Introducing the Newly Revamped-for-2020 Unimatic Modello Uno and Tre

Unimatic, the Italian maker of design forward tool watches, has unveiled a total of 6 new references heading into the new year. The new watches are stark black and white affairs, with brushed stainless steel and black DLC coatings available for each timepiece. In addition to the aesthetic updates, Unimatic has made a key upgrade to the flagship Modello Uno’s case construction, which should please longtime fans of the brand and newcomers alike. Let’s get into it.

Unimatic Modello Tre

• Case Material: Stainless steel
• Dial: Black
• Dimensions: 41.5 x 13.7 x 51mm
• Crystal: Sapphire   
• Water Resistance: 300 meters    
• Crown: Screw down     
• Movement: Seiko VK64
• Strap/bracelet: Nylon  
• Price: $610 (stainless steel), $725 (black DLC)
• Reference Number: U3-F, U3-FN 
• Expected Release: Available now

Unimatic Modello Uno

• Case Material: Stainless steel
• Dial: Black
• Dimensions: 41.5 x 13.6 x 49mm
• Crystal: Sapphire   
• Water Resistance: 300 meters    
• Crown: Screw down     
• Movement: Seiko NH35A
• Strap/bracelet: Nylon  
• Price: $610-$795
• Reference Number: U1-F, U1-FN, U1-FM, U1-FMN 
• Expected Release: Available now

We’ll start with the Modello Tre. A diving chronograph, the Modello Tre is powered by a Seiko Mechaquartz movement, and features a full 300 meters of water resistance. The two-register layout works well with Unimatic’s well established dial design, featuring a mix of geometric shapes in bold white, and filled with lume. Traditional pump pushers and a lack of crown guards allow Unimatic to maintain some semblance of symmetry on their chronograph, with some subtle vintage inspired cues to boot. As with all of the watches announced by Unimatic as part of this collection, the Modello Tre is available in a tooly brushed stainless steel, or a sleek black DLC coated case. The impressions of the two versions are wildly different, and it will come down to personal preference on which one to go for if you’re in the market for Unimatic’s chrono, but they are both, of course, unmistakably Unimatic designs through and through.

The Modello Uno, the brand’s distinctive dive watch, has also been updated. A total of four new Unos are available. The U1-F/FN Unos feature a closed minute rail on the dial with a 60 minute rotating dive bezel. The U1-FM/FMN Unos feature the same hour markers and handset as the U1-F/FN, but have been stripped of their minutes tracks, and the bezels are sterile, with just a lume pip at 12:00.

Again, Unimatic’s unique aesthetic is now completely their own, so these watches all make a ton of sense within the brand’s larger collection. For me, the brand’s real sweet spot is in the most minimal design possible, so I’d tend to go for one of the sterile bezel variants among the new Modello Unos. But if precise timekeeping is a priority (or if you just prefer the look), you really lose nothing of the great Unimatic design language in the U1-F/FN category.

The under-the-hood technical upgrade mentioned above is no small matter. On previous Modello Unos, Unimatic used a plastic movement holder to keep the movement in place. The new Unos use a more secure and rigid solid metal holder. Unimatic, understandably, wants their watches to be perceived as actual tools that are capable of diving or taking any sort of beating a robust watch should be expected to handle, so the upgrade here is fairly essential. Whether you dive with your Uno isn’t really the point, though. This is more about knowing that the watch exists as more than simply a design object, and that it’s an actual well made thing. 

The new Modello Unos and Modello Tre are available now on the Unimatic site. Unimatic