NOMOS Club 38: a new middle ground between modest size and bold character

NOMOS Glashütte · Club 38 / Club 38 Ruthenium

The model in detail

Meet the watch

The most important number in the new NOMOS Club 38 sits behind its name: the actual diameter is 38.5 mm. In its official release dated October 22, 2026, the brand introduced white and ruthenium versions as additions to the permanent collection. Previously, the classic hand-wound Club came in 36 mm. The news is therefore not a rare colour or a limited production run, but the option of a larger case while retaining a restrained dial and a slim profile.

The proportions are notable on paper: 38.5 mm across, 46.7 mm lug to lug and 8.4 mm thick with a steel back. A sapphire back increases thickness to just 8.5 mm. Our reading of the geometry is that case length and the position of the lugs on the wrist will matter more during a fitting than the rounded “38” in the name. The slim profile suggests fewer clashes with a cuff, but does not guarantee a fit for every wearer. Against the previous 36 mm Club, choose this version for the scale you prefer, not because larger is inherently better.

Enlarge

The two dials serve different tastes. The white Club 38 has black hands with red inlays and a brown strap with red stitching; Ruthenium combines an anthracite surface, white markers edged in yellow and orange minute numerals. In the official photographs the dark version looks more contrast-driven, the white one more graphic and slightly less sporty. That is a design judgment, not a night-time legibility test. Both use Superluminova, while a small-seconds display leaves the centre of the dial uncluttered.

Details and limitations

The mechanical reason to consider this pair is DUW 4001. This 2.6 mm-thick hand-wound in-house calibre has the proprietary NOMOS swing system escapement, stop-seconds and adjustment in six positions. Stop-seconds helps with accurate time setting; multi-position adjustment is not the same as a promise of a particular daily rate. The three-quarter plate and heat-blued screws visible through sapphire provide a substantive reason to choose the display back: the premium buys a view of genuine movement architecture, not an additional function.

Enlarge

Up to 53 hours is a little over two days, but not a universal “take it off Friday, put it on Monday” reserve. Even a fully wound example does not have enough stated reserve for that scenario. Anyone who enjoys daily contact with the crown may not mind; someone rotating watches every few days who dislikes resetting the time will need a deliberate winding habit. Having no date at least shortens the reset after the watch stops.

A 10 atm rating makes the case more practical than a slim watch on leather might suggest, but leather and case water resistance are separate questions. For frequent contact with water, choosing an appropriate strap or bracelet in advance makes more sense than treating the supplied Horween Shell Cordovan as an all-purpose sports solution. Lug width is 20 mm, and the official configurator also offers metal bracelets. The Club remains a pared-back everyday watch: it has no rotating dive bezel, and bold numerals do not make it a specialised underwater instrument.

In the German NOMOS store, VAT-inclusive prices are €1,520 for the white Club 38 with a steel back and €1,740 with sapphire; Ruthenium is €1,560 and €1,780 respectively. That creates two independent choices: €40 for a different dial and €220 for the movement view. Our suggestion for a first NOMOS is to decide on size and colour before choosing the back. The steel version gives up neither stated power reserve nor water resistance. These are German-market prices at the time of checking, not delivered costs in Uzbekistan; local availability is not confirmed here.

#NOMOS #NOMOSClub #Club38 #Club38Ruthenium #DUW4001 #HandWound #SmallSeconds #Glashuette