At the request of Dutch watch retailer Ace Jewelers, Nomos — the German watchmaker best known for its Bauhaus-inspired minimalist timepieces — has released a limited edition version of its Orion wristwatch that pays tribute to the De Stijl artistic movement of the early 20th century. De Stijl is characterized by distilling work down to extremely simple forms and colors, and works were comprised of simple horizontal and vertical lines as well as black, white and primary colors. Dutch painter Piet Mondriaan is probably the best-known proponent of the movement.
De Stijl was an influence on the later Bauhaus movement in Germany, so it feels very appropriate that Nomos of all watch brands would produce a tribute to the movement. The use of De Stijl principles on the Orion is fairly restrained, with the only real change to the Orion’s face being the addition of thick, elongated hour markers of varying widths and lengths — they’re an overt reference to Mondriaan’s work. Though the use of primary colors on the dial seems like a missed opportunity, Nomos subtly incorporated them in the hand-winding movement by using blued screws, red jewels and a yellow balance wheel.
The watch was made in a limited run of 100 and is exclusive to Ace Jewelers. Fortunately, however, the retailer takes online orders and ships internationally.
