As many of you will already know, Monochrome Watches was founded by Dutch man Frank Geelen, and is based in The Netherlands, and so, it is with a hint of nationalistic pride that today we’re celebrating the “Low Countries” in the way we know best – with a watch. The reason? Ace Jewelers, one of the Netherlands largest watch retailers, has partnered with manufacturer Nomos Glashütte to launch their first limited edition watch, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Dutch art movement De Stijl, with Bauhaus, primary colours and cubism in mind. Here is the Nomos Orion “De Stijl” Limited Edition, with art in mind.

While the name “De Stijl” might not register immediately in every mind, some of the best-known members of this modern art movement certainly are very well known: Theo van Doesburg, Piet Mondriaan and Gerrit Rietveld were the main representatives of what became one of the world’s most iconic art movements. “De Stijl”, Dutch for “The Style”, also known as neoplasticism, was a Dutch artistic movement founded in 1917 in Leiden. It consisted of a group of designers, painters and architects who advocated pure abstraction by a reduction to the essentials of form and colour; and they simplified visual compositions to vertical and horizontal, using only black, white and primary colours. And if you think about it, it is a definition that fits perfectly with the designs of a certain German watch brand, Nomos, whose creations are deeply inspired by Bauhaus, primary colours and graphic lines.

With the 100th anniversary of the Dutch art movement “De Stijl” in mind, Ace Jewelers and Nomos have jointly created a unique watch, based on the Nomos Orion, which features several distinct elements, inspired by “the Style”. The watch retains the 38mm stainless case of the Orion models, with a narrow bezel, pure lines, thin profile (8.86mm height) and elongated and angled lugs. Clearly, minimalism is not only on the dial but also in the case. The main attraction remains, of course, the face of the watch, which receives a specific design for the occasion. After a close inspection, you’ll see that every single hour marker is unique. No metallic applied batons here, but painted indexes instead.

These markers are specific because each features a different length and line weight, as if they were taken straight from Mondrian’s Composition with Lines or Rietveld’s Red & Blue chair. This “unbalanced” dial makes the watch discreetly unique and lively, but only after a close inspection – minimalism and abstraction of the inessential are respected by this asymmetrical composition of lines, squares and rectangles. This intriguing layout is completed by a small seconds subdial at 6 and thin, black coated baton hands.

While the dial and the strap (a black Horween Genuine Shell Cordovan strap) create an a cool monochrome external style, the detail on the Alpha movement is an ode to primary colours, dear to the “De Stijl” art movement. It features blued screws, red synthetic rubies, and a yellow balance wheel, which can be seen through the sapphire crystal caseback. While based on the old Peseux 7001, the Alpha movement, produced in-house in Glashutte by Nomos, features important modifications, making its origins rather difficult to guess. This thin hand-wound movement has a 43-hour power reserve and the typical German-school style, with a three-quarter plate.

The Nomos Orion “De Stijl” Limited Edition for Ace Jewelers will be produced in 100 pieces, which will be available from Ace Jewelers directly. The “Nomos De Stijl” is now available for pre-order at Ace Jewelers boutiques (in the centre of Amsterdam in The Netherlands) and online via e-Boutique www.AceJewelers.com. It is priced at 1,620 Euro (excluding VAT), the same price as the standard version of this watch.

Technical Specifications – Nomos Orion “De Stijl” Limited Edition for Ace Jewelers