A Fan-Favorite Affordable Watch Brand Just Dropped Its Most Technically Impressive Design

Unimatic’s new chronograph, with professional-grade diving specs, boasts something new beneath the signature dial.

a steel Unimatic dive watchUnimatic

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Unimatic has built an impressive catalog for such a small and young watchmaker, establishing an esteemed reputation and accumulating a loyal fan base in the process.

However, one notable box has remained unchecked by the Italian boutique watchmaker … until now.

a Unimatic dive watch chronograph
The U3S-HS is Unimatic’s first automatic chronograph.
Unimatic

Unimatic has released its first automatic chronograph in a limited edition collaboration with Canadian menswear brand Henry Singer. Better still, the watch’s look and specs are on par with luxury divers from brands like Tudor and Blancpain.

The U3S-HS is a modification of Unimatic’s first chronograph, the U3, which runs on a meca-quartz movement like every other chronograph previously produced by the brand.

a Unimatic dive watch chronograph
The dial and ceramic bezel insert are Henry Singer’s signature blue-gray.
Unimatic

The dial has some minor detailing changes, and a 60-minute track has been added to the bezel, but the major aesthetic change is the use of Henry Singer’s signature blue-gray.

A certain shade blue

Unimatic might be the most accomplished microbrand when it comes to notable collaborations, and many of them have been with unexpected partners.

a steel dive watch on a man's wrist
The U3S-HS has a 40mm steel case.
Unimatic

The U3S-HS was designed with the creative team from Henry Singer, a Canadian menswear brand that is little-known in the United States and Europe despite being nearly a century old.

Sticking to Unimatic’s characteristic minimalism, the only detail conveying the collaboration upfront is a distinctive blue-gray found throughout Henry Singer’s catalog. It colors the dial and a matching ceramic bezel insert.

a Unimatic dive watch on a man's wrist
The U3S-HS has screw-down pushers and a screw-down crown.
Unimatic

Aside from the color, the only updates to the standard U3 dial are outlines on the hour markers and new subdial tracks. The running seconds dial at nine o’clock is marked at five-minute intervals.

Since the dial is not marked with the customary “automatic,” the only indication of the improved movement is on the chronograph sub-dial at three o’clock, which counts to 30 minutes, rather than the 24 minutes of the meca-quartz.

a Unimatic dive watch with lume glowing
The dial is marked with two shades of Super-LumiNova lume.
Unimatic

The creamy-white dial and bezel details are marked with two shades of Super-LumiNova. The minute hand and minutes track on the bezel are blue, and the hour hand and hour markers on the dial are orange.

Under the hood

What separates the U3S-HS from all previous Unimatic watches is the movement. It runs on a Sellita caliber SW510 BH b automatic chronograph movement with a 62-hour power reserve and an accuracy of -20 / +30 sec/day.

the back of a Unimatic dive watch
The customized Sellita movement is visible through an exhibition case back.
Unimatic

For reference, this movement, and variations of it, can be found in luxury tool watches from Sinn, Hanhart and Oris, as well as well-respected microbrands like Farer, Baltic and Maen.

Unimatic put this beautiful piece of machinery, customized with a double-signed rotor, on display through an exhibition case. This replaces the conversion scale chart found on the back of the standard U3.

a Unimatic watch on a man's wrist
The U3S-HS comes with an additional tan leather pin-buckle strap.
Unimatic

This Sellita movement finally provides an engine worthy of the U3 case’s impressive specs. It has 300m water resistance, thanks to a screw-down crown and pushers, a 2.5mm thick AR-coated domed sapphire crystal and a 120-click unidirectional bezel.

In addition to the three-link “oyster-style” stainless steel bracelet with exposed link screws, the U3S-HS comes with a creamy-tan pebble grain leather strap with quick-release pins.

a Unimatic dive chronograph
The U3S-HS is a limited edition of 36 pieces.
Unimatic

As is too often the case with Unimatic, this irresistible chronograph dive watch is an extremely limited edition, with only 36 pieces released.

You have to respect the Italian horological maestros at Unimatic for sticking to their small batch production model, emphasizing quality over profit. Still, I hope this is a sign of things to come and not a one-off experiment.

Availability and pricing

The Unimatic x Henry Singer U3S-HS is available now from Unimatic for $3,354.

Henry Singer has already sold out of its stock at the time of publication, but the watch is still available from Unimatic.

unimatic henry singerUnimatic

Unimatic Modello Tre U3S-HS

Specs

Case Size 40m
Movement Selitta caliber Swiss Sellita SW510 automatic
Water Resistance 300m
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