Italy is known as the land of delicious food, unique fashion, famous art, and architecture, yet a home for the most prestigious brands. What’s not to love about Italy? And, when it comes to watches, some of you may think that Italian watches are underrated among other luxury brands. Well, it is true that Italian watches are mostly about fashion, Gucci, Bvlgari, you name it. It also cannot be denied that their timepieces are not equivalent to their cars ⎯Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Pagani. But, they are worth trying, though.
There are several Italian watch brands out there that have excellent quality like German, French, and even Swiss watch brands. Unimatic, Squale, and U-Boat are examples. Those are the best Italian watches that offer the finest craftsmanship with high-quality materials, stylish designs, and functional features. With those traits, they are much more than just ordinary timepieces. Let’s discuss them further.
Squale: A Master in the Water
Once the name Squale comes to mind, the watch collectors will associate it with a master of a dive watch. Squale is actually the pioneer in diving timepieces. The original history of this Italian watch brand in the field of maritime horology began in 1946 when Charles Von Buren, the founder, started to manufacture watch cases and other components for other watch brands.
In the late 50s, sport diving was popular and many professional divers wore wristwatches as essential tools for tracking the time underwater. The founder had an interest in the sport and began assembling his own professional dive watch under the Squale brand name which was only marketed in dive stores rather than jewelry shops.
Squale itself is an Italian word that means shark. The brand then joined the watch market in 1974 and kept sparking its wings by launching great watches such as the spectacular 101 ATMOS. Now, to pay homage to the legendary 101 ATMOS, this Italian watch brand launched the remake version.
- 101 ATMOS PVD Black/Orange
101 ATMOS PVD Black/Orange is the remake of 101 ATMOS from the 70s. It uses Swiss automatic movement ETA 2824-2 for better performance. Squale offers their collectors a complete PVD coating on the 316L stainless steel case with matte finishing to prevent corrosion and abrasion. Carrying those features, the watch won’t be bothered by any damage when it is worn underwater up to 1000m depth.
- 50 ATMOS Onda Uva
There’s always a reason why Squale collections are sought by dive nerds even years after it is launched. For example, the 50 ATMOS Onda Uva takes inspiration from the 1960s and 70s iconic skin-diver mode. This Italian watch will be the perfect prey for watch hunters because of its 500m water resistant, stainless steel case with DLC treatment, flat sapphire crystal, and affordable price for sure.
See also: Squale vs Steinhart: The Comparison between The Compelling Ones
Unimatic: Italian’s New Favorite
Unimatic may be a new independent Italian watch brand, but it is ready to dominate the market. Built-in 2015 by the natives, Giovanni Moro and Simone Nunziato, this company has got a lot of collectors since then. It started when Moro asked Nunziato to create a timepiece that he designed. And, it resulted in the first collection and the most popular model of Unimatic called the Modello Uno.
After the success of Uno, Unimatic decided to launch another two models, the Due and Tre. Once again, they received positive feedback from the watch enthusiasts, and it keeps going until now. Let’s see what Unimatic got in their watches.
- Modello Uno
Unimatic always manufactures simple looking timepieces with great features. Modello Uno is one of the best-sellers of their first series. This dive watch carries a minimalist theme yet a strong image. It has a rugged 40mm 316L stainless steel case, screw-down crown, 300m water resistance, and is powered by the Seiko’s automatic tried-and-tested Calibre NH35A.
- Modello Due Classic ref. UC-2
Modello Due Classic ref. UC-2 is the current edition of Unimatic. This field watch does impress the watch lover with its 300m water resistance. Still powered by the Seiko NH35A automatic movement, this watch is paired with Super-Luminova markers and sapphire crystal to provide readability.
See also: Automatic Watch Accuracy: How Precise the Movement is?
U-Boat: Big Dimension Watches
U-Boat is one of the Italian watch brands whose collections are often worn by celebrities. Let’s say, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tom Cruise, Nicolas Cage to the popular football player David Beckham. Each timepiece from this brand is handcrafted to pay attention to detail. The journey started in 1942 when Ilvo Fontana designed a watch that was addressed to the Italian Navy to equip the pilot.
The designs were not produced until Ilvo’s grandson, Italo Fontana, discovered them. Those sketches inspired him to establish a watch company in Tuscany with the delightful motto “A New Dimension in Time. The U-BOAT Journey Has Started”. A unique feature that is exhibited by U-Boat watches is the oversized watch face. Once you see the watch, you would know it is a U-Boat.
- Classico Sommerso 46mm Ref. 9007/A – MK 2
To support the function of a dive watch, Classico Sommerso 46mm Ref. 9007/A – MK 2 is featured with a unidirectional bezel, Swiss automatic mechanical movement, 300m water resistance, and a special screw-down crown that can prevent water from entering the watch. Not to mention the large diameter dial, 46mm, which brings legibility to the next level.
Well, with plenty of innovation in fashion, Italy surely knows how to design a fine-looking timepiece. But, they don’t just sacrifice functionality for appearance. Now, enjoy your Italian pizza and wine in your Italian supercar with an Italian watch toting on your wrist.
See also: Top 4 Japanese Watch Brands that Make You Forget Swiss’ Craft
