Incredibly good looking unimatic watches also manage to stay south of the thousand dollars/euros mark.

Unimatic is a Milan-based manufacturer of limited edition tool watches with strikingly simple dial designs. By extracting core design elements from some of the world’s iconic dive watches, the timepieces produced by this manufacturer are appealing to dive watch collectors but also practical enough to be worn on a day-to-day basis. The company’s founders, Giovanni Moro and Simone Nunziato have been innovating and birthing exciting concepts since the brand launched in 2015 and have struck a chord with many watch enthusiasts. As well as being extremely well-built, they are also reasonably discreet for dive watches, channelling some of the most appealing aesthetics from previous successful models within this same sector. As well as being incredibly good looking, Unimatic watches also manage to stay south of the thousand dollars/euros mark. Interestingly, the more you look at a Unimatic watch, the easier it is to appreciate the finer details within each model.

There is a rigorous industrial process behind each Unimatic watch. The brand’s proven case and dial design receive a fresh new look with each new iteration. What’s more – each model is limited in production. Despite having been met with resounding success, Unimatic refrains from mass production of its watches, developing only a few hundred timepieces each year. This limitation on production enables each model to retain a sense of exclusivity once enjoyed on the wrist. Each model is certain to increase in value as the last of Unimatic’s production runs out on a particular design, making every timepiece incredibly unique.

Despite each Unimatic watch offering a sense of uniqueness with every design’s limited availability, these models do share some characteristics. Unimatic watches are crafted from steel, thus creating an immediate sense of value when worn. Despite their heftiness in terms of presence, their dimensions remain in proportion to their overall design, achieving balance and an unexpected sense of equilibrium.

The Milan-based watchmaker has focussed its attention on no-nonsense dive watches from the start. It is this specialised approach to watchmaking that has gained the watch brand such recognition since it began in 2015. Many designs are inspired by classic diver watches from the 1950s, particularly those such as the Rolex Submariner, the Omega Seamaster and Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms. These watches resonate with enthusiasts that have dreamt of owning these icons from a bygone era, but also those with a passion for dive watches from the affordable category.

Industrial, minimalist designs define Unimatic watches. The models are sold at Mr Porter and End Clothing and made their debut in Paris. For a relatively young brand, these achievements signify a manufacturer that dreams big. Having bonded through their innate love of vintage dive watches, Giovanni Moro and Simone Nunziato began their watchmaking journey by designing their very own 40mm watch with a sleek black DLC coating, equipping it with lume plots around the hour track and a set of luminous-treated central hands. Chunky geometric shapes comprising triangles, circles and squares were combined with a Seiko movement inside a robust case. The model cost £500 and boasted a simple design, but felt solid and reliable. Several other models were then designed (up to a total of 39 timepieces by the year 2020). Each one was released in limited editions, securing Unimatic’s reputation as an exclusive micro band.

The Modello Uno U1-F by Unimatic is a professional dive watch made in Italy that offers a legible black dial, luminous plots, a nylon nato strap and a 300-meter water-resistant case. A diving scale insert features on a black aluminium bezel, surrounding a matte black dial with Super-LumiNova® C1 hands and hour markers that appear white but glow a rich green in the dark. The zero marker on the bezel is also filled with lume and the hour track is represented by a mix of circular baton and triangular indexes. A 316L stainless steel case has been brushed and engraved with Unimatic lettering on its side.

The Modello Uno U1-F also features a 2mm screwed-in caseback engraved with a Unimatic conversion scale. Unimatic has produced just 600 watches worldwide and finishes the model on a heavy-duty Unimatic nylon nato strap. Other distinct diver-inspired features of the Modello Uno watch include a lollipop seconds hand and a crown that measures 8mm in diameter. Propelling the hands around the dial is the remarkably accurate Seiko NH35A automatic movement which is tuned to perform at a rate of 21,600 vibrations per hour whilst producing a 41-hour power reserve.

A highly readable black diver’s dial defines the Unimatic U2-B model. Low-refractive sandblasting treatment has been applied to the surface of a 316L stainless steel case equipped with 300-meter water resistance. On top of the case is a 2.7mm thick ultra double-domed anti-reflective sapphire crystal glass front. Its anti-reflective treatment is designed to rid the wearer of any undesirable glare when wanting to reference the time during the day. By night, Unimatic’s Super-LumiNova® C1 white material is used for the surface of the hour track, represented in a mix of Arabic numerals and baton markers.

The triangular index takes up its usual position at 12 o’clock. Unlike the Unimatic Modello Uno U1-F, the Modello Due U2-B model forgoes the unidirectional rotating bezel and instead features a distant tonneau-shaped case with a prominent crown at 3 o’clock. It is the surface finish of this model’s steel case that lends itself such a unique design on this occasion. The phantom straight hands and the black reverse lollipop second hand are also defining features, governed once again by the Seiko NH35A automatic movement. The watch can be enjoyed on a two-piece nylon strap and a black Unimatic-embossed silicone strap.

The Unimatic Modello Tre U3-A is limited to just 600 pieces worldwide and boasts an undeniably vintage-inspired aesthetic. A black dial with cream Super-LumiNova® and gilt trims match a surrounding black bezel crafted from aluminium. The watch is inspired by the Modello Uno and the heritage chrono-diver design and comes executed on a Horween Cordovan® Shell strap crafted in Italy as well as a Unimatic V-shaped nato strap. The curved case of the Modello Tre U3-A watch is an appealing feature that combines nicely with oversized screw-down chrono pushers for easy handling over the chronograph functions on the dial. The VK64 mech-quartz movement that sits inside the watch’s 300-meter water-resistant case offers 1/5 of a second indication, plus a 60 minutes counter.

The Unimatic U1-DW is limited to just 200 pieces worldwide and exudes its Italian-inspired dive watch design via a high contrast white dial and Super-LumiNova® C1 white filled indexes and hands. The simplicity of the dial is what makes this Unimatic watch so appealing. A brushed 316L stainless steel case is integrated with 300-meter water resistance and features the familiar lollipop seconds hand, an Unimatic-engraved case and an engraved caseback depicting a Unimatic conversion scale. It also features a set of black phantom ladder hands. Powered by the NH35A automatic movement, the Unimatic U1-DW promises superior accuracy but also wrist comfort, courtesy of a grey heavy-duty Unimatic nylon nato strap and an additional black made-in-Italy leather strap.

Limited to just 50 pieces worldwide, the Unimatic Modello Uno U1-SS is nicknamed the Spongebob due to its distinct yellow nato strap and Spongebob-decorated black dial. Both the indexes and the Spongebob portrait are finished with luminescent material, enabling the wearer to admire its unique dial design even in the dark. The 316 brushed stainless steel case features a DLC black brushed finish, an 8mm crown and gaskets to minimise the risk of water seeping into the internal environment of the case. This environment, of course, is occupied by the trusty NH35A automatic movement, promising an accuracy of -20/+40 s/day. A black heavy-duty Unimatic V-shaped nylon nato strap is also supplied with the watch, transforming the dive tool into a sleeker and even more dynamic addition for the wrist.

Unimatic watches are certain to remain remarkably sought after on the market, appealing to collectors due to the genuine scarcity of each model and the company’s price-to-quantity ratio. With so many designs to choose from already, following the brand and its most recent releases keeps things both exciting and interesting for a collector. For a target audience centred around vintage dive tools, Unimatic is hitting all the right notes – each new creation adding further value to limited edition timepieces that have been and gone before it.