Many watch enthusiasts recognize the benefits of lightweight watches. The lighter a watch is, the more comfortable it is to wear, especially over long periods of time. With their reduced weight, lightweight watches are a great choice for anyone who craves sophistication but doesn’t want to be weighed down by a heavy wrist. If your watch of choice is sufficiently robust, it can also be used for sportier endeavors.
Manufacturers use materials like titanium and carbon to significantly reduce the weight of a watch. For steel watches, weight is reduced by keeping movements and cases as slim as possible, so that less material is used overall. The best-known example of a slim and light luxury watch is probably the Richard Mille RM UP-01 Ferrari. It has a height of just 1.75 mm and weights under 30 grams including the strap, which set a new world record in 2022.
In this article, however, we’re less interested in world records and super-thin watches that cost millions, and more interested in ultra-light watches that you can buy on the open market and wear in your normal, everyday life. We’ll look at three examples.
NOMOS Tangente 35 (Ref. 188)
Our first example of a slim and lightweight watch for everyday life is made by NOMOS, based in Glashütte, Germany. You’ll find it in the NOMOS Tangente collection, which has been the manufacturer’s flagship collection since 1992.
The NOMOS Tangente (ref. 188) will win you over with its light and slim design – its stainless steel case is 35 mm in diameter and just 6.7 mm thick. It measures 43 mm lug-to-lug, making it an excellent unisex watch. The watch weighs just 40 grams, but as it’s only water-resistant up to 30 m (3 bar, 98 ft) it won’t withstand more than a splash. The galvanized, platinum-gray dial is home to Arabic numerals and line indices. The time is displayed using central hour and minute hands and a small seconds display at 6 o’clock.
Inside the watch ticks the NOMOS neomatik caliber DUW 3001 with a power reserve of 43 hours. The movement is just 3.2 mm thick and equipped with Incabloc shock protection, a Nivarox balance spring, and blued screws. You can view the movement through the watch’s sapphire crystal case back.
The Tangente 35 (ref. 188) comes with a black Horween Genuine Shell Cordovan horse leather strap, which perfectly rounds out its look.
Mint-condition models of this beautiful NOMOS Tangente go for around $2,200
A. Lange & Söhne Saxonia Thin
The second model on our list comes from A. Lange & Söhne, another brand based in Glashütte, Germany. The watch is part of the Saxonia collection, which they released with the company’s relaunch in 1994.
The Saxonia Thin (ref. 201.027) came out in 2011. The 37-mm case is just 5.9 mm thick, making it the brand’s thinnest watch. They went with the best of materials for the case, 18-karat white gold. Its weight? Around 60 grams. Just like the Nomos Tangente above, the Saxonia Thin is water-resistant up to 30 m (3 bar, 96 ft).
The dial is made of solid silver and fitted with very slim applied line indices, making it the epitome of understatement. The functionality of the watch focuses on the essentials – the two-hand watch only displays the hours and minutes.
The manual in-house caliber L093.1 beats at the heart of the Saxonia Thin. The movement is just 2.9 mm thick and offers all the best of traditional Saxon watchmaking. For example, it has a three-quarter plate made of nickel silver, gold chatons as a setting for the jewel bearings, and a hand-engraved balance cock. Plus, the watch’s sapphire crystal case back enables you to admire this exquisite movement in action.
The A. Lange & Söhne Saxonia Thin comes on a black alligator leather strap with a white gold clasp.
New or unworn models change hands for roughly $26,800 on the secondary market. You can also find the watch in rose gold for around $22,000.
Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 150M Ultra Light
The Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 150M “Ultra Light” (ref. 220.92.41.21.06.002) weighs just 55 grams including its fabric strap. And that’s despite the fact that the case is 41 mm in diameter and 13.5 mm thick. The watch’s low weight is thanks to Omega’s use of Gamma Titanium, which is about 50% aluminum. The dial is also made of titanium, though in this case it’s a more common grade 5 alloy. The bezel is ceramic.
The dial design takes its cues from the rest of the Seamaster Aqua Terra series. The time is displayed using twelve applied trapezoidal indices that glow in the dark. Depending on which version you have, you’ll find blue, red, or green accents on the minute track and seconds hand. The watch is operated and set using a telescopic crown that is pressed into the case and thus not screwed down. As usual for the Aqua Terra collection, the Aqua Terra Ultra Thin is water-resistant up to 150 m (15 bar, 492 ft).
As if that weren’t enough, the Aqua Terra Ultra Thin boasts another remarkable feature – the in-house caliber 8928 TI. It’s the first Omega movement in which the baseplate, balance rim, and bridges are all made of titanium. The movement has a co-axial escapement, is METAS certified, and offers a power reserve of 72 hours.
The Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Ultra Light will set you back about $48,300 for the blue and green variants, making it by far the most expensive watch on this list. The variant with red accents goes for around $47,000.
That’s it for our list of lightweight watches for everyday life. Which model would you go for?
