Entry-level products often have to work harder to prove themselves? even when made by esteemed brands? with price to quality commonly questioned in this market. The sentiment is the same for the Nomos Club Campus; which may honestly be a bit by their own doing, as Nomos actively promotes its Club Campus as the gateway drug to mechanical watchmaking.

And notably, since the watch is often somebody’s first, the brand puts in a closed caseback that allows extensive engraving. A great concept, but it does hide the beautiful Alpha-caliber underneath, with its Glashütte three-quarter plate and blued screws, built in-house and pleasantly slim at 2.6mm. Seeing the movement, people might think differently about Nomos’ mighty Club Campus.
Mighty, because it is an enjoyable watch that is serious enough while still able to goof around with. It does so with its California-style dial, mixing Arabic with Roman numerals and adding a few hour markers in for good measure. Its legibility is superb, but then there is that small, bright orange seconds hand on the sub-dial that screams for attention. The lugs are longer than you would expect, giving the watch a dash more character, not that it needs it because this Nomos is a crowd-pleaser. I own more expensive watches from the brand, but I can confirm that wearing the Club Campus is an equal experience; both affirming my love for the brand while making me want to add an example to my collection.

The reason for thi...