Brand: Disney Fantasia x Highsnobiety x UNIMATIC
Release Date: October 19
Buy: Highsnobiety Shop
Editor's Notes: Compelling watch collaborations are a bit of a rarity in the industry — often ranging from lukewarm to downright polarizing (I am looking at you, Swatch & Omega). Nonetheless, today is not that day.
As part of our Disney Fantasia x Highsnobiety collection, we've partnered with the watchmaker UNIMATIC, creating an exclusive diver's watch limited to only 100 pieces. Underpinned by UNIMATIC's love for timeless watchmaking, the timepiece is an ode to Disney's innovative and visually groundbreaking Fantasia — a 1940s film that still slaps today on repeat viewings.
If you've been paying attention to the realms of watches for the past few years, there has been one micro watchmaker consistently turning heads, both online and on the street. The brand in question? UNIMATIC.
This is no easy feat in a world often notoriously resistant to change and younger brands. UNIMATIC has very much been disruptive due in part to the Italian watchmaker's utilitarian and minimal takes on beloved watch archetypes that include workhorse Swiss movements — all at an accessible price point.
Founded in 2015, UNIMATIC is the brainchild of two Milanese friends, Giovanni Moro and Simone Nunziato. Industrial designers with an obsession with vintage watches, the designers set out to make their own timepiece. What they ended up creating would go on to become UNIMATIC's first model and the forefather of today's collaborative watch, the Modello Uno or "U1".
Taking a deeper look, the limited edition U1S-HS's design language pulls directly from archetypal dive watches from the late 1940s and 1950s, popularized by brands like Blancpain (Fifty Fathoms), Rolex (The Submariner), and Omega (Seamaster).
The professional dive watch comes in a thin 316 brushed stainless 40 mm steel case with a 2mm thick screwed-in case. The 8 mm crown will ensure your dive watch can handle depths up to 300 meters.
The face of the watch includes a classic dive dial with Super-LumiNova® indices and a 2.5mm thick double-domed sapphire. Sorcerer Mickey makes an appearance at the heart of that same dial, rocking his iconic red robe and navy sorcerer hat.
Under the hood, U1S-HS is powered by a Swiss Sellita SW200-1 movement with a 38h power reserve and convenient "secondhand hacking."
Finally, on the diver's case back, the watch don's a Disney x UNIMATIC x Highsnobiety engraving and individual progressive number. Each watch is shipped with black, red, and navy interchangeable straps if you are looking to match up with Mickey or your rotation for the week.
Whether you are an experienced collector or on the hunt for an entry watch to complete your fall wardrobe, the UNIMATIC U1S-HS is a flex-worthy pick.
The watch will be available on October 19 at our Highsnobiety shop.
