Over the last several years, independent Italian brand Unimatic has built a remarkable cult following for its tough, minimal watch designs, largely off the strength of its functional, yet characterful pared-back design language. For 2024, the brand takes its ruggedly stylish persona to the next level, creating a series of tough, everyday designs in full compliance with the U.S. Department of Defense’s stringent MIL-STD-810 standard for durability. The result is the new Unimatic Modello Uno Toolwatch UT-1, a go-anywhere, do-anything three-hander that blends the brand’s signature style with an even more purpose-built feel.
At 41.5mm wide and 13.2mm thick, the Unimatic Modello Uno Toolwatch UT-1 isn’t exactly a small watch on paper, but several design factors work to give this watch an even beefier, more muscular feel on the wrist. First and foremost, there’s the finishing to consider. Unimatic opts for full sandblasting throughout the case, giving the watch a monolithic, uniform feel during wear. Furthermore, the actual case shape, with its bold unchamfered lugs, slab case sides, and aggressive crown guards, feels bold and imposing. With that said, it’s big, but well-proportioned, coming across as masculine and functional rather than overcompensating. The bezel is a solid example of Unimatic’s design philosophy in action, as well. The matte-black countdown-style aluminum insert features a full scale but remains light, airy, and impressively simple thanks to careful consideration of line weights and typefaces. For the solid caseback, Unimatic includes a crisply engraved depiction of its internal 360-degree movement protection system, and rates the watch for a hefty 300 meters of water resistance.
Like the case, the Unimatic Modello Uno Toolwatch UT-1’s dial takes the brand’s established design cues in an even more utilitarian, function-first direction. To this end, the Modello Uno’s familiar diver-style indices are replaced with crisp, high-visibility Arabic numerals, while the ladder-style straight sword hands and bold outer minutes scale remain the same. Couple this with dial text centered at 6 o’clock and balanced signal orange accents, and the end result is a modern military-inflected, semi-sterile look with immense legibility from almost any angle. It may not have as much character as the dive-style Modello Uno, but it’s deeply capable and attractive in its own way.
Inside the Unimatic Modello Uno Toolwatch UT-1 beats the Seiko VH31 mecaquartz movement. At this point, the watch community is more or less accustomed to mecaquartz chronographs, but three-hand iterations of this same hybrid technology remain far rarer in the current market. But like its more complicated counterparts, the VH31 offers a “best of both worlds” approach to horology, combining a quartz-grade +15/-15 seconds per month in accuracy with a mechanical-style sweeping seconds hand. While there’s plenty to like about the VH31, it’s worth noting that the mecaquartz design is not without its compromises. To enable the mechanical-style sweeping seconds, this movement is far more power-hungry than a standard quartz powerplant, with a power reserve of two years on a standard battery. Unimatic isn’t satisfied with the usual durability of quartz movements here, however, and nestles the VH31 in its signature 360-degree protection system shock absorber. The end result is one of the most rugged, shock-resistant watches this side of G-Shock, which should be able to handle nearly any challenge it comes across. To complete the package, Unimatic fits the watch with a heavyweight black nylon two-piece strap, featuring reinforced stitching and a case-matching sandblasted pin buckle.
Unimatic’s unique blend of immense durability and minimalist style has earned it an impressive fan following over the years, and for its latest collection, the brand takes this philosophy even further with the impressively tough, utilitarian Unimatic Modello Uno Toolwatch UT-1. The Unimatic Modello Uno Toolwatch UT-1 is available now through authorized dealers. MSRP for this watch stands at €425 Euro as of press time. For more information, please visit the brand’s website.
