Hands-On – Anonimo Nautilo Bianco, the Dive Watch Dressed in White for Winter

Anonimo might not be the largest watch brand we know, but at least we can say is that they’ve had quite a productive year: a complete facelift of the Nautilo, some new sailing editions, some colourful versions of their dive watch, some new “bronze” watches and finally, new editions of the signature military chronographs. Why such a profusion of novelties? Simply because the brand is celebrating its 20th anniversary. And because the year isn’t finished yet, here are some new pieces, the “dressed in white” Anonimo Nautilo Bianco.

While most of the dive watches are presented in dark tones, mainly black and sometimes blue (just to create a link with the deep blue sea), we rarely see the use of colours in such tool watches, and even less so with light dials. Silver or white dive watches are not the most common thing in brands’ catalogues, yet there’s something that could be interesting in them. This is what Anonimo had in mind, as they are launching, as part of their 20th-anniversary collection, some white versions of the iconic Nautilo, their rugged diver.

Background

Anonimo was founded in Florence in 1997. If the history, the design or the inspiration behind their watches feel familiar, it is simply because it has been created on the ashes of another brand, Panerai. In 1997, Richemont bought the Florence-based brand and decided to relocate the production to Neuchatel rather than in the Florentine city. Yet, some of the ex-employees didn’t move and they started the creation of a brand named Anonimo (anonymous in Italian). The production was focused on diving watches designed by the military engineer Dino Zei, who was at the helm of Panerai for over 20 years, until Richemont took control of the brand in 1997, and he later joined Anonimo. The idea of the founders of Anonimo (in particular Federico Massacesi) was that the product, with distinctive functional design, should always come before the brand itself, hence the name of the brand.

The recent history of the brand puts a clear focus on military and dive watches, with two main collections. First is the Militare, basically a range of vintage-inspired and military-based chronographs with a signature crown/lug device placed at 12. The second collection is the Nautilo, which, as indicated by its name, refers to the marine world. This watch, which has been part of the collection for the last 2 decades, has been slightly redesigned in early 2017, in order to offer a better quality and a more modern appeal. Yet the basics are still present.

The Anonimo Nautilo Bianco we have today is, like all the other watches in the collection, based on the traditional cushion-shaped case which measures 44.4mm in diameter. Certainly not small on paper, it remains quite easily wearable once on the wrist, with a combination of masculine touch and comfort. Another distinctive feature is the crown positioned at 4, in prolongation of a long protection device placed on the caseband. The Anonimo Nautilo is very well constructed, with precise adjustments and a feeling of robustness when worn. It is rated to 200m, so recreational diving sessions won’t be a problem.

In order to guarantee the water resistance, the caseback and the crown are screwed. The decision here was to have a plain steel back and no sapphire see-through back, to complete the tool inspiration. Inside the case is an automatic Sellita SW-200, an ETA-clone calibre, produced in Switzerland and offering reliability and decent precision. It displays here the time and the date. Talking date, the 6 o’clock position isn’t too disturbing and feels balanced on the dial. Again, the question of having a date or not on such watches remains personal…

For this end of the year season, we have some new watches, with the Anomino Nautilo Bianco. The main idea, as you’ve probably guessed by the name, is to bring some white dials. Two versions of this watch will be available, however both share the same dial. We have here a white opaline plate with dark metallic indexes, of course filled with luminous paint and with the usual 12-4-8 triangular arrangement. Same goes for the hands. While most of the divers feature black or dark dials, these Nautilo Bianco bring something fresh and pleasant to the eye. And to those who think a diver should be black for legibility reasons, I’d say that it’s not a matter of colour but rather of contrast… and here, I don’t see any reasons to complain about the contrast between the white dial and the hands/indexes, and legibility is great in all light conditions (during the day or at night-time)

The main difference between these two watches is in the case and the bezel. The first one plays on monochromatic shades of grey, with a non-coated steel case, a grey leather strap and a grey ceramic bezel that has been circular-brushed. The second version offers a bit more contrast, with the central container in black-DLC coated steel (the crown, the protection device and the lugs aren’t coated), a black leather strap and finally a black ceramic bezel, which is here polished.

The Anonimo Nautilo Bianco watches are now available (directly from the brand’s webshop) and priced at CHF 2,150 / USD 2,290 (grey bezel) and CHF 2,190 / USD 2,350 (black bezel). More details on www.anonimo.com.

Technical Specifications – Anonimo Nautilo Bianco

• Case: 44.4mm diameter – stainless steel, brushed (some parts black DLC-coated) – ceramic bezel (polished or brushed) – sapphire crystal on the dial side, Anti-reflective coating – screwed back and crown – 200m water resistance
• Dial: opaline white, applied metallic markers with luminous paint
• Movement: Sellita SW 200-1 – automatic – 28,800vph / 4Hz – 38h power reserve – hours, minutes, seconds and date
• Strap: grey or black calf aged leather handmade in Italy, steel pin buckle
• References: Nautilo Bianco
• Availability: November 2017
• Price: CHF 2,150 / USD 2,290 (grey bezel) – CHF 2,190 / USD 2,350 (black bezel)