Anonimo Epurato Verde Natura (Live Pics)

Just like every other industry, the watchmaking world is driven by trends. A few years back, blue became a must-have for brands. “Blue is the new black,” they said. Literally every watch brand came out with with a blue version of one of their bestsellers. Well, trends come and go and it seems that green is slowly becoming the thing. Following this tendency, Anonimo brings a fresh-looking green version of its latest creation: the Anonimo Epurato Verde Natura.

Until a few months ago, Anonimo was known for its military and diving watches. Robust, utilitarian pieces with just that small hint of Italian design to make them different and obviously cool. Yet, one thing is sure… Elegance wasn’t the main objective of these watches. Large on the wrist, often colourful and always tool-ish, they were clearly playing in the sports watch league. However, at Baselworld 2018, the brand decided to rely on its basic designs codes and Italian flair to create something slightly different, much more casual, but still Anonimo all the way: the Epurato.

As indicated by its name – epurato could be translated from Italian to English as “cleaned” or “purified” – this new watch is designed to capture the essence of Anonimo. It is still based on the traditional cushion-shaped case – which, of course, will remind you of another Florentine brand, something that we’ve explained already since Anonimo was born from the ashes of the Italian branch of Panerai after being acquired by Vendome/Richemont. The rest, however, is more refined, more elegant, slimmer, smaller, proportioned for daily use.

If the cushion-shaped case is present, it has been “toned down” to 42mm in diameter and 11mm in height (vs. 44mm and well over 14mm for chronographs and divers). Then, instead of a functional bezel, the Anonimo Epurato has more decorum, with the presence of a thin, finely fluted bezel – a rather discreet one, in fact. Surprising at first, this choice gives more depth to the design. Finally, we’re looking at a straightforward time-and-date watch (no chronograph exists yet).

The novelty here is the introduction of a new dial. After the brand presented bronze editions, blue dials or sand-coloured “Safari” watches, it is now a fir tree (or pine) green dial that is added to the watch. This Anonimo Epurato Verde Natura relies on the same indices and numerals – placed at 12, 04 and 08, depicting the A of Anonimo – and the same polished hands. The green colour remains subtle with a matte finishing.

Complementing the dial is a similarly coloured strap, with a graduated pattern. Overall, Anonimo, with this Verde Natura has chosen to go down a more understated path and not overdo things. Inside the case is an automatic, Swiss-Made Sellita SW 200 (a clone of ETA) with a 38h power reserve and decorated with perlage, Geneva stripes and a skeletonized oscillating weight.

The price of this Anonimo Epurato Verde Natura is the same as other steel versions, meaning CHF 2,290. More details on the brand’s website www.anonimo.com.