Fake watches: Union vs NOMOS, the duel between two German watchmaking brands
The size of German watchmaking brands in the entire industry is not large, but in terms of design and technology, the strength of German watchmaking is not inferior to Swiss watchmaking. Among the high-end luxury fake watches, A. Lange & Söhne has secured its position as the “top” of German watches by virtue of its exquisite craftsmanship and the full support of the group.
Followed by Glashütte Original, dedicated to the revival of German watchmaking, it is also deeply loved by players. Shifting the positioning from high-end to luxury, Union and NOMOS are the two most popular German watchmaking brands in this price range, and they are also the objects that many players compete to compare when purchasing. Today, let’s look at the differences between these two brands from multiple angles.
Union is a brand of the Swatch Group. According to the official website, Union was founded in 1893 by founder Johannes Delstein. At the beginning of the brand’s establishment, it was committed to creating high-end fake watches cheap that are affordable and meet the quality of Glashütte.
Like many brands, Union has had its hiatus since the 1920s. The revival of modern Union has to start in 1996. Union Uhrenfabrik GmbH was rebuilt as a subsidiary of Glashütte Original, but its products are still Glashütte Original. Until 2008, the Swatch Group decided to separate the two companies, and Union has gained an equal status to Glashütte Original.
The full name of the NOMOS brand is Nomos Glashütte, which also carries a strong brand of Glashütte. Unlike Union, NOMOS has not joined any luxury giant group, and is still active in the watch industry as an independent watch brand. Although the brand claims that its factory history can be traced back to 1845, the registered NOMOS brand was founded by the founder Roland Schwertner in 1990, and three series of watches Tangente, Ludwig, Orion and Tetra were launched in 1992 two years later.
Although both are German watchmaking brands, Union and NOMOS have different design features. The NOMOS watch runs through the “Bauhaus” style. “Bauhaus” is actually synonymous with “modernist style”. It was originally the name of an arts and crafts school established in Weimar, Germany in 1919. The founder and first principal of the school is the famous German modernist architect Gropius. Its establishment marked the birth of modern design education and had a profound impact on design in many fields, including fake watches.
Therefore, we can see that NOMOS watches are mostly the simplest three-hand models, and rarely have complex functions. Among the models currently on sale on the official website, only two complex functions, power reserve display and world time, are provided. When the watch shows these functions, it also tries to weaken their existence as much as possible. For example, the dynamic storage window is very hidden, and only the red part exposed by the notch of the rotating indicator disc reminds the user, which is unique in the bezel. The simple and practical functions fully reflect the essence of Bauhaus design. For players who pursue watch design and advocate minimalist aesthetics, NOMOS is undoubtedly the first choice.
In contrast, the Union fake watch has a wider variety of complications. In addition to dynamic storage display and world time, Union has a large number of chronographs. These fake watches vary in style, ranging from modern minimalism to classicism. It spans the two major fields of formal watches and sports watches, and provides a variety of color options. Among them, the most distinctive one is the limited edition of the Noramins series called “Owl”. The distinctive contrasting color disc makes it highly recognizable. In addition, the Bellis series moon phase chronograph series also combines a full calendar display, which can be called the German version of the “eight-hand moon phase”. If you value the rich functions of the watch, then Union will be a more ideal choice.
In terms of movement, Union uses the movement solution provided by ETA with the support of Swatch Group. The brand has deeply customized the movement. For example, the UNG-27.S1 movement, the main force of timing, uses blue steel screws, and the splint and automatic rotor are carefully polished. For the balance spring system, Union upgraded it to a silicon balance spring plus a weight pendulum. The power reserve of the movement was increased from 48 hours to 65 hours, and the user experience is obvious.
NOMOS High replica watch has a variety of self-produced movements. Take the widely used Cal.Alpha manual winding as an example. This movement has a vibration frequency of 21600 and a diameter of 23.3 mm. It adopts a small three-hand layout and can provide 43 hours of dynamic storage. The movement also adds blue steel screws, and the splint is presented with a large area of Glashütte columnar pattern. Cal.Alpha is the basic model of NOMOS self-produced movement, on this basis, Cal.Beta, Cal.Delta, Cal.Epsilon, Cal.Gamma and many other versions have been derived, enriching and perfecting the camp of NOMOS self-produced movement.
Through the above comparison, it is not difficult to see that although they are both German watchmaking brands with similar price positioning,
Union and NOMOS have considerable differences in watch style, design, function, and movement. Timing is the main function of Union. From the retro 1893 series to the changeable Bellis series, many chronographs have been launched,
especially the limited edition “Owl” of the Noramins series is impressive. Founded in 1990, NOMOS is one of the few independent watchmaking brands. Its works show a strong “Bauhaus” style. The most representative one is the TANGOMAT series 601. Its simple and practical design makes it popular. Cousins love it.
