Judith Borowski, Creative Director of NOMOS Glashütte

Judith Borowski is a captivating and intelligent woman, in the tradition of those great German leaders whose voices carry. In recent months she has not hesitated to take a stand against the xenophobic and neo-Nazi incidents that took place in Saxony, the cradle of German watchmaking.

Born in 1969, she studied criminology, the arts and political science before attending journalism school in Hamburg. She has worked in London, Leipzig, Dresden and Hamburg. Her experience as an editor at ARD (the German public broadcaster) and at the “Financial Times Deutschland” goes a long way to explaining her approach to communication, which she has made deliberately “offbeat” and highly effective for NOMOS Glashütte. Judith joined the company in 2001 and has been a partner for a good ten years. She sits on the management board and serves as creative director of the watch manufacture. In that role she also heads “Berlinerblau”, the brand’s Berlin subsidiary, home among others to the Design and Communication departments. Meet a woman whose convictions are matched only by the gentleness of reading by a lakeside…

About NOMOS Glashütte

It says on your website that NOMOS Glashütte is the largest mechanical watchmaker in Germany. How many watches do you produce each year?

We produce more than twice as many mechanical watches as the “closest” company in Glashütte (laughs). The exact figures, we don’t disclose…

At one time we did publish our figures, but since our neighbours did not publish theirs, we decided to stop. That way it could not be used against us.

The Bauhaus movement is celebrating its 100th anniversary. Tangente marked the occasion. Can the entire NOMOS collection claim a Bauhaus heritage?

We can say without hesitation that 100% of our production is inspired by this artistic movement, which even became a school of thought. But we don’t want to reproduce Bauhaus, or Bauhaus design, as it was in 1919. Instead we imagine what a contemporary Bauhaus watch would look like, asking ourselves what someone attuned to what the Bauhaus would have become by 2019 would want to wear.

I dream of a jetty on a lake where I could sit and read with my feet in the water.

Judith Borowski

We work according to Bauhaus principles, including form follows function. Because there are no colour photographs from that era, people sometimes assume the Bauhaus was rather austere. In fact it was a colourful movement. You can see it in certain fabrics and porcelain. There were even mannerisms within the Bauhaus. We try to take all of that into account too.

Yet it is not only the Bauhaus, which lasted a mere 14 years, that inspires us. Before it came the Deutscher Werkbund, which still exists and of which we are members. Then there was the Ulm School of Design and other institutions. Max Bill and other designers were part of these circles. They created a “state of mind” in which we recognise ourselves.

How would you explain the success of NOMOS Glashütte after only 30 years in existence?

It comes back to that Bauhaus idea that you need the best components to make the best products. At NOMOS, design and craftsmanship work hand in hand. There is no hierarchy between departments. The watchmaker and the designer stand on equal footing in the process of creating a watch. There is a constant exchange, face to face. Our motto is that none of our products could be made better than we have made it.

So you aim for excellence every time? It simply can’t be done better?

Yes, exactly! That is certainly one of the reasons for our success. Another may be that we have always wanted to cultivate our originality compared with other brands. We targeted and found our customers through this distinctive authenticity. And finally, perhaps we have had a little bit of luck too (laughs).

Since 2014 you have mastered the escapement, and now the entire production of a NOMOS watch. Why this unwavering drive for independence?

Our founder, Roland Schwertner, is a man of strong convictions. The same goes, to some extent, for our three managing directors, who all have strong personalities (laughs). We are firmly committed to independence and freedom. There was also an element of luck: when Switzerland announced it was cutting back deliveries of escapement systems, we had just mastered making our own. So it did not affect us, and we were free to grow as we wished, increasing production in line with market demand. We were spared the problems some of our peers faced. That too has contributed to our success.

Wir schaffen das!

Angela Merkel

You have already won numerous design awards. In 2018 it was the GPHG’s turn, for the Tangente neomatik 41 Update. What do all these awards mean to you?

For NOMOS Glashütte, it is always a pleasure. Sometimes it turns out we have won the fifth or sixth award in a series, so it is not crucial. We don’t work with that specific goal in mind. For customers, however, it can carry particular weight. They will come across this information in a magazine or online, and it may win them over or reassure them. That is why the opinions of independent juries, or the verdicts of magazine reviews, are of particular interest to us.

About Judith Borowski

Which watch are you wearing during this interview?

I’m wearing a Tangente, the NOMOS Glashütte classic. That’s the one I have on today, but I also often enjoy wearing a Metro. I switch regularly depending on my wishes and my mood. Actually I go through phases, and when I decide to change, I wear that watch for several days, or even several weeks.

What is your proudest achievement in watchmaking?

I have been part of the NOMOS Glashütte adventure since 2001. And the finest success I have been involved in is the Metro model.

Is there a watch complication you are particularly fond of?

The power reserve gives me the same information I get from the gauge in my car: when it’s time to “fill up on energy”. Because I do have my head in the clouds sometimes… (laughs).

Do you have any passions besides watchmaking?

I love literature, sailing and animals… I love every kind of animal. I dream of one day keeping a flock of sheep with a sheepdog. But for now I only have two cats… (laughs).

I value empathy, the ability to listen to others, and clarity.

Judith Borowski

What is your wildest dream?

I dream of a jetty on a lake where I could sit and read with my feet in the water. I dream of that idyllic setting and of having the time to enjoy it…

How would you define luxury?

There are many ideas of luxury. The one I like best is that luxury is an object made with love, from the finest materials, by the finest craftspeople. It should not be ostentatious, but very discreet.

Apart from NOMOS Glashütte, which brand best embodies luxury in your eyes?

That would be Leica.

Is there a historical or contemporary figure who inspires you?

Life has its phases. That can change or evolve. But since you give me the opportunity, I would like to pay tribute to my father, who passed away very recently. He is the one I am thinking of right now as you ask me this question. He was a very creative person who had a gift for delighting in things that seemed insignificant.

What qualities do you value most in others?

I value empathy, the ability to listen to others, and clarity.

Is there a quote you are particularly fond of?

Off the top of my head, I’d say “Even the future used to be better” (literal translation). It’s an unattributed quote. Otherwise I would quote Angela Merkel in 2015, who said: “Wir schaffen das!”, “We can do this!”.

What time is it on NOMOS Glashütte time?

10:10, because the watch is smiling!