Giovanni Moro and Simone Nunziato have a shared passion and expertise in industrial design and became friends while studying the subject together at university in Milan.
That friendship and expertise led them to launching a watch business in 2015.
UNIMATIC (a reference to unique automatics) was created with a commitment to using elevated Italian design in timepieces with clear purpose, value and utility.
Over the past seven years, the Milan-based brand has brought as much of its production to Italy, including assembly and testing, and its watches have Made In Italy proudly stamped on their dials.
The business keeps quantities low, and also makes even scarcer limited editions using a minimalist divers’ watch architecture and design.
U2 Classic is UNIMATIC’s entry level automatic, priced at €400 plus tax, which has all the design signatures of the brand including a matt black dial with bold, highly legible lume-filled hands and hour markers.
It easier to wear out of the ocean than most dive watches because it comes in a compact 38.5mm brushed stainless steel case without a divers’ bezel.
This model uses a highly reliable Seiko-made NH35A automatic movement with 41 hour power reserve, protected to a depth of 1000 feet under water.
The core collection also includes a version with a unidirectional bezel with a single dot as a countdown marker.
There are also chronographs and GMTs with the same industrial design, plus a number of special editions, sometimes in collaboration with partners, other times experimenting with punchier designs and materials.
UNIMATIC L’Eroica
UNIMATIC’s latest special edition is made to celebrate L’Eroica, a famous cycling event in Tuscany where people tour the beautiful towns and countryside on vintage bikes paying far more attention to the food and drink of the region than racing against each other.
L’Eroica is so popular, it has been exported to other beauty spots including California, Japan, Switzerland, Germany and South Africa.
UNIMATIC has made a 300-piece limited edition for L’Eroica with a degradé red and black L’Eroica dial. It is worn on a black perforated calfskin strap, reminiscent of vintage-inspired cycling shoes.
The automatic launched in October for €670 plus tax.
