The Unimatic x Revolution x The Rake ‘Arctic Fox’ Embraces Snow Camouflage with Achromatic U1 GMT

In 2022, we saw a whirlwind of intriguing GMT watches in all sorts of sizes, styles, and variations. Among the group of watches made to inspire travel and jump time zones was the Unimatic Modello Uno U1S-TGMT. It was the brand’s introduction to the GMT following their initial collaborative effort with Hodinkee, incorporating the same design but furnished out of a titanium case. Giovani Moro and Simone Nunziato, the duo behind the Italian watch brand, partnered up with Revolution and The Rake to close out what has become the “Year of the GMT” on a high note with yet another collaborative piece. This time, it’s the achromatic Unimatic x Revolution x The Rake ‘Arctic Fox’ U1 GMT.

The watch is wholly inspired by snow camouflage, a white protective coloration seen on various arctic animals. More specifically, the watch taps into the color-changing features of the arctic fox, whose fur changes from a mix of brown and gray in the summer to entirely white in the winter. Just like the arctic fox in the dead of winter, the Arctic Fox U1 GMT is absent of any color, displaying every component of the watch in tones of white. Even though the U1 GMT heavily leans into the snow camouflage effect, there are little design touches that allow the different features of the watch to still be seen and appreciated.

The stainless steel case is fully coated in a white ceramic protective outer layer, but this isn’t your average Cerakote application. Looking more closely, you’ll notice that the stonewashed case appears to have wear marks to the case, crown, and bezel edges. The intentional patina slightly reveals the steel base of the U1 GMT while highlighting the case lines so the depth of the case is not lost, and simultaneously adding a ruggedness quality to the watch.

The design of the case is pulled from Unimatic’s foundational offering in the Modello Uno diver. Modernly sized, the case spans 40mm in width (41.5mm with the bezel) and 11.6mm in thickness. Chunky crown guards hug the oversized crown, and the lugs extend 49mm from top to bottom. Instead of a timing bezel, the Arctic Fox U1 GMT sports a 24 hour bezel executed with a Unimatic flare. The bezel numerals are displayed via a contemporary typeface and the 24-hour marker is substituted by a double-zero marker. In the photos provided, it appears that the bezel also utilizes a color-changing feature, where in some instances the aluminum bezel has a metallic appearance, while in others it matches the white case and dial.

Despite the white markers and hands against the white dial, legibility isn’t an issue. Each marker is outlined by black surrounds and the GMT arrow gets a bolder dose of that. The hour and minute hands are presented with an in-relief design so that they’re still easily distinguishable.

The Arctic Fox U1 GMT uses an independent GMT hand to track a second time zone making this watch a “caller” or otherwise known as an “office” GMT. Powered by the ETA 2893-2, the U1 GMT runs up to 42 hours on a full wind and is tuned to 28,800 bph. A solid screw caseback with all three brand logos partially displayed in their respective typefaces conceal the movement. The collaborative piece is delivered with three different strap options; an all-white ribbed rubber strap, a tonal gray pixelated camo strap, and a snow camouflage NATO.

I’m usually impartial to all white watches, but the Arctic Fox U1 GMT is done so in a way where it feels more utilitarian, and less “wear me in South Beach ” although I’m sure it’ll still look rad if you choose to rock it that way. With the all little specific design touches throughout the watch combined with the minimal aesthetic, you can’t help but feel the sartorial presence of Wei Koh, the enigmatic founder of both Revolution and The Rake. The stonewashed Cerakote layered case gives the watch a subtle, but distinct look and the bold use of black around the GMT arrow is highlighted in a way where it jumps off the dial as if it were a brightly colored GMT hand traditionally seen on GMT watches. Not to play on the whole arctic theme here, but the watch is cool. 2022 has truly been the “Year of the GMT” and if the release of the Unimatic x Revolution x The Rake U1 GMT is any indication of what’s to come this year, we should all be ready for another strong push in travel watches. And I’m here for all of it.

The Unimatic x Revolution x The Rake is limited to just 150 pieces and since its release, it has been sold out. But we’re talking about Unimatic here, so if you did miss out the first collaboration with Revolution and The Rake, it’s not a stretch to say that there might be something in the pipeline for the future. Unimatic x Revolution x The Rake