Nomos Glashütte teamed up with Dutch retailer, Ace Jewelers, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of one of the most influential art movements in history. De Stijl, meaning the style in Dutch, was founded in 1917. It was made famous in the early 20th century by Dutch artists such as Piet Mondrian and Gerrit Rietveld with an aim to rid the art world of natural form. With watchmaking being an art form, it was only natural to honor such a legendary art movement by collaborating on a limited edition timepiece – the Ace x Nomos Limited Edition Orion “100 Years De Stijl.”

The 38mm Orion stainless steel case features a white silver plated dial as the canvas. The index honors De Stijl with its asymmetric hour markers. The line weight and length of each hour marker is quintessential De Stijl. The design was inspired from Mondrian’s paintings and the angles from Rietveld’s Red and Blue Chair, and then transformed into the 38mm Orion. Mondrian lived in New York, formally known as New Amsterdam.

The grid-like streets of New York City inspired Mondrian to create compositions only using lines, squares and rectangles; these elements make up the artistic aesthetics of De Stijl. With several Team Ace members having lived in both Amsterdam and New York, the connection between Ace, De Stijl, and Mondrian was undeniable. Although the Ace x Nomos Limited Edition ‘100 Years De Stijl’ is abstract like the works of Mondrian, it does not lack in readability. The crisp index is printed on the dial with precision.

Ace Jewelers CEO, Alon Ben Joseph says, “I am a born and raised #WatchNerd and art lover. Since I was a child, my favorite painting was the Broadway Boogie Woogie by Piet Mondrian, and as an adult I meandered the streets of New York City, and connected more with the works of De Stijl while living there. This passion combined with my love of the form-follows-function watches from Nomos, I knew Ace Jewelers was onto a brilliant collaboration honoring the legendary art movement.”

The modest 38mm case size gives the composition of the asymmetric index just the right amount of breathing room. There is a seconds sub dial located at six o’clock and the minute and seconds markers are the same as the standard Orion. The black hour, minute, and second hands give a stark contrast between the white silver plated dial for clear legibility at a glance. The watch sits well on the wrist, and with a case height of just 8.86mm, one barely even realizes they have it on. Staying true to the Nomos ethos, the form does follow function, which is ultimately an easy to read, comfortable watch with a fascinating story.

A watch should always look as good on the inside as it does on the outside, and the Ace x Nomos Limited Edition ’100 Years De Stijl’ is no exception. Ticking away inside is the tried and tested Alpha movement – Nomos’ in-house hand wound movement. The Alpha movement is Nomos’ oldest movement. One just does not get better value for money when it comes to a manufacture movement from any other brand. Visible through the open caseback, one will notice the blue screws, red rubies, and yellow balance wheel – the primary colors associated with De Stijl. The Alpha movement has a power reserve of approximately 42 hours.

The Ace x Nomos Limited Edition Orion ‘100 Years De Stijl’ is exclusively available online and in their two physical boutiques in Amsterdam. Ace Jewelers ships free of charge to the United States, as well as all U.S. territories. The watch is limited to 100 pieces and retails for $2,620, the same retail price as the 38mm Orion. So go ahead and wear a piece of De Stijl on your wrist. This watch will be in style for another 100 years to come. acejewelers.com

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