Hands-On With New Unimatic Modello Cinque U5S-BL Limited Edition

It is no secret that I am a fan of Unimatic. The Italian brand has built its reputation on wonderful tool watches that stand out for their clever minimalist design. On top of that, it would be fair to say that Unimatic has released some of the most creative collaborative efforts of the last few years. Granted, the brand does quite a few of them, but that makes it even more impressive to see how many are truly great. For the limited-edition Unimatic U5S-BL, founders Giovanni Moro and Simone Nunziato reimagined the brand’s Modello Cinque. It has resulted in a refreshing take on the classic field watch using modern design and introducing the brand’s proprietary Unilight 3D luminous markers. I was happy to take the new watch for an extensive spin.

When I first strapped Unimatic’s new Modello Cinque U5S-BL on my wrist, it felt like coming home. The brand’s characteristic minimalist design style still speaks to me as much as it did five years ago when I first wrote about the Modello Uno. But I soon realized that two things are different. Unimatic’s Modello Cinque is not necessarily one of the brand’s hardcore tool watches. When first introduced in 2024, the Modello Cinque presented itself as a smaller, stylish brother to the other, more rugged tool watch options in the collection. With this new U5S-BL, the brand shows the great versatility of the Modello Cinque. As it turns out, it is the perfect modestly sized field watch. On top of that, the brand introduces the new Unilight 3D luminous markers that add depth and performance.

The details of the Unimatic Modello Cinque U5S-BL

But let’s start at the beginning. Unimatic has presented two new versions of the Modello Cinque this time. The first is the stainless steel U5S-BL that we received for review. The second is the U5S-BLN, which is essentially the same watch with a black DLC-treated stainless steel case. They will be produced in a limited run of 300 pieces each. In terms of pricing, the regular stainless steel U5S-BL is €1,100, and the stealthy black U5S-BLN is slightly more expensive at €1,220. So, what do the watches have to offer? Let’s find out based on the stainless steel U5S-BL.

The watch has a round 36mm stainless steel case with a 12.8mm thickness and a 43.7mm lug-to-lug. Its oversized 8mm crown and the 22mm lug spacing add modern touches that also play a big role in the watch’s presence, as we will see.

The case is matched with a matte black dial featuring hand-applied Unilight 3D hour markers. These indexes lie within silver-colored printed frames that match the silver minute track on the dial’s periphery.

As always, the Unimatic logo is on the lower half of the dial, along with some very small text that adds a nice bit of detail. Hovering above the dial are matte-black ladder-phantom hour and minute hands filled with white Super-LumiNova. Pleasingly, the reverse-lollipop seconds hand on top features a double treatment of Super-LumiNova on the tip and counterbalance.

Minimalist design that is still full of details

All this results in a super clean dial design that feels minimalist but not empty. As we have come to know from Moro and Nunziato, they have a keen eye for details, avoiding dials that look clean but have no soul. A simple detail is the two lines of text underneath the logo. The first reads “Made in Italy,” while the second states the “300m = 1000ft” depth rating. The text is very small, making it somewhat hard to read with the naked eye. However, these two small lines add detail to ensure the dial doesn’t feel sterile.

As explained, the new Unilight indexes also add depth and detail while lighting up brightly in the dark. After activating them, the performance is nothing short of impressive. On top of that, they glow far longer than regular lumed hour markers, which makes it fun to grab a lume torch regularly and see them in action.

Changing up the look of the Unimatic Modello Cinque U5S-BL

The Unimatic Modello Cinque U5S-BL comes with an olive-drab NATO seatbelt strap with stainless steel hardware. Additionally, buyers will get a sturdy black leather strap with quick-release spring bars and a stainless steel buckle.

Besides being easy to swap, the straps give the U5S-BL different, complementary looks. The NATO strap emphasizes the tool-watch side of the design, while the two-piece black leather strap transforms into a great daily wearer that certainly doesn’t hide its utilitarian looks but is sufficiently stylish to pair with almost any outfit.

The watch is powered by the Sellita SW200-1b. This has become a go-to Swiss caliber for Unimatic and powers quite a few of the Milanese brand’s models. The automatic caliber operates at 28,800 vibrations per hour, has 26 jewels, and offers a 41-hour power reserve. It also has an average accuracy of ±12 seconds per day. It is the perfect, reliable time-only movement for the two new Modello Cinque limited