Unimatic Introduces Toolwatch Series

Unimatic is taking their design concept a bit further this week with the release of a new collection simply called the Toolwatch Series. This is a brand that I’ve largely placed into the conceptual realm of tool watches, balancing form with function, often with the former taking precedence. That changes a bit with this new series, which utilize their established aesthetic as a base to a more traditional approach to functionality. The result is four watches that break new ground in establishing a field ready, robust collection for the Italian brand. That means going beyond mere words in a press release. Unimatic are walking the walk here by subjecting these watches to rigorous testing. 

The Toolwatch Series has been tested to meet the MIL-STD-810 standard used by the US Department of Defense. This is a standard used to test equipment and gear intended to “define environmental stress sequences, durations, and levels of equipment life cycles” among other evaluations. One of the tests that Unimatic subjected these watches to is known as a drop test, where the watch would be dropped from a height of 1.22 meters (~4 feet) onto an industrial concrete surface. The watches were dropped 26 times, and each survived in functioning order.

These results come thanks to an in-house designed 360° protection system being used by Unimatic. This includes a seal between the sleeve containing the movement, and the top portion of the case. You can see the orange seel at the edge of the dial at the right angle. The internal sleeve is a TPU anti-shock system, and contains the Ronda 515.24D quartz movement. This approach is a welcome one, and places this watch into a slightly different category than their existing models. 

The steel case for this collection will look familiar, falling within the larger Modello Uno collection, and that’s not a bad thing. This is a great looking modern case shape and design that measures 41.5mm in diameter, and 13.2mm in thickness (thanks to the protection system outlined above). Total length is 49mm, and the lug span is 22mm, creating a large but perfectly manageable footprint. These watches were quite well, all things considered, and they take exceptionally easily to all manner of third party straps. 

The dial is where things get interesting. Unimatic is using a fully indexed hour track with Arabic numerals printed in white for a high contrast and highly legible approach. These can be had in time only or with a date and GMT function, and how they’ve implemented the 24 hour function is quite interesting. A small, rounded aperture at 12 o’clock gives a view to the 24 hour disc rotating underneath, with a static arrow on the dial indicating its time. It’s an approach we’ve seen from brands like IWC in the past, but it’s executed in a particularly Unimatic way here, and if you ask me, it works. 

Both configurations are offered either with a fixed brushed bezel piece, or a rotating bezel with a black, fully indexed insert. Once could make a case for either option, as the fixed bezel pushes focus into the dial, but also eats up a lot of real estate, while the rotating bezel adds a layer of functionality but also a bit of visual clutter. 

Not yet having handled the watch, I have two potential issues. The first is the lollipop shape at the counterweight of the seconds hand. It’s not serving any purpose and arguably creates more confusion on getting a read of the time at a glance. I’d much prefer its placement at the functional end of the seconds hand, allowing for quick identification. Second, I feel like the concept of this watch would work better in a titanium case, but that comes down to personal preference. It would mitigate some of the size, and offer more corrosion resistance if this is intended to be used in extreme environments. 

In total, these are exciting watches from Unimatic, and we’ll be going hands-on very soon, so keep an eye out for a video in the coming weeks. All four are available now, and are priced from €350 for the time only model with fixed bezel, to €525 for the GMT model with rotating bezel. Unimatic