especially in combination with NOMOS’ excellent textile straps.
The crown guards around the screw-down crown give the Ahoi a somewhat more rugged look, which goes well with its do-it-all capabilities. It’s not a dive watch because it doesn’t have a rotating bezel, but it does offer an advertised water resistance of up to 200 meters below the surface. And whenever you forget to close the crown fully, you’ll be reminded of that red band that peeks through.
Don’t forget to also turn the watch over occasionally because, if you opted for the exhibition case back, you can enjoy the beautiful finishing we got so used to from NOMOS.
Final words
For my wrist, I’d still opt for the smaller 36.3mm NOMOS Ahoi without the date. But if you’re in the market for an Ahoi that’s a little smaller than the original 40.3mm size, and you would like a date window, then the new Ahoi Neomatik 38 Date is a very good option. You can also choose between the Sky and Sand dials as a bonus. I’d definitely go for the golden beach on my wrist, even though the lilac blue one is a good representation of those clear blue summer skies. But with the Ahoi Neomatik 38 Date, you not only get a good-looking watch. You also get a very capable one with 200m water resistance and a user-friendly DUW 6101 movement inside.
The new NOMOS Ahoi Neomatik 38 Date is available now from NOMOS’ official website and retailers. It costs €3.820 on a textile strap and with an exhibition case back.
Let me know in the comments below what you think of the new Ahoi and which color you’d pick.
