It hasn’t been long since I posted my review of two Venezianico watches here.
In that review, I highlighted how incredible the team at Venezianico is when it comes to releasing new models—it seems like they introduce a new watch almost every month. This pace hasn’t slowed down over the summer at all. Since my review was published, they have reissued the Nereide Aureo, featuring a stunning dial made from 18-carat gold. This was followed by the Nereide Lapis Lazuli, whose name already reveals that its dial is crafted from Lapis Lazuli stone.
Of course, you might rightly argue that these aren’t truly new watches but rather existing models refreshed with new finishes. However, in early September, two genuinely new models were released—the Redentore Enigma and the Arsenale.
At first glance, the Redentore Enigma might seem like “an existing model in a new finish,” as its name suggests it is based on the Redentore line. But that would do Venezianico an injustice. While it is true that the Enigma uses the Redentore case, the overall concept of the watch differs significantly from the standard Redentore models. Unlike the previously mentioned new Nereide models, this one is not merely about aesthetic tweaks in dial color or material.
Well, the Arsenale is a completely different story. This is truly a brand-new model, and its design brings something entirely fresh to the Venezianico family.
Given the very positive impressions I had from the first two Venezianico watches, and the fact that these are two lines I don’t yet own, deciding to purchase these two watches wasn’t too difficult. My only real hesitation with the Enigma was the color, as the model was only available in green. Although I’m somewhat attracted to the idea of a green watch, I haven’t had much luck with green watches in the past. I’ve owned quite a few, but never quite experienced the connection you hope for. So every green watch I’ve had ended up leaving my collection rather quickly.
I must admit I even surprised myself with my choice of dial color on the Arsenale model. Out of the three available dial colors—black, blue, and purple—I went for the latter. Black seemed extremely dull and boring, I already have too many blue watches, and I don’t own any purple ones. So I thought, “Why not give it a try?” and chose the purple.
Since I am still waiting for the Arsenale to be delivered, in this review I will focus on the Enigma and promise to continue with the Arsenale in a separate review soon. So, let me start with the Enigma.
I have to admit, the watch left me astonished in person. It looks absolutely stunning. While the official color is described as (dark) green, in reality it displays a whole spectrum of shades—from blue to almost black. The best way to describe it might be petrol green. You’ve probably heard that one of the differences between men and women is that men tend to operate within a basic color palette and find a 16-color scale sufficient, while women can’t live without at least 256 colors. Well, unfortunately, I’m a man, and my ability to describe the colors this watch offers pretty much ends at petrol green.
The watch achieves its greatest effect by perfectly matching the color of the leather strap with the dial. I’ve already noticed that Venezianico places a lot of emphasis on color coordination between dial and strap, but this time I truly feel they nailed it. As we would expect from Venezianico, the strap is incredibly comfortable—soft, yet firm enough to inspire confidence.
In addition to the watch, as a big fan of rubber straps, I also ordered a black rubber strap. It’s probably the first time I’ve admitted to myself that this purchase was unnecessary. I had, and still have, no desire to replace the original strap—I didn’t even try it out! So, apologies in advance—I don’t have any photos with the black rubber strap.
The name of the product line—Redentore—is inspired by the Basilica del Redentore, the masterpiece of Venetian architect Andrea Palladio, father of the Neoclassical style. A relief of this basilica adorns the back plate.
At first glance, it might seem unclear why the watch is called Enigma. However, a quick look at the dial provides the answer. Firstly, the watch is designed as a regulator, meaning the hour dial is separate from the central minute dial. Additionally, the hour dial is in a 24-hour format. For users unfamiliar with reading 24-hour dials—especially combined with the regulator complication—telling the time can be quite a challenge. Even experienced users might struggle to tell the time when the minute hand is around the 55th minute and the hour hand is between 9 and 11, as the minute hand almost completely covers the hour hand.
In general, I like how the dial is designed. If you look carefully, you will notice that the small hour ring has exactly the same design as the outer big minute ring. The fonts used for the digits are the same, only on the hour ring they are slightly bigger. I also appreciate how carefully the placement and size of the company logo and the collection name "Redentore" were selected. Everything is aligned along a direct diagonal line that passes through the center of the hour dial and the optical center of the logo.
From a practical point of view, however, I have one important remark. The hour hand is very small—or better said, tiny. It should be a bit bolder, thicker, which would allow better readability of an already slightly confusing time display.
And, not to forget, sadly there is no luminova whatsoever on this watch.
Additionally, I must mention that the watch does not have a second hand. For many, this is likely a significant drawback, especially considering that the movement used—the Seiko NH39A—features a central second hand with a hacking function. Since the seconds are not visible, the user can't even tell if the watch is running, nor can it be set to the exact second. Personally, I don't see this as a disadvantage—in fact, I believe that removing the second hand improves the readability of the watch. From experience, I know that a central second hand on a regulator can be distracting, as the user might often mistake it for the hour hand, or confuse the second hand for the minute hand, and the minute hand for the hour hand.
So, how does this watch wear on the wrist? The diameter is 40 mm, but the lug-to-lug length is 47 mm, so overall the watch isn’t too small—even for slightly bigger wrists. With a height of 11.5 mm, it is a true dress watch. Check how it all looks on my 19 cm wrist. Slightly too small for my taste, but still very wearable.
I already mentioned that the movement used is the Seiko NH39A. It works surprisingly well — with the timegrapher, I measured that the watch runs between -10 seconds and +10 seconds per day. How does this translate into normal daily wear? Well, I honestly have no idea! Since there is no second hand, it would take quite a while before I would notice any significant daily deviation.
The watch is packaged exactly the same way as all other Venezianico watches, so I didn’t take any pictures of the box.
The full price of this watch is 625 EUR. Not cheap for a watch with a Seiko NH3x movement, but the quality is quite high and justifies a slightly higher price point. It’s truly an eye-catcher, and I must admit I’ve received quite a few compliments from my friends.
To conclude, Venezianico has convinced me once again — the brand is quickly establishing itself as one of the most important microbrands in the European region.
Oh, and a fun fact: just two days ago, they opened pre-orders for two additional color variations — blue and purple. Remember my introduction? They really are unstoppable, and they know how to handle marketing.
I can hardly wait for the Arsenale!
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