In my reviews, I have spent quite a bit of time discussing Venezianico watches, so after my last review, I was convinced that I had more or less covered Venezianico and that I wouldn’t be writing about their watches again. And I stuck to this principle, even though in the meantime, I bought two rather interesting watches (Nereide Lapis Lazuli and especially Nereide Aquaforte, which is quite a unique watch).
This is a watch from the Redentore line—the Redentore Bronze. What drew me to it? In general, I like watches with bronze cases, so by that criterion alone, I was already interested and ready to order it. But the fact that it is the first bronze watch in the Redentore line wasn’t enough to make me write a review. The main reason for my decision to write a review is the dial, which is simply stunning. I can confidently say that Venezianico has established itself in the watchmaking world as a microbrand known for exceptionally beautiful, high-quality dials, but for my taste, the dial on this watch surpasses them all. When Alessandro sent me the first pictures and described how the dial was made, I immediately knew that I would have to share this watch with you. The dial is also the main reason I pre-ordered the watch.
I received the watch about a week before the official distribution, which was scheduled for the March 14.
The first thing I noticed was that Venezianico had changed the packaging—the box is different from previous models, and personally, I find it better. Since the box has bronze-toned accents, also the inner parts are more cream tones, it is possible that Venezianico designed this packaging specifically for this model rather than for all of its watches. Or perhaps for all bronze models, I am not sure.
When I opened the box and saw the watch for the first time in person, my feelings were mixed.
Why? Well, the color of the case seemed gold-plated, rather than a true bronze tone. Personally, I believe I will like it more once the bronze develops a patina and darkens. For now, however, the polished yellow gold tone feels too intense. I should also warn you that the official render images of this watch are misleading, as they depict the case as significantly darker than it actually is. Below I am including three pictures that Alessandro sent me when the watch was officially announced (on the February 7th)—if you compare them to my own further below, the difference is obvious.
The second thing that surprised me was that the watch looked very large. I even measured it to check whether I really had the standard Redentore 40mm case in front of me because, visually, I would have guessed at least 43mm. To reassure you, the watch is indeed the standard 40mm size (to be precise, it measures 40.5mm at its narrowest point and extends to 42mm with the crown protector).
And then, I focused on the dial. In person, it is truly spectacular. Alessandro briefly explained how it was made. I quote:
"The dial is very complex. It is made of brass, it is given a soleil finish, then we apply a burnished finish and then with a tumbling treatment we remove the ruthenium and expose the underlying material, creating a unique visual effect."
I assume that each dial is different and unique.
What I can also add is that, fortunately, Venezianico did not add any index markers, text, or extra elements to the dial. It is simply a pure dial, with only a subtle Venezianico logo, which is not distracting—on the contrary, it nicely complements the dial. There is no date, fortunately. Since most Redentore models follow a similar design, they wisely did not change what already works well.
Even though the dial is the most important point of interest on this watch, let me give you also a short statement on other aspects and some technical details.
Interestingly, for this watch, Venezianico dropped the Seiko NH3x movements, which are standard in the Redentore line, and instead opted for the Miyota 9039, the same movement used in the latest Arsenale - called meteorite - model and some middle ranged Nereide models. I admit that this time I didn’t even bother evaluating the movement’s accuracy.
The watch is quite thin, at just 10mm, including the sapphire crystal.
It comes on a high-quality leather strap with, as expected, a bronze pin buckle. The case back is - again as expected - steel, not bronze, and features an engraving of one of Venice’s most famous symbols—the horses from St. Mark’s Basilica. These horses, just like the watch case, are made of bronze. The bronze crown is marked with the Venezianico logo.
The hands are matched to the case color, and there is no lume on them—whether this is a downside or not depends on personal preference.
Given the nature of this watch, water resistance is not the priority, so it is rated at just 50m WR, which is expected.
Finally, a look at how the watch wears. Once again, the watch looks larger than it actually is. Despite its "only" 40mm diameter and 47mm lug-to-lug, it wears very well on my 19cm wrist, yet it visually appears much larger. This is likely due to the large, clean dial, which gives the impression of a bigger watch.
It is only logical that, due to all these features (bronze case, unique dial, and a Miyota 9xxx movement instead of a Seiko NH3x), this is currently the most expensive watch in the Redentore collection. With a retail price of €750, it falls into the same price category as the Nereide models equipped with the same movement.
Although the price seems a bit high for my taste, I have no doubt that the watch will attract enough buyers and that all 300 pieces, to which it is limited, will sell out relatively quickly. And in my opinion, they for sure will not be disapponted.
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