Sunday Morning Showdown: Nomos Club Sport Neomatik Worldtimer Vs. Frederique Constant Highlife Worldtimer

It’s Sunday morning again, so it’s time for another installment of our famous Showdown. Last week, we featured two rather expensive and hard-to-get watches — the new Rolex Land-Dweller and the new 40mm Patek Philippe Cubitus. That’s why we’re going for something a little more affordable and readily available this week. Both Nomos and Frederique Constant know how to excite watch enthusiasts with their great value for money offerings and attractive designs. Nomos recently stole the show at Watches and Wonders in Geneva with its new Club Sport Neomatik Worldtimer. Let’s put that up against Frederique Constant’s Highlife Worldtimer and see what happens.

The Nomos Club Sport and the Frederique Constant Highlife are all-steel sports watches with worldtimer functionality. The two of them also feature an in-house movement and cost around €4,000. However, there are more than enough differences between the two, which Daan and Thomas will point out to you. But first, let’s take a look at what happened last week.

Last week, on Sunday Morning Showdown…

As said, we let the all-new Rolex Land-Dweller and newly introduced Patek Philippe Cubitus in 40mm battle it out last week. This matchup stirred up quite some discussion in the comments section. It’s pretty hard, though, to draw any clear conclusions from those comments. Just like the voting results aren’t very compelling either. Some people couldn’t decide between the two, and others thought it wasn’t a fair comparison. In the end, the Rolex won with 58% of the votes, but the Patek Philippe going home with 42% isn’t a bad result, especially after all the slack it received when it was first introduced. Let’s see if this week’s Showdown will have a clear winner.

Daan: Frederique Constant Highlife Worldtimer

Let me start by saying that I have a lot of respect for my opponent. I even mentioned it as one of my favorite Watches and Wonders Geneva releases. The Nomos Club Sport Neomatik Worldtimer is slim, has a modest lug span, and comes in great color combinations. The only thing it lacks is a date complication, which could come in handy on a watch with worldtimer functionality. However, the watch does look great without it. Its clean, fun, and typical Nomos design totally make up for it.

Frederique Constant on the other hand also has something great up its sleeve with its Highlife Worldtimer. In general, I think the brand’s Highlife collection offers a lot of value for your money. Besides, it totally nailed the ’70s integrated bracelet look, and there’s a version for literally everyone. You can choose between many different three-handers, including a skeletonized one, automatic chronographs, perpetual calendars — for under €10k — and, finally, the worldtimers.

More classic, but good classic

The Highlife Worldtimer’s 41mm case has a modern yet elegant profile with clean lines and rounded flanks. The top of the case has a brushed finish, while the sides and the bezel feature a polished finish. The integrated H-link bracelet comes with the same combination of finishing, and a signed butterfly clasp. At 12.9mm, the case is quite a lot thicker than the 9.9mm thick Nomos Club Sport. However, the case back sinks nicely into your wrist, so it doesn’t bother you during everday wear.

The Highlife’s dial has a typical worldtimer layout with a city ring on the edge, a rotating two-tone 24-hour scale, and a pointer date sub-dial at six o’clock. Indeed, it’s more classic and a little less original than the Nomos’s, but it still looks great. I liked the red and white 24-hour scale on the now sold-out Ace Jewelers limited edition. However, the dark blue and brown options from the regular collection are also lovely. In addition, I enjoy how Frederique Constant always includes an extra leather or rubber strap when you purchase the watch.

A manufacture movement

Like the Nomos Club Sport Worldtimer, the Frederique Constant Highlife Worldtimer also has an in-house movement. It features perlage and côtes circulaires finishing on the back, visible through the exhibition case back, just like the oversized skeletonized rotor. The movement runs at a frequency of 28,800vph and holds a power reserve of 38 hours. The FC-718 movement has been in production since 2013, meaning it has had time to become a reliable platform for the brand.

If you’re looking for a sporty worldtimer, I think the Frederique Constant Highlife is an excellent option. Its integrated bracelet is fully on-trend, and its price of €4,595 is very competitive when you look at the market. Yes, the Nomos is a little cheaper at €3,920, but that one has a more quirky design that might not be your taste. All right, Thomas, let’s hear it for your funky Nomos Club Sport Neomatik Worldtimer.

Thomas Nomos Club Sport Neomatik Worldtimer

Thank you, Daan! Frankly, few Sunday Morning Showdowns were as clear as this one for me. Let me put it this way: I was delighted when you picked the Highlife Worldtimer, Daan. In my humble opinion, this isn’t much of a contest. I would pick the Nomos if it were twice the Highlife’s price. Since it is actually a good 10% less than the Frederique Constant, my winner is very, very clear.

I don’t want to end up bashing the Highlife, but I should mention some issues I have with its design. You say it nails the seventies integrated aesthetic, but I disagree. It has a seventies integrated aesthetic, yes, but it doesn’t nail it by a long shot.

Great design often emerges when something harmonious features a well-placed dissonant note. In the case of the Highlife, that dissonant is the inward curved edges between the bracelet and the case. This is subjective, but I find these don’t work at all. They make the entire watch feel crammed, dented even. The curved line has no resonance anywhere in the design and stands alone as a lost attempt at a defining visual feature. That’s before we get to the dial, which I find simultaneously overcrowded and derivative. Let me stop here, before I get too nasty. I should focus on my candidate instead.

The Club Sport Neomatik Worldtimer

By comparison, the Nomos is a masterclass in design. Its visual hierarchy creates balance and a clear sight line, focusing the viewer’s attention on the complications. The visually intricate complication doesn’t compromise the watch’s legibility one bit. Leave it to Nomos to cut away all frivolities so we end up with the essentials. Admittedly, that sometimes leaves me feeling a bit cold about the brand’s watches, but not when we are talking about a complication as busy as a worldtimer. This is where Nomos truly shines.

Technically, the Nomos packs more punch in a smaller package. 100 Meters of water resistance from a sub-10mm case is always nice, especially in complicated watches. Since you mentioned the Highlife Worldtimer’s 38-hour power reserve, let me one-up you once more: 42! Not that it matters, but hey, it’s a free point for me, right?

Comparing the brands behind the Highlife Worldtimer and Neomatik Worldtimer

This leaves me with one final point: brands. The brands come into play since these watches offer similar feature sets at similar price points. I have to ask: Do I see myself as a Nomos guy or as a Frederique Constant guy? I have a strong preference for Nomos. The brand feels more pointed, focused, and clear. It has more of a cool factor and appeal to me. Admittedly, I am not necessarily the biggest Bauhaus fan. I find the style often lacking character and feeling a bit joyless. Overall, however, Nomos feels much braver to me. The company seems to be chasing something specific with greater determination and a sense of identity.

I know this is a battle between watches, not between brands. Still, I think this weighs in sometimes. Sometimes, you just need to feel a connection with the brand, and I feel it with Nomos. If I pair that with the superior design, sharper price, and nominally better features, the winner is very clear for me.

Cast your vote!

There you have it! Two Worldtimers vying for your favors. Which would be your pick from the Frederique Constant Highlife Worldtimer and Nomos Sport Neomatik Worldtimer? Cast your vote and share your motivations in the comments section below!