Nomos Glashütte
Nomos Glashütte Ludwig 39 mm Mother-of-pearl 18k
Photography on request
Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Nomos Glashütte · Ludwig
Nomos Glashütte Ludwig 39 mm Mother-of-pearl 18k
Reference 43870OR.11
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Nomos Glashütte
- Collection
- Ludwig
- Model
- Nomos Glashütte Ludwig 39 mm Mother-of-pearl 18k
- Reference number
- 43870OR.11
- Year / era
- 1994 · 1990s — mechanical revival
- Complication
- Perpetual calendar
- Movement
- Spring Drive
- Case material
- 18k white gold
- Dial type
- Mother-of-pearl
- Strap / bracelet
- Integrated steel bracelet
- Water resistance
- 150 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 39 mm
- Case thickness
- 8.1 mm
- Case material
- 18k white gold
- Bezel
- Bidirectional 24-hour Cerachrom
- Crystal
- Flat sapphire with Cyclops lens
- Dial
- Mother-of-pearl
- Hands
- Faceted dauphine hands, polished by hand
- Indexes
- Applied faceted white-gold indexes
- Bracelet / strap
- Integrated steel bracelet
- Clasp / buckle
- Triple-folding clasp with safety catch
- Water resistance
- 150 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 3A — Spring Drive
- Movement type
- High-frequency automatic
- Frequency
- 25,200 vph (3.5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 10 days
- Number of jewels
- 37 jewels
- Complications
- Perpetual calendar
- Functions
- Chronograph, tachymeter, date
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1994 – 1997
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Values have stabilised after the 2022 correction; condition and box-and-papers drive the premium.
Designer
Emmanuel Gueit
Emmanuel Gueit came from a family of Geneva jewellers and was barely into his twenties when he drew the oversized Royal Oak Offshore in 1993 — a watch the house's traditionalists resisted and collectors turned into an icon.
Historical significance
Nomos Glashütte Ludwig 39 mm Mother-of-pearl 18k sits within Nomos Glashütte's Ludwig line, introduced in 1994. It carries the house codes established since 1990 — 18k white gold case, mother-of-pearl dial and spring drive — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
- The movement's bridges are decorated even where they will never be seen once the watch is cased.
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
The House
Nomos Glashütte
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1990
- Founder
- Roland Schwertner
- Headquarters
- Germany
- Tier
- Premium
- Major collections
- Tangente, Metro, Club, Ludwig, Autobahn, Orion
- Signature technologies
- Shock-absorbing movement mounting · In-house hairspring production · Anti-magnetic silicon escapement
- Famous movements
- Automatic, Swiss lever escapement · Automatic chronograph · High-beat automatic · Spring Drive
- Notable watches
- Nomos Glashütte Tangente 38 mm Blue Carbon (1990) · Nomos Glashütte Tangente 41 mm Salmon Ceramic (1990) · Nomos Glashütte Tangente 42 mm Black Grade (1990) · Nomos Glashütte Metro 41 mm Silvered 18k (1990)
Brand history
Nomos Glashütte has spent more than 36 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Tangente, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Roland Schwertner established Nomos Glashütte in 1990, working from Germany at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Nomos Glashütte calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1990
Roland Schwertner founds Nomos Glashütte in Germany.
1990
Nomos Glashütte enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Nomos Glashütte continues to produce Tangente, Metro, Club and other icons in limited numbers.