Nope! Too expensive for an NH35 with no bracelet, and the lume? I get the whole minimalist stick but there just isn't enough going on. Not enough bang for the buck IMO.
I really like the Unimatic designs as well. My favourites so far have been the Hodinkee limited editions. The use of grey made the contrasts a little less harsh and the Sellita movements allowed to slap some height off the case.
The single marker bezel is used by the Squale Master Marina Militare made for the Italian military; their dive operations use the marker to track hours rather than minutes.
This was my first “proper” piece. While I liked the idea of a stripped-down-to-essence watch, I would’ve never paid full retail for it, but I was lucky enough to get one 30% off from Uncrate. The supplied strap is good quality, but, with its thickness and relatively straight lugs, wearing this one on a NATO makes it look somewhat cumbersome, so I wear mine on a two-piece or a Zulu at most. Another mild annoyance is not being sure the pip is aligned, as you have almost no “landmarks” for guidance. All in all a decent piece if you manage to get one with a proper discount.
I have a San Martin field watch with the same straight lug issue and I found a 5mm thick Buffalo hide strap that fills the void. Tiny watch / massive strap though.
I got my new U1S-MP (my first Unimatic) three days ago (SW200 movement w/ date at 6pm, same width but a mm slimmer, $950), and the lume is much, much better than model reviewed here. There are also indices all around the bezel, though they're so subtle that you could miss them if you aren't looking for them. Overpriced if you don't consider the coolness...a bargain if you do.
I really like the minimal dive style, it's like it's trying to be a Nomos diver (couldn't think of another example) and I dig it. It does look like a Chinese special sterile dial when the hands are all on the lower half of the dial though. The cost is high and would like more down turn lugs. Great review as well
Really like the style, I've modded some vostoks to look similarly minimalist in the past. 49mm lug to lug would be pushing it on my 15cm wrist with this one though.
Why does Unimatic have a cult following? Looking at this particular one......that's a very good question. NH35 movement, didn't even bother with an NH38 to get rid of the ghost date, lume like a Pagani Design, and a totally useless bezel for that price? Not really different enough to warrant the price. You could get as good from Ali Express and go for a sterile dial if you want a clean look. As a desk diver with an NH35, bad lume and a ghost date? USD$250 and you'd probably want a big discount on that. You'll probably have a better watch with a hundred dollar Pagani.
@@S-Ltd1000 Excellent point. Thinking about my comment later I think I was too generous saying $250. I do truly believe that the PD is a better watch and the fact that yours has an NH38 is the icing on the cake. I wish Pagani would improve the lume a bit, but I have heard some reviewers saying that the lume is getting better. Enjoy your watch, imagine you could get 4 or 5 Paganis for the price of one of these!
Thing is they look cooler than a equimos cocktail, got two now, both V reaonable on the grey market. Even the Sellita one has a ghost date, also Im a diver and looking forward to taking it down.
The Squale Master Marina Militare, made for the Italian Navy, and the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms “3H Bund”, made for the frogmen of the West German navy, had the single marker bezel. You know, you count the minutes on the dial. The bezel only serves to mark the starting point.
Every now and then you get a cracking design on and this is superb. I love the look and industrial tool look to the case. You're definitely paying for the design, which is worth it when they look as good as this classic. I see myself buying one of these for sure.
Nice review. 10:21 -I like how the indices reflect off what seems to be a polished ring around the perimeter of the dial (or maybe the crystal beveled edge). Cool little design trick.
Owned 2 Unimatic a few years ago - The U1-EM and the U2. Loved both, took the U1-EM on my trip to Iceland as well. In the end, too big and strap choices were a deal breaker as well as the poor lume.
I think for the price point though the watch is of good quality, as a dive watch with no numbers on the bezel I would prefer a Seiko prospex, CWC, Hamilton, or Oris . Cheers from Charleston,South Carolina.
i love this watch and brand. of note, there are some interesting homage watches of some versions from Unimatic, from Tandorio & San Martin. not sure worth focus on, as the Unimatic is already such an excellent price
Shave off 1mm, improve the lume, replace the aluminium bezel insert with ceramic with etched markings (so that it maintains the all-black aesthetic), and make this $350-400USD and I would be complaining about not being able to buy one because of the waitlist! 😅 That's where I see the value and market for this piece.
