4th February 2017

The Z List: Nomad Q&A

If you’re already familiar with Nomad it might be because back in 2015 they launched Mòltair, a magnificently minimal watch designed by industrial designer and icon of the British design scene Samuel Wilkinson. Focused on showcasing the understated luxury of traditionally honest craftsmanship and collaborating with the planet’s best designers, Glasgow-based husband and wife duo Alan and Kelsey Moore formed Nomad and started producing watched upon realising that their perfect timepiece simply hadn’t been designed yet.

Delighted to be once again joining them on the journey to making elegantly refined watch designs available to the world, we’re thrilled to have Nomad and Samuel Wilkinson’s Mòltair watch for sale on The Z List. Buy it here and find out the motivations and mantras behind Nomad’s success in this interview with Alan and Kelsey.

Many people will know you already, but for those who don’t can you tell us a little about what you do?

We own Nomad. We are a Scottish watch brand that launched in September 2015. We work alongside the best design studios to create truly unique watches with a strong focus on quality and attention to detail.

How did you find yourselves doing it?

We have always loved watches, so in 2010 we launched watch retail site twistedtime.com. We were the first watch store to focus on stocking watches from smaller independent brands. This started a hobby that we worked on in our spare time but it quickly grew into a successful company. After running the company for over 5 years we realised our perfect watch didn’t exist so we decided to create our own.

Where in the world are you based?

We work in The Whisky Bond. It was originally built as a bonded warehouse for Highland distilleries in 1957 but since 2012 it has been home to a growing community of thinkers, designers, makers and doers. The Whisky Bond sits on the Glasgow Canal, with a pretty spectacular view over the city’s skyline.

What do you love about your work?

We have always loved watches, design and web development, so running a watch company that trades online is our perfect job! Creating our own brand has been a lot of fun and allows us to control every aspect of the process.

Is there a particular material you love to work with?

Since launching Nomad we have become quite obsessed with leather. We received countless samples from tanneries all over the world before we found a leather we were happy with. Our watch straps all use vegetable-tanned leather from the Swedish tannery Tärnsjö Garveri.

Where do you find inspiration?

Glasgow is full of beautiful architecture, so we are constantly inspired by our urban surroundings.

Can you tell us about what you’re working on at the moment? Anything new we should look out for?

We are currently in the process of launching our second collection of watches. Like Mòltair, the Line collection has been designed by Samuel Wilkinson. In the background we are also working with a Swedish studio on our third collection, which will be available mid-2017.

Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up that we should know about?

Our watches will be on display at Watch Creators exhibition from 8-12 March in the UltraSuperNew Gallery in Tokyo.

What creatives are you admiring at the moment?

We really like Othr, who work with leading designers to produce unique 3D-printed objects.

How did you first connect with Zetteler?

We worked alongside Zetteler for the launch of our first watch collection at Design Junction 2015.

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