Unimatic has built a particular kind of reputation over the past several years. The Italian brand’s limited-run tool watches tend to sell through fast, attract collector attention well beyond their price point, and stick to a minimalist design language that somehow never gets old. The latest release, called the Swimming Pool Collection, stretches across six new references split between the Modello Uno diver and the Modello Cinque field watch. Three dial colors are on offer: Crystal Blue, Infinity Mint, and Acqua Laguna, each featuring a shimmering, light-catching texture meant to evoke the surface of water. It’s a fitting summer concept. But what caught my eye here isn’t the colorway.
Every watch in the collection runs the Seiko Caliber VH31A, a quartz movement that ticks four times per second instead of the standard once. The effect is a seconds hand that sweeps in a way that closely resembles a mechanical caliber beating at six ticks per second. TMI rates the VH31A at +/-15 seconds per month with a two-year battery life, which is leagues ahead of basically any mechanical movement in terms of raw accuracy. For collectors who’ve always been put off by the lurching tick of a quartz seconds hand, this is a genuinely interesting workaround, and Unimatic has built the collection around it without making it the entire sales pitch.
On the Modello Uno side, the specs are familiar but solid. The 41.5mm sandblasted 316L stainless steel case carries a 120-click unidirectional bezel, the oversized 8mm screw-down crown, and 300 meters of water resistance. The Modello Cinque, at 36mm with a fixed monoblock bezel, matches that 300-meter depth rating in a package that continues to appeal to collectors looking for something compact. Both models feature Unimatic’s newer 3D-block Super-LumiNova hour markers, introduced earlier this year, which add a subtle sense of depth to the dial. Green-emitting lume on the hands and markers rounds out the legibility story.
I think what Unimatic got right here is the balance between build and concept. The Modello Uno has always carried a utilitarian, almost military presence. Wrapping that in a poolside-inspired colorway and pairing it with a smooth-sweeping quartz caliber is a clever move. It softens the vibe without weakening the tool-watch credentials, and the sub-$1,000 pricing keeps things in accessible territory. The Modello Uno comes in at $740 and the Modello Cinque at $700. Each reference is limited to 99 pieces worldwide, which is genuinely limited by any reasonable standard.
The one thing I’m still sitting with is the VH31A itself. Unimatic has framed the movement here, as a thoughtful feature rather than a gimmick, and it makes the Swimming Pool Collection one of the brand’s more intriguing releases this year.
Co-Founder & Senior Editor
Michael Peñate is an American writer, photographer, and podcaster based in Seattle, Washington. His work typically focuses on the passage of time and the tools we use to connect with that very journey. From aviation to music and travel, his interests span a multitude of disciplines that often intersect with the world of watches – and the obsessive culture behind collecting them.