I like the design, great to see that this price range brings diversity to the market and not solely knock-offs. Its case and crone seam quite unique. I also like the design details that are not to be found on a seamaster or submariner, i.e. the bezel asthetics, tone in tone hands with only the lume bringing the contrast and balance on the second hand.
I like how clean the dial is. That's the best feature, IMO. I feel like there are several red flags, though. Especially for the money they're charging. First of all, as others have said, that bezel is ridiculous for a diver. I realize that it might be considered a desk diver, but still, even with a desk diver, you can still time things. I would prefer that kind of clean aesthetic be on a dress watch, if they weren't going to put indices on the bezel. You don't need the bezel to rotate if there aren't any indices anyway. And because there aren't any indices, it doesn't need to be that thick. It would at least be a better desk diver if they slimmed it down. You don't need 300m water resistance for a desk diver. The last thing is the ghost date. For the money they're charging for it, they could've used a movement that matched the watch. It's like designing a 3 story building where you only use the 1st and 3rd floors, but the elevator still goes to the second floor.
There is one use case for the mono-pip bezel: the Squale Master Marina Militare was built for the Italian military, where tracking movement of the hour hand was more important to their dive operations than the minute hand.
They didnt even make effort to put no date nh38 for that amount of money that with other brands we get Sellita sw200-2.. also hate the brand name above 6. If it was under 12 and if it came with good bracelet it will be good. For now is bad value for money.
@@blacktoothstavros2606 Jody loves his T-shirts. He just needs to create his own. Come on Jody, crack on. You'll be able to buy a few more watches with the profits! They are also useful as giveaways of course!
I love my U1-EM because of the unique design (so much that Ive bought it twice!) Movement may be humble but I won't get nervous when it's time for a service (or mvmt replacement). I should also say I inquired with their CS to check costs on parts and service and they were very very reasonable and super quick to respond. I think they're cool but not a "value play" that most of your audience is looking for.
I like the clean presentation - to a point. The bezel is useless. For the price they are after there should be applied indices. Speaking of which I'm not a fan of the 'sleepy baton' at 6 o'clock. I'm a value-oriented kind of person. While this has some interesting design elements I'm not persuaded. To each their own. Mine will be elsewhere for now.
Maybe I'm a Philistine, but when minimalism means something loses significant function, no thanks. I'm more of a "form follows function" proponent. I can appreciate a Movado Museum for a dress watch, but what is the point of a dive bezel that is worthless for timing? There are various iconic, Bauhaus designs, that manage to combine minimalism with function and elegance. There is also a bit of "parts bin" feeling, especially with the hands that I've seen on many other watches. I also don't see the "unique" design language that would make me pay premium prices, for run of the mill finishing and specs. I'll give them extra points for a great brand name.
@@sandrakemkers3158 That's not the way traditional dive bezels work. At the start of a dive the main marker is placed to line up with the minute hand, and then the dive bezel indicates time under water by where the minute hands is currently hitting on the bezel.
I don't "get" it, it's circles and angles almost like an AI designed it to be easy to machine. What's up with that daft bezel? With no numbers, you can't time anything. But you could set the pip 6 minutes ahead and countdown time your boiled eggs I suppose. I can see this was put together by design students, it's all about the form but I am a function guy so I'll pass
I love their simple design & colours. Yes they are a bit over priced for what you get but at this price range I'm incredibly superficial. It's all about the look.
Nice review mate. I've not reviewed a Unimatic, but I have reviewed a couple of homages from both San Martin and Tandorio. They are definitely interesting and unique designs that won't appeal to everyone though.
Had they used a Miyota 9000 series, maybe. If they're going to sell a great design, they need to use a better movement. Maybe they could charge the same with a Miyota if they used less expensive packaging? Great design, cheap movement and expensive packaging. Makes total sense. Perhaps they should cut back on their Chianti consumption.
Quite a cool design but expensive for what's on offer, just not seeing the value proposition here. Lots of other options out there with better movements, better lume, dimensions etc at a similar price point
I like it but reckon I could make something similar out of spare parts I've got lying around and some matte black paint. I got a few sterile nh35&sapphire sub homages for parts that were too cheap to miss. Not sure how to do the inner bezel ring but I'll figure it out!
