October 22, 2026
A Modern Classic Gets a Cool New Look
NOMOS Glashütte has repeatedly shown that pared-back design and serious mechanical engineering can live comfortably together. Its Metro line, launched in 2014 and created by Berlin industrial designer Mark Braun, took cues from the modern city: crisp architectural lines, carefully judged proportions, and subtle shifts in color. The family has since grown to 16 models and collected the iF Design Award, Red Dot Award, and German Design Award. Its newest member, the Metro Date Power Reserve Ice Blue (Reference 1121), pairs a metallic light-blue dial with an entirely new hand-wound caliber.
A Dial That Changes With the Light
The galvanized dial moves between cool blue and an almost silvery white as lighting conditions change, much like the reflective glass-and-steel facades that inspired it. Instead of heavy textures or applied markers, NOMOS relies on blue and white dots for the hours and minutes, tiny gray numerals around the edge, and plenty of open space. Rhodium-plated hands and a light-blue small seconds hand at 6 o’clock sit just above the date window. The signature asymmetric power reserve indicator near the top now uses white, light blue, and teal, adding a playful yet practical detail to a manually wound watch.
Slim, Wearable Proportions
The stainless steel case measures 37mm across and only 8mm thick, so it slides easily beneath a shirt cuff. The two-part construction features a domed sapphire crystal and a sapphire exhibition caseback, with 5 ATM water resistance that NOMOS describes as splash-proof. A black Horween Genuine Shell Cordovan strap, 18mm at the lugs with quick-change spring bars, completes a look equally at home in the office or on the weekend.
The New DUW 4701 Caliber
The most important upgrade sits beneath the dial. The DUW 4701 is just 2.8mm thick, yet it includes a patented quick-set date, a patented power reserve display, and up to 52 hours of running time. It keeps the NOMOS swing system, the in-house escapement first used in the original 2014 Metro Date Power Reserve, along with a blue balance spring, Glashütte three-quarter plate, Glashütte stopwork, stop-seconds, and DUW regulation. The movement is adjusted in six positions and has 23 jewels. It is finished with ribbing, perlage, sunburst wheels, tempered blue screws, and gold-plated engravings.
Availability and Pricing
The new caliber also comes to the original white-dial model. Buyers who prefer a larger automatic watch can choose the ice-blue dial in the 40.5mm Metro Neomatik 41 Update, which features a teal-framed ring date. The Ice Blue costs $4,500 USD with a sapphire caseback or $4,210 USD with a stainless steel caseback.
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