NOMOS Caliber DUW 3001

The NOMOS Glashutte caliber DUW 3001 is an in-house automatic watch movement with 27 jewels, made in Germany. After 3 years of development, the DUW 3001 was introduced at Baselworld 2015. It is a current caliber being used in the NOMOS watch catalog as of 2023.

In the brand’s own words:

” … And the efficiency of caliber was also improved to a significant extent: It is now at 94.2 percent, an achievement that experts find almost unbelievable—because it means that friction loss is down to 5.8 percent. This makes the caliber extraordinarily efficient as well; 20 percent is typical. In this new NOMOS motor there is some high tech, but handcraft first and foremost.” –Source

Chronometer?

Although not COSC certified, NOMOS claims that each watch with the caliber DUW 3001 movement is adjusted according to chronometer standards. The word chronometer is not used on the movement or the dial, but the brand seems to want accuracy to be expected with their products, therefore not necessary to imply on the watch itself.

Swing System:

The DUW 3001 is equipped with the proprietary NOMOS Swing System escapement. This is the brand’s own in-house design/invention. When mentioning their Swing System in marketing materials, NOMOS uses the word “independence” frequently. This part appears to be the brand’s freedom from escape(ment) from dependency on parts from the Swiss conglomerates.

As NOMOS says:

“Down to its core: The NOMOS swing system, our proprietary escapement, also known as a caliber’s heart, sets the right pace with the highest precision. And of course there are many typical characteristics from Glashütte in this movement, which denote its rich heritage: the three-quarter plate, ribbed polishing, tempered blue screws, and so on.” –Source

Other Notable Design Elements:

“In addition to utilizing this Swing System, DUW 3001 features a balance bridge instead of a traditional balance cock, a design that contributes to its thinness while enhancing its shock resistance. The bridge also creates extra space for the rotor.

Prenzel (Theodor Prenzel, deputy director of the NOMOS research and development department) adds that most of the DUW 3001’s components are inserted between the base plate and the three-quarter plate, requiring a ratchet wheel made half as flat as those used in other automatic movements. To avoid friction between the wafer-thin parts, Prenzel’s department used a special steel alloy to construct the wheels.

Prenzel and his staff also devised their own gear train design for the DUW 3001 that changes the order, angle, and number of teeth to raise the efficiency of the gear train to 94.2 percent–considerably higher than the more typical eighty percent efficiency–according to NOMOS. On a recent tour of NOMOS Glashütte headquarters, iW watched as watchmakers hand-cut the teeth on each gear to NOMOS specifications.” –Source

Dial Side:

Additional Resources:

• Official DUW 3001 data sheet (pdf)
• NOMOS Swing System
• More NOMOS calibers