This is the newly released Unimatic Modello Uno U1S-PD5, it’s the Italian watchmaker’s most robust dive watch to date, with a depth rating of 1,666 ft (500 meters), a Swiss automatic movement, and an affordable MSRP.
Unimatic is an Italian watch company that was founded relatively recently in 2015. The company’s co-founders are Giovanni Moro and Simone Nunziato, both Milan born and bred. They met while studying industrial design at Politecnico di Milano (Polytechnic University of Milan) and formulated a plan to turn the watch world on its head.
The Unimatic Modello Uno U1S-PD5 comes on a charcoal grey TPU two-piece strap and a grey NATO strap is also included, but for an additional €100 (approximately $108 USD) you can opt for the stainless steel bracelet pictured at the top of the article.
What Giovanni and Simone devised was a new kind of watch company, one that made their watches in Italy but only sold them in limited edition batches, with affordable pricing starting at €400 ($430 USD) for some models.
The Unimatic design ethos means that their watches are immediately recognizable, even across a crowded room, which is quite an achievement in and of itself in the bustling, perhaps overcrowded global watch market.
Unimatic watches typically have a black and stainless steel colorway, with minimal (if any) actual color used. Indices are usually dots and dashes rather than numerals, they are mostly fitted with black NATO straps, though some have stainless steel bracelets as an option, and movements can be either quartz or automatic mechanical depending on your budget.
When the company was first established they set a precedent of only selling watches in limited edition batches, typically 100, 250, 400, or 500 units depending on the model. Once a design is sold out it’s never brought back into production, so owners have a level of exclusivity and are unlikely to ever bump into anyone with the same specific model.
It’s now been almost a decade since the company was founded and they’ve become one of the best-known of the modern microbrands, with multiple features on major watch publications like Hodinkee and Time & Tide.
All Unimatic watches come in a tough polycarbonate travel case, allowing you to store them safely when not in use or when traveling.
The Unimatic Modello Uno U1S-PD5
The Unimatic Modello Uno U1S-PD5 is the company’s first professional-grade dive watch, with a depth rating of 500 meters (1,666 ft – 50 ATM). This series also includes the similar U1S-PD3, which lacks the blue outer ring on the dial and sells for a little less.
The U1S-PD5 has a 316 stainless steel case and caseback, a 3mm thick double domed sapphire with an anti-reflective coating on inner-side, and a 120 click mono-directional security bezel. It has a 40mm case, Super-LumiNova® BGW09 markers, and a matte black diver dial for optimal low-light contrast.
The watch is powered by the Swiss made Sellita SW200-1 movement, this is an automatic calibre that operates at 28,800 bph, it has a hacking seconds hand, and a 38 hour power reserve.
The U1S-PD5 12 comes with two-tone Super-LumiNova®, with OL orange used on the dial markers and blue BGW09 used on the bezel.
The screw-down caseback features a Unimatic conversion scale and the watch comes with a charcoal grey TPU two-piece strap and a grey NATO strap, though there is an optional stainless steel bracelet offered which costs an additional €100 (approximately $108 USD). Just 500 of these will be made and if past sales are any guide they will sell out quickly, they’re available directly from Unimatic for €1,200 (approximately $1,295 USD).
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