This Affordable Titanium Dive Watch Boasts a Rare Feature

I wish more brands did this.

a closeup of a venezianico titanium dive watch bezel

Published December 19, 2024

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Since appearing seemingly out of thin air a few years ago, Italian microbrand Venezianico has quickly built a robust following thanks to its shockingly high levels of ingenuity and innovation for a brand its size.

The young Venice-based company has released watches with tungsten bezels, Musou Black dials, and has even created intricate dial-scapes that resemble the prestigious Métiers d’art pieces of the world’s top luxury brands. Most impressive of all is that Venezianico does all of this at prices that are unheard of, with most of the brand’s watches coming in well under $1,000.

Now, Venezianico is at it again with the latest iteration of its attractive Nereide dive watch. And it includes a feature that is exceedingly rare.

a venezianico titanium dive watch on a metal surface — The new Nereide Titanio is Venezianico’s first titanium watch.

A Lightweight Rarity

The new Nereide Titanio is Venezianico’s first titanium watch and features a case and bezel made from the strong and lightweight metal. Like most of the brand’s offerings, the new diver is quite a pretty thing, with a gradient dark blue dial and the same clean, legible styling seen across the rest of the Nereide line.

The watch also introduces a pair of straps to the Nereide. One is a hybrid strap consisting of a sailcloth-like waterproof textile exterior and an FKM rubber lining, complete with a titanium pin buckle. The other is a lighter elastic nylon strap in the style of an Erika’s Originals strap, which will keep the watch’s total weight down to a scant 80 grams.

a venezianico titanium dive watch on a mans wrist — Choosing the optional elastic nylon strap reduces the watch’s overall weight to just 80 grams.

Like other Nereide divers, the watch measures 42mm across the case, boasts 300m of water resistance and is powered by a Sellita SW200-1 automatic movement. The caseback is closed and features a silk-screen print of the Greek Titan Atlas holding up the Earth — an interpretation of a statue located outside the Doge’s Palace in Venice and a nod to the high strength of titanium.

What’s most impressive about the watch, at least to me, is the bezel. It’s unidirectional and 120-click, which is pretty standard for a microbrand diver, but what’s unique is that it’s fully lumed.

Typically, you only see fully lumed bezels when their inserts are made of ceramic or sapphire. Bare metal bezels like the titanium bezel here almost never get the full lume treatment — I’m struggling to think of any off the top of my head. Here, Venezianico has filled every mark on the bare titanium bezel with a generous application of Super-LumiNova BGW9, which appears white in light but glows blue in the dark.

I haven’t seen the watch in person, so it’s possible it’s very dim and unimpressive. But in photos, the luminous effect appears to be quite strong, and I really like the contrast of the glowing blue lume against the gray titanium. It’s a unique look that sets the Nereide Titanio apart while also looking quite stunning.

the caseback of a venezianico titanium dive watch — The caseback features a depiction of Atlas holding the Earth, a nod to titanium’s high strength.

Pricing and Availability

Venezianico offers some of the best bargains in the microbrand space, and that remains true with the Nereide Titanio. The titanium diver is priced from $1,095, which can go incrementally higher depending on which strap you choose. (As of this writing, it’s not actually clear which of the two available straps is more expensive.)

If you need time to think about it, you’re in luck, as the watch hasn’t gone on sale just yet. The product page is live on Venezianico’s website, but the watch won’t actually be available to purchase until December 27 at 9 am EST.