It hasn't been long since I posted a review of two Venezianico watches here. In that review, I mentioned how incredible the team at Venezianico is when it comes to releasing new models – it seems like they release a new model almost every month. And this pace hasn't slowed down at all over the summer. 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 LapisLazuli, where the name itself already reveals that the dial is made from Lapis Lazuli.
Of course, you might rightfully argue that these are not really new watches but rather existing models dressed up in new finishes. However, in early September, two truly new models were released – the Rendetore Enigma and the Arsenale.
At first glance, the Redentore Enigma could perhaps also be categorized as “an existing model in a new finish,” as it is based on the Redentore line, as the name suggests. But that would be doing Venezianico an injustice. While it's true that the Enigma uses the Redentore case, the overall concept of the watch differs significantly from the standard Redentore models. And unlike the previously mentioned new Nereide models, this one isn't just about aesthetic tweaks in the dial’s 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, the decision 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 I never quite experienced the connection with any of them as you hope for. So every green watch I've owned so far ended up leaving my collection rather quickly.
I must admit I surprised even myself by my choice of the dial color on the Arsenale model. Out of the three available dial colors—black, blue, and purple—I went for the latter. The 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 Arsenale to be delivered in this review I will focus on Enigma and I promise to continue with the Arsenale in a separate review soon. So, let me start with the Enigma.
I have to admit, it left me astonished in person. The watch looks absolutely stunning. While the official color is (dark) green, in reality, it displays a whole spectrum of shades, from blue to almost black. The best way to describe it would be something like a petrol green. You probably know that one of the differences between men and women is that men 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 ends at petrol green.
The watch achieves its greatest effect by matching the color of the leather strap perfectly with the dial. I've already noticed that Venezianico puts a lot of emphasis on color coordination between the dial and the strap, but this time I truly feel they’ve nailed it. As we can 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 collection - Rendetore - is inspired by the Basilica del Redentore, the masterpiece of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio, father of the Neoclassical style. The relief of this basilica adorns the back plate.
At first glance, it might seem a bit 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, where on top of that the regulator complication is present, determining 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 how the small hour ring has exactly the same design as outern big minute ring. Fonts used for the digits are the same, only on the hour ring they are slightly bigger. I also like how carefully the place and the size for the logo of the company and the name of the collection "Renderore" is selected. Everything is placed on the direct diagonal line which goes through the center of the hour dial, center of the hour dial and the optical center of the logo. From the practical point of view I have an important remark though. Namely, the hour hand is very small or better say tiny. It should be a bit more aggressive, thicker, what would allow better readability of already slightly confusing reading of time.
And, not to forget, sadly there is no luminova whatsoever on this watch...
In addition to all that, 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, the Seiko NH39A, which the watch uses, inherently offers a central second hand with a hacking complication. Since the seconds are not visible, the user can't even see if the watch is running, nor can it be set up to the second-level precision. 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 regulator could 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 function on the wrist? The diameter of the watch is 40mm, but L2L is 47mm so all in all the watch is not too small even for a bit of a bigger wrists. With a height of 11,5mm it is a true dress watch. Check how all together looks on my 19,4 cm wrist. Slightly too small for my taste but still very wearable.
I already mentioned that the movement used is Seiko NH39A. It works surprisingly well, with the timegraph I was able to measure that the watch runs between -10 sec/daily up to +10sec/daily. How does this sum in the normal daily wear of the watch? Well, I have no idea! As there is no second hand it would take too much time before I would notice significant daily declination.
The watch is packed exactly the same as all other Venezianico watches so I did not take any pictures of it.
The full price of this watch is 625 EUR. Not cheap for the Seiko NH3x movement watch however the quality of the watch is at a quite high level and deserves a bit higher price placement. It is a true eye catcher and I must admit that I received quite a lot of compliments from my friends.
So, to conclude - Venezianico convinced me again, the brand is stepping out fast as one of the most important microbrands in the European region.
Oh, and fun fact, just two days ago, they opened the pre-order process for additional two color variations - blue and purple. Remember my introduction ? They really are unstoppable and they know how to handle marketing.
Hardly wait for the Arsenale!
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