There are two ways to assess a product’s overall design. Instinct says to focus on what’s new and novel, like a sports car’s unique geometry or aerodynamic flourishes. In the case of Unimatic, a small Italian watch company founded in 2015, it may be more helpful to take the less obvious approach — looking not for features its timepieces have brought to the table but which ones they’ve removed.
“We try to condense in our product,” says Unimatic cofounder Simone Nunziato. “Everything that might get in the way of you pursuing your day, we take it away.”
Nowhere is the brand’s streamlined design philosophy more apparent than with its flagship timepiece, the U1 Classic. Measuring 41.5mm in diameter, the watch riffs on famous dive watches of yesteryear, a pared-back mashup of a Blancpain Fifty Fathoms and Rolex Submariner with most of the markings removed. What little is left — pale-green indices and a minimal amount of text — pops off the matte-black dial. A blank rotating bezel creates a simple yet elegant border.
The watch’s character comes from its lack thereof, resulting in a harmonic timepiece that fetishizes utility and approachability above all else. It costs less than $600.
“When I think of the iconic tool watches that people want, they’re not practical,” Nunziato says. “People are paying crazy secondhand prices. It kind of loses its original identity as a tool watch. We try to make watches you really want to wear. Your daily driver.”
That may explain why Nunziato and Unimatic cofounder Giovanni Moro have priced their watches closer to that of an entry-level Seiko than, say, a Tudor or Omega.
“I don’t want to sound too full of myself,” Moro asserts, “but it’s very hard to find a better value proposition. I’m ready to accept any challenger.”
The U1 Classic and its price are made possible by the ubiquitous Seiko NH-35, an automatic movement that isn’t just known for its reliability or precision but the ease with which it can be serviced. “In some way, it’s a kind of insurance,” Moro says. “It’s a product that can survive dozens of years after Unimatic is gone and live on for future generations.”
The U1 Classic is one of four watches that make up Unimatic’s evergreen collection — each one a distinctive expression of a different kind of tool watch. In recent years, the company has also become known for limited-edition collaborations and colorways produced in batches as small as 100 pieces.
While Unimatic’s design language is all about pruning back, it would be reckless to say that Nunziato, Moro and the growing team at Unimatic haven’t contributed something unique to the greater conversation about watchmaking, especially in Italy. Unlike other notable brands from the region, such as Bulgari and Panerai, which manufacture watches in Switzerland, Unimatic displays the words “Made in Italy” on every dial.
“We are proud of that,” Nunziato says. All Unimatic watches are assembled, tested and packaged a mere 30-minute drive from Milan. The dial and strap manufacturers are also close by. “For us, Italy is a seal of quality.”
Beyond the artisanal aspect, being a small Italian watch brand has afforded Unimatic a kind of freedom too seldom seen in the watch world. “The Swiss are good for a number of things but they have a very traditional approach to products,” Moro says.
“For better or worse, what we do is different to what some Swiss guy would’ve done.”
