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Blue skies, golden sands, and crisp cool waters: NOMOS celebrates these idyllic summer scenes with two new releases in the Ahoi family of watches. Though the latest releases paint a summery scene with an all new palette, the changes are more than skin deep. The newest Ahois (ref. 516/526 and 517/527) feature a mid-size 38.5mm case and a date at 3 o’clock, entirely switching up the look and feel of NOMOS’ flagship summer watch.
When NOMOS first launched the Ahoi a decade ago, it was something of an oddity in the Glashütte brand’s lineup. Best known for minimalist, Bauhaus-styled watches, the Ahoi was purpose-built for the water. With crown guards and 200m of water resistance, the Ahoi was a sporty departure from the brand’s lineup. Since its original release, the Ahoi has seen several iterations and updates, including date and no-date versions measuring in at 40mm and 36mm, respectively. The new Ahois split the difference, with a 38.5mm case that will fit comfortably on a wide range of wrists.
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Visually, the watches share the same silhouette as their forbears, with a polished stainless-steel case and distinctive angular lugs. Like all NOMOS watches, the diameter alone only tells part of the story, as the long lugs and thin bezel results in a watch with plenty of visual impact. In true NOMOS fashion, these watches are thin (9.9mm in height) and their high polish finish makes them incredibly versatile, transitioning seamlessly from surfing waves during the day to fine dining in the evening.
NOMOS has never shied away from color and its Berlin-based design team certainly knows its way around the color wheel. Given that the Ahoi was designed with the express purpose of heading to the water, why not find inspiration in golden sands and cloud-free summer skies? The two new models, appropriately named sand and sky, capture the feeling of carefree summer days.
The dial layout is pure NOMOS, with alternating indices and numerals, a running seconds subdial at 6 o’clock, and elegant pencil hands. On both the Sand and Sky models, NOMOS adds its trademark flair for color with a flame-orange seconds hand and gold neomatik text below the wordmark. It’s those small details that take what could be a staid and reserved design and transform it into something youthful and ready for adventure.
The mid-size 38.5mm case, coupled with a new, modified version of the DUW 6101 caliber, allowed NOMOS to shift the date position from beneath the seconds subdial at 6 o’clock to the 3 o’clock position, all while maintaining the Ahoi’s sub-10mm case height. The date window is subtle and inconspicuous, color-matched to blend in with the dial while ensuring that the numerals are large, legible, and an aesthetic match to NOMOS’ clean typography.
Both the sand and sky Ahoi models come mounted on a NOMOS textile strap in either blue-black or grey, with a custom tang buckle. The textile straps are soft, waterproof, and surprisingly versatile — a perfect match for the Ahoi. Of course, with the 20mm lugs, you could always opt for the NOMOS Sport bracelet to entirely change the look of the watch.
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With the new Ahoi models, you can opt for either a steel or sapphire display caseback. If you choose the display caseback, you’ll be treated to the sight of NOMOS’s in-house DUW 6101 automatic caliber. The movement’s thin, 3.6mm height allows the entire watch to measure in at a surprisingly thin 9.9mm — seriously impressive for a 200m water-resistant watch. The DUW 6101 features bidirectional rapid date adjustment and the patented NOMOS swing system. As always, movement decoration is sumptuous, with heat-blued screws, rhodium-plating, Glashütte ribbing, and NOMOS perlage. In other words, this is a movement that is definitely worth putting on display. Like all of the brand’s watches, the Ahoi is also regulated in six positions to ensure accurate timekeeping.
With the new Ahoi models, NOMOS captures the look and feel of summer days with two gorgeous new colorways and a mid-size case. If you’re hoping that summer never ends, the new Ahois will keep that carefree feeling of summer on your wrist throughout the entire year. The Ahoi neomatik 38 date sky (ref. 516 with steel caseback and 526 with sapphire caseback) and the Ahoi neomatik 38 date sand (ref 517 with steel caseback and 527 with sapphire caseback) start at $4,660 USD. To learn more about NOMOS and its new Ahoi watches, please visit the brand’s website.