The Best NOMOS Release of 2025? The NOMOS Worldtimer 'Trace'

Earlier this year, the brilliant new NOMOS Worldtimer caught the attention of watch journalists across the globe with the release of their . A brand-new watch with an innovative method of telling the time across multiple time zones. Launched in a wide mix of colours, many of which were limited to 175 pieces, these early watched sold out very quickly. Two standard non-limited colourways stayed but the excitement from the limited editions left all of us wanting more.

Luckily for us NOMOS is a brand that on many occasions give the enthusiasts exactly what they want. At the NOMOS Forum in September of this year they announced three new limited-edition colourways, and one in particular caught my attention. We were fortunate to be able to spend some time with this watch earlier this month and I truly believe that this is the best release from NOMOS in 2025. Let me tell you why.

Most Worldtimer complications all suffer from the same curse in that to be able to fit every time zone inside them they become very thick. Obviously, that’s not how movements work, you don’t cram the time zones in the case. It seems like NOMOS realised this and were able to develop a fully in-house movement that is only 4.8 millimetres thick. This results in a total case thickness of 9.9 millimetres. For reference, the movement in the Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Worldtimer is a rather portly 14.1mm thick!

The DUW 3202 calibre in this watch has automatic winding, 42 hours of power reserve, a 24-hour sub dial, and is beautifully decorated with ‘Côte de Geneve’ style finishing and a skeletonised rotor. Visible through the sapphire exhibition case back, this movement makes this watch feel like true piece of crafted beauty.

The Club series is my favourite line from NOMOS as it combines the unique ‘Bauhaus’ design language with a more familiar case and bracelet design the feels sporty and capable. I particularly love the way the bezel curves into the case edges and sapphire crystal. It feels premium and elegant. Many journalists complain about the lugs being too long, and while I do see where they’re coming from, the lug to lug of the worldtimer is just 48mm. Hardly Panerai level proportions and I found it to be very comfortable on-wrist. One thing I will say is that the lugs do angle down quick sharply so if you have a wrist with a broad, flat top then this watch may not be as comfortable for you. The case back is engraved with the limited-edition number, a nice touch for owners that appreciate the scarcity of these watches. We had number 3 of 175 which for some reason I feel like would be a lucky one.

Linked to the case design, but still very much determined by a multitude of factors. I love the way this watch wears. The slimness, case diameter, thin bezel, large crystal, legible dial, and so many other things simply make this watch a joy to wear. The three-link bracelet is well crafted and comfortable, although I still find it weird that clasp folds the opposite way to what I would normally expect. On various straps this watch looks incredible, and I had some real fun playing with matching different colour tones to the neon blue.

Out of all the colourways released for the Worldtimer so far, this has to be my favourite. The running joke of my obsession with light blue continues! This almost neon shade of turquoise pops right out of the black dial and really grabs my attention. In the night navigation series all three models featured a black dial for optimised contrast. But the ‘Vector’ and ‘Grid’ colourways (dark green and orange respectively) lack the complete contrast of this bright blue from Trace. All three models feature an orange accent on the 24hr sub dial and while it definitely works well on the green, it somewhat clashes with the orange, but on the trace it stands out bold and proud and I think it looks awesome.

I have spoken a lot about how ‘good value’ means very different things to a lot of people. And about the fact that no matter how wealthy or not you are, watches are an expensive luxury. In order to determine whether something is good value, I like to reimagine Einstein’s theory of special relativity stating that watch prices and good value are not separate but linked.

All this nonsense is to say that you only have to look at a couple of other worldtimers before you realise that these complications are expensive. The aforementioned Omega starts at £9,100 and if you want slim then you’ll be looking at Patek Calatrava and I don’t think I need to include the price for you to know it’s silly money. There are a couple of more affordable worldtimers from the likes of Farer and Frederique Constant. These watches are brilliant, but I don’t feel that the execution of the worldtimer complication or dial design is as intuitive as the NOMOS. And in the case of the Farer, no in-house movement which I know doesn’t mean lower quality or performance, but it does mean that NOMOS has spent a great deal of time and money developing this movement to make it sleek and dependable. This amount of watchmaking can be bought for £3,940.

This year has really opened my eyes to NOMOS. When I reviewed the Club Campus models earlier in the summer, I developed a real appreciation for the quality and design of their watches. Now having spent time with what is arguably the brand’s flagship model from a watchmaking perspective, my love for NOMOS has only deepened. This is an incredible watch with a great design, fun colours, and some serious watchmaking accomplishments.

Is this the best release from NOMOS in 2025? I certainly think so, but as always, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.