First, let me quote from the introductory article I wrote about the NOMOS Tangente 2 Date. “…if you wear this new Tangente on your first date, if your partner is interested in watches and frequently engages in online ‘date or no date’ debates, your chances of getting a second date are low. Practically zero.” Well, going on a second date with Tangente 2date was a mistake. why? Well, everyone is entitled to a second chance, and that includes watches. This is what happened.
“Hello, how are you? I’m glad you agreed to meet up again. I might have been a little harsh the first time we met, but I just had a lot on my mind. I’ve been busy with work, so… There’s a lot to think about. You know how it goes. Everyday life can be overwhelming at times. I don’t think I was in a very good mood when we first met. I think that’s why you looked at me like that. When you introduced yourself as Tangente 2date, you made a joke like that, right? I retorted that it would be hard to date someone the way you look, and it would probably be the worst date ever. I wasn’t kidding. I get it. Let’s start with a clean slate, shall we?”
Use NOMOS Tangente 2Date for your second date
It’s no exaggeration to say we’ve had two rocky starts. But we continued to fight and spend time together. I’ve always considered myself someone who doesn’t judge a book by its cover. I mean, what’s in the name? Besides, what’s on the inside is more important than what’s on the outside, right?
Tangente 2date ref knows what’s inside. 135 has a clean silver-plated dial with contrasting black and red detailing and a transparent caseback (€2,580). Underneath is the in-house caliber DUW 4601 with a 52-hour power reserve, stop-seconds function and quick date adjustment. It’s a great looking movement with fine sunbeam ribbing on the traditional three-quarter plate and the new date ring plate. The finishing touches radiating from the NOMOS Swing System are quite impressive, but until now they were exclusive to movements exclusive to NOMOS gold timepieces.
Still, no matter how delicate the movement looks, and no matter how often you take the time to observe and appreciate it, you’re still going to get a good look at the dial of your watch. On the other hand, the double date display cannot be overlooked.
I caught you staring at me.
Your inner voice may be screaming at you not to look at something, but that only makes the temptation worse. As much as I’d like to focus on the sharp hands, lovely Arabic numerals, slender indexes, and the modest but crisp lines of the modestly sized 37.5 x 6.75 mm steel case, I can’t. The two date displays catch my eye again and again. And before you know it, you’re staring at one of two date displays. It doesn’t look good. And I’m not just referring to watches. My mother taught me that staring is rude. I am convinced that this is a universal code of conduct. Compare that to dating Cindy Crawford. Instead of looking into her eyes when she talks about her favorite movies or bands, you only see the mole above her left lip. That’s just rude.
Yet, no matter how hard I tried, every time I saw a small, slender watch with Bauhaus roots on my wrist, I realized that the date made it difficult to perform the simple task of reading the time. It’s impossible to go on a second date with a clean slate.
first impression
Trust me when I say I wish I had given the Nomos Tangente 2 Date another chance. Unfortunately, there is what behavioral scientists call first impression bias. This limitation in human information processing leads us to make quick and incomplete observations based on the first information we perceive. First impressions lead to quick guesses and judgments and remain in the brain. It’s the same when you meet someone for the first time, and I think it’s the same when you encounter a new watch design for the first time. When you hear that name before looking at the clock, the wordplay may already have triggered something.
In the case of the Tangente 2 Date, it wasn’t the misspelled name that precluded an open-minded approach. The Watch previously explained to me that it’s not trying to be funny. Instead, it was the name itself. It promised a watch with two dates. What I expected from a thoroughly artsy German brand was a second date display to display a date other than the first. But that’s not the case with Tangente 2date. There is no symbol for the 7 days (funny or not) or even a specific symbolic color to represent it.
2date simply provides the same date twice in different styles. At 6 o’clock there is a standard shape, and on the outer periphery of the dial is a more stylized version of the pointer date, with the date “captured” between two colored ovals. The latter is more decorative and features a much more intuitive traditional date window at the bottom of the dial. That makes for a confusing watch, especially if you’re already well aware that the Tangente 2 Date is not a Witz.
To be honest, I’ve had worse dates.
Still, it wasn’t the worst date. I can think of far worse Dates than the Nomos Tangente 2 Date. The date display, which is designed like a cockpit instrument and therefore displays not only today’s date, but also yesterday’s and tomorrow’s dates, is much worse looking. If I know what day it is, why would I want to show what day it is and what tomorrow will be like? I’m not a complete idiot and can figure those things out on my own quickly. At least Tangente 2date only shows today’s date. But I still don’t understand why it has to be done twice. Can you do it? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
