Hands On Review: NOMOS Tetra Origin Colour Set

Every couple of years, the watch world is treated to a soft explosion of colour thanks to NOMOS Glashütte’s habit of regularly updating its Hands On: NOMOS Tetra Origin Colour Set collection. Although at some point it was a clear strategic decision to keep the Tetra collection extremely tight in terms of available SKUs and reliably refreshed, it felt like an organic shift towards sustainability for a collection that would certainly struggle to remain relevant or exciting if bloated or overdone.

As it is, the systematically revitalised Tetra colour sets have become one of the most appreciated and anticipated aspects of NOMOS Glashütte’s release cycle. This thoughtful curation of colour is entirely on-brand and now, guided by the external consultancy of community growth expert and watch photographer/podcaster Lydia Winters, we should expect more of the same.

The Tetra Origins capsule contains four references as usual. This year, we’ve been treated to a dusty, earthy assembly of shades that give off “Central Park in Fall” vibes, and nod either directly or obliquely to the limited edition series of Club Date models produced for Hodinkee in 2022. The stand-out models from this series are arguably the Terra (the burnt red/terracotta dial) and the Ochra (the very grown-up yellow that you could probably describe as a cool mustard if you didn’t mind risking offending it).

However, as is often the case when it comes to NOMOS Glashütte’s adventures in colour, the most arresting, interesting, and exciting tones are rarely the most commercial. In fact, by their nature, it is perhaps important that they are not. The fact that they — the harder to understand and live with models — will almost certainly become the most collectable pieces in time, thanks to their forward-thinking genius, is further sweetened by the likelihood that they will be the rarest pieces on the market due to lower sales numbers.

Meanwhile, it is the Basalt (black) and Salvia (sage green) models that will surely hit the most wrists. The Basalt is a no-brainer, grab-and-go kind of watch that titillates its wearer with subtle flashes of very unsubtle accent colours without drawing too much attention to itself from afar, while the Salvia benefits from being everyone’s second favourite colour (we live in sage times, apparently).

What NOMOS does well with the Origin series, as the brand has done in the past with previous Tetra lineups (especially the delicious Petit Four range from 2018), is give us something that is simultaneously as light and airy as a doily and as edgy as a shuriken. That wasn’t intended as a pun, but the fact that these colourways are presented in one of the truest square cases on the market undoubtedly plays a part.

The balance struck with every model in this lineup (and every previous Tetra piece that achieves the same success) is what makes it work. This mid-size Tetra (29.5 mm across) has proven over the years to be the sweet spot, with the larger neomatik versions never really capturing the imagination in quite the same way. While the temptation to deploy the brand’s top-of-the-range in-house DUW 3001 caliber (and, perhaps in the future, further variations thereof) is obvious, the necessity may be lacking. An attempt too, to bring more men into the Tetra fold might have stimulated the larger diameter experiments, but I’m not sure it was wholly called for, simply because I believe that most guys who want to rock a Tetra are bold enough characters to make a statement by choosing the smaller, tastefully toned pieces at 29.5 mm and thrive on their androgyny.

Maybe I’m biased. Maybe I’m speaking too much from personal experience. But if I were to wear a Tetra (something I often did when working for NOMOS between 2016 and 2018), I would absolutely go for one of the more colourful pieces. My favourite back in the day was the Grenadine model from the aforementioned Petit Four collection. From this lineup, I’d find it difficult to overlook the Terra, but I do find it tough to separate it from both the Ochra and the Salvia.

You might find yourself asking, “But what about the size? Isn’t a 29.5 mm watch too small for a man?” The answer to that is (at least threefold). Firstly, personal preference comes into play. You may have a small wrist that carries big watches well, or a big wrist that, due to its shape rather than thickness, requires a daintier piece to set it off. Secondly, a 29.5 mm diameter when we’re talking about a square is miles away from a 29.5 mm round case in terms of wrist presence. The corner-to-corner measurement of these Tetras is an almost unbelievable 41.72 mm, which means if you laid one of these models over a Tangente 38, the corners would easily break the line of the Tangente’s outer edge. Thirdly, colour is key. The Basalt model within this line is surely the most subtle, and while unlikely to look “smaller”, will make less noise on the wrist. The others are perfectly proportioned to deliver a message with quiet confidence, without coming across as shouty.

Size aside, perhaps the keyword there is proportions. I’ve written ad nauseam on this subject when it comes to watch design, and the strange phenomenon that certain designs simply work better at certain diameters, despite the possibility of scaling up or down proportionally. On paper, it makes less sense than it does in practice, but I encourage you to look not just at the Tetra collection for a great example of this, but also at other popular watch families from NOMOS and other brands to get a feel for what I mean. The best and most ubiquitous example is probably the Rolex Datejust, which just feels “right” at 36 mm, and seems to lose something of its magic when scaled up or down.

Specifications wise, the Tetra Origins watches are 29.5 mm in diameter (excluding the crown), 6.5 mm thick, have a 5 ATM water resistance, 53-hour power reserve, an operating frequency of 21,600 vph, and are powered by the manually-wound, in-house DUW 4001 calibre. They are delivered on grey velour straps, which complement the dial colours and satisfy those looking for attractive alternatives to leather or suede.

There’s no doubt that a NOMOS Glashütte Tetra from this Origins series is a left-field choice, but given the brand’s reputation, visibility, and horological credibility, it is a risk worth taking. The Tetra line is well established and garners respect from the community (if that matters to you), and every piece within this new capsule will bring years of enjoyment for its quirky character and low-key self-confidence.