Nomatic Watch Review: A Swiss Movement Traveler's Watch

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Most well known for the Nomatic Backpack, this is a company that prides itself in innovation and multi-functional designs that suits all situations. So when I heard of its watch, I wondered if it will be a Swiss Army Knife of a watch with some sort of range of different ground breaking functions. However in contrast with the Nomatic Backpack, the watch is surprisingly simple.

So what makes this the official watch of the Nomatic brand? I began using it with this question in mind.

Minimalist swag

The 45 mm Nomatic watch is a handsome thing to behold. The extra large face is adorned with tastefully minimalistic numberless hour and minute markers. I have the black/white model, and have the black brand text 'NOMATIC' blending beautifully into the markers at 9 o'clock. Balancing out the logo text is the Day and Date markers at the 3 o'clock position. With the date in red, it's a nice detail that elevates the overall visual of the simplistic design.

The hour, minute and second hands are minutely differentiated in length and thickness, which when coupled with the large, simplistic watch face, gives a time that is very easy to read at a glance - which in my book is the most important feature that the watch needs to have. Though people claim that wrist watches became obsolete at the emergence of the mobile phone, reading the time at a glance is still not always possible on a phone. Even most of the smartwatches on the market do not have a responsive enough sensor for the user to take a quick glance at the time, causing either delays or even unresponsive wrist flicks, leading to awkward and frustrating moments of staring at tiny blank screens.

This will never happen to the Nomatic watch as long as it is running, which means it is an excellent watch for travelers, those on the move, who do not always have a free hand to pull out their phone to check the time.

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(Photo from amazon.com)

Reliability while on the move

The next feature in question is then if the Nomatic watch will reliably run when on the move. Other than the ease of glancing at the time, it is a crucial for the watch to tell the time accurately and reliably. This is where the Nomatic watch can boast in its quartz Swiss Ronda movement, which is known for reliability and accuracy.

The entire movement is then encased in a rugged brushed stainless steel case and mineral glass that is 30 m water resistant, which gives a whole lot more confidence to me than some aluminum constructions that can be found on many watches these days.

The robust construction is consistent with the overarching characteristics of Nomatic that I also found in their backpack, where the shell has an impressive toughness, entirely constructed out of water resistant Tarpaulin.

Multi-functional through its simplicity

Whereas the Nomatic backpacks are known for how much various personal items they can accommodate, and how flexible its use can be: at first I wondered whether the Nomatic watch is able to keep up with that reputation. It seems like it is more about minimalism rather than being a jack of all trades.

However after a period of actual use, I had a change of mind. I realized that it is through the simplicity of the Nomatic watch that it is able to be multi-functional and flexible in its use. Because of its simple design, I found that the Nomatic watch could pull off any look that I needed, whether casual with the T-shirt and jeans; or the semi-formal of shirt and khakis; or even the formal business suit. Like a chameleon it blends in without looking out of place, as the simple design can both look relaxed and stylish, or serious and mean business.

Nomatic pushes this to another level by also including quick release on its leather straps, which means you can easily change the straps on the go. Changing from black to brown leather straps only takes a minute with no tools needed, and is literally as fast as changing your belt or shoes.

Who is the Nomatic Watch for?

If you are an advocate for the elemental function of the wrist watch - to check the time at a glance, and appreciate good craftsmanship as well as a reliable movement, the Nomatic Watch is a great choice. It is simple, but at the same time versatile to be a great accessory at any setting, ranging from casual to formal. For the business traveler on the move who needs that range, the Nomatic Watch is all you need.

Sam is a production engineer turned tech writer who specializes in seeking out gadgets that enhances productivity while still looking sharp. This is a contribution to an ongoing IBTimes review series on gadgets for Business Travelers.