The new gold piece from the German luxury watchmaker 'Nomos Glashütte' has true cult potential. Rarely has a new watch inspired such controvery as the Lambda. Classicists, recalling their lessons in Ancient Greek, will remember that lambda is the eleventh letter of the Greek alphabet but, in scientific nomenclature, lambda is a symbol with many meanings... including 'intrinsic value'.

Which brings us back to the topic in hand. The Nomos Lambda has a wealth of instrinsic value, such as the extremely unusual yet well-balanced arrangement of the dial. The hours and minutes seem almost secondary, banished to the extreme edge of the face, while an oversized power reserve indicator is the central eye-catching feature. And rightly so, because the in-house DUW 1001 movement guarantees a power reserve of around 84 hours.

No compromises

The dramatic design of the Lambda is utterly uncompromised - and that goes for the price tag, too, which stands at a fairly uncompromising 12,000 euros. But then the Lambda in rose gold is arguably a design icon in the same league as a classic Porsche 911. And it's far too beautiful to be worn only on a Sunday.

Photos: Nomos