Good ol' Max from Brisbane! I've heard nothing but good things! 😁❤ I've always liked the look of the Unimatics. Nice to finally get a closer look! Cheers Jody! 🙏
Just bought the L'eroica. Came across this video yesterday and fell for the L'eroica immediately. Happen to be a cyclist, so appropriate. Love the idea of friends who know nothing about watches or cycling possibly misreading it as L'erotica ( just one 't' short 😂 ) and this WILL definitely be my last ever watch purchase or I fear divorce courts will definitely beckon. Love the design - what a number to go out on 😁👍
Great review, Watch has good graphic design appeal, but experimental hodgepodge of dimesions and movement. It’s like they haven’t designed this watch in a functional sense for Watch users, only designed this in a graphic form from plan view. A lot of money for a fashion watch…
Bought the SW200 version. Really love the design. A little slimmer. Had to pay import fees. Mine came with rubber and nato straps Swapped them out for a sailcloth. Also just picked up a shark mesh bracelet. Might see what that looks like…
Had one, weird case shape that didn't sit well on my wrist. Well made, liked the look but just very odd to wear. Didn't keep it long. Best bit about it was no date!! Good video, thank you 👍🏻👍🏻
I purchased the Modelo Duo a couple years ago and it's great. Looks like a Rolex with the bezel removed. The lug-to-lug is just a little long for my wrist, though. Good watches. Good vid. Keep at it!
Design is cool, like the black and white contrast but it is heavily overpriced. Would they do a similar design on a somewhat decent bracelet and a “venta black” dial, then I would me very interested. A affordable venta black dial in general would be awesome, and it surely fits their design language.
For me this is one of the most interesting pieces I have seen this year, thanks for sharing! I will be putting some money aside to get me one soon! Off course that Nato strap will be replaced for a nice silicone or two piece Nato. Fantastic design, different
@@williamwallace9427 Hi William, I am not "innocent" here, I purchased one time a Submariner San Martin, I think it is qualitative fine, but for some reason I do not really enjoy these "I want, but I can´t" watches. So no more homages for me sir 😅
Dial has a sterile submariner kinda layout. Feels kinda familiar to me. The blank bezel insert is what gives it a interesting look, but not something I've haven't seen before.
I really like the design aesthetic quite a bit. The downfall is the movement vs the pricepoint. Have purchased watches in the same range with higher-end movements and just as much, if not better design.
I have still got this image in my head of a warehouse somewhere full of pallets stacked up with nh35 movements on them.A bit like the last shot in "Raiders of The Lost Arc".? Historical artifacts in this instance most revelant.
The first thing I did then I got this watch I swapped the strap to their Cordura strap. Much more comfortable and better looking without the bulky nato strap look. I got a close up of it on my channel!
Unimatic’s rubber strap is excellent. Totally changes the look and feel of the watch. I feel it’s the best suited to the Modelo Uno vs the nato and steel bracelet
Thank you very much. Wonderful video. I've always been curious about this brand the sprang but never dove too deep into it. I've always been curious about this brand but never dove too deep into it. After this video I feel like I spent the day with it thank you
Looks lovely and fresh. Needs a sellita movement at that price but even more impressive is the elevator music has gone and we get to listen to you only Jody.
I like the clean aesthetic, but I'm not sure about the value for money. It is only the look that you pay for, and some of that look, while industrial, renders the watch less usable - kind of the antithesis of industrial design.
Saw this watch on another channel and thought I’d look for another review on it. My personal opinion is that although it looks stunning and the case it comes in is great the price is far far to high. NH 35 movement and a nato strap ? Not for me at that price unfortunately.
I have a few homemade divers with all the bells and whistles that have Seiko movements in them. It’s just not that great anymore especially for those prices.
I've had my UC1 for a week now. Loooove it. Call me a cultist. It's not about the specs. The internet has made us all spec nerds but what is the point? Speaking of ... it is insanely accurate. I probably got lucky. I've had many NH35s that were good but nowhere near losing only 10 seconds... in a week! Fyi, every Miyota I've had is terrible. TERRIBLE. I did put it on a 2 piece Nato to get rid of some height. I have a medium size wrist. But Yes, for me, I can't stop looking at it. My wife.... can actually tell it apart for all the other divers that, except to watch nerds, all look THE SAME! Think about it for a second! pun in intended. And who cares about the single pip bezel. How many of you are divers? I'm guessing ZERO. ZEEEEERO. I can put the pip forward 12 minutes to when the pasta is done... perfect.
Haha, I had the exactly same dilemma myself! At the same price, I would’ve gone for the Peren (better movement and my Romanian nationality), but I was lucky enough to get the Unimatic at a 30% discount, so I pulled the trigger on it. Will get the Rogue too eventually.
I understand the design exercise aspects of the watch, but if you're going to act tool-y, then you ought be tool-y, and the bezel ruins that. It's a watch I'd love to see in the metal, but I doubt I could be convinced...there's a reason the centerpiece of my small, affordable collection is the combo of an Aevig Corvid and a Helm Miyako...while both are design exercises, they are also capable tool watches as well.
First time I've seen a Unimatic. The unmarked bezel is a stopper for me, otherwise it's not bad. The UC2 is my choice, the love-child of an Explorer and 62MAS. Since it's Italian why didn't Unimatic choose an Italian rubber dive strap or Italian leather strap?
I bought three of them. The only thing I relish about them now, is that if I sell them in the near future, I will have turned a profit. However, the actual product is pretty disappointing. The stainless steel is brush finished on every model and on every square millimetre. This gets pretty boring and frustrating to look at, in part, because the more you look at it, the more you know you overpaid, when compared to what the Chinese Ali Express/ micro brands are doing with the SAME materials and the SAME movement. I also bought the UBK-1 steel bracelet - and I'm glad I did, because it's the only way I can tolerate wearing both my U2-F and U4-A models. The nato strap on every model is overused. The steel bracelet really elevates those two models. The dial is cool, but when it comes down to it, it is really just the execution of the LEAST amount of effort in manufacturing. The lume is pathetic. I was falling down that rabbit hole and had a couple of the collaboration models in my basket on previous release days. The one collaboration that really helped me break my UM habit was the Hodinkee GMT. I was all set to pay for it, but then the undeniable truth hit me - unless Unimatic does some serious innovation, it will always just be the same inexpensive watch being sold for way too much money. It was that same day that the Facebook algorithms presented me with the Yema Superman Worldtime. This beautiful GMT that was just less money than the HodinkeeXUnimatic GMT - had its own in-house movement. I never looked back. Now, whenever an email from Unimatic pops up in my inbox, I take a look, but the spell has been broken.
Nautage - similar simple dial styling from Denmark, great strap options, Miyoto 9039 movement and great service from owner Christian - cost for watch with four high quality rubber straps in a wide range of colours - $445. Very much worth a review in my view. And a better option than this one (although I do like it also)
I think for the so called industrial look, drilled lugs should be a must. Maybe on the bezel markers to 3 O’clock if anything, as that pip,looks lonely!😞🤣
It SHOULD have some of the best Lume in the business!!!! If you’re going to go pure tool watch, and that’s your hook… You have got to provide good, if not outstanding, lume… I see it as a to watch without the tools… Thanks Jody
Nope not for me I rather by the San Martin less expensive with NH-35 than this Microband very cool indeed but not for this price.....thank you for reviewing this piece...greetings from St George Utah 👋.....
Congrats on the purchase. The watch looks cool, but they should have done something extra's here for the money. NH38, extra Italian leather strap and way better / interesting finish. Maybe hardening or something. Oh, just watched a review of a Spinaker watch with a similar bezel, dial print but 12 mm thick case with a Miyota 9039 movement for $600. So....
Basically I do like the design language and there is nothing really wrong with that watch. The Italian designers seem to have a keen sense of proportions. But this empty bezel insert looks a little odd to me. There should be something on it, maybe small subtle numerals to track a second time zone.
Thanks to you (and your fans that send in watches) for reviewing this. Although I had not explicitly searched for any, I also had not encountered a review of one of these before in 4 years of RU-vid watch gorging. I took multiple looks at one of their models recently, a limited edition. It's still available, but the price for the movement is a little hard to swallow. I realize you're paying for the design, and the specs aren't everything that makes a watch great (great example is my Autodromo Group B Night Stage II), but it's a little tough to swallow. They are really cool looking. I do kind of wish they used a Miyota 9000 series, so it could be slimmer and we'd get a 4Hz sweep as a bonus. The lume is quite disappointing considering that's really one of the key parts of the design. I don't necessarily expected SWC or lume battle winner levels, but it certainly should be better than that for the price. Maybe a few more layers would do the trick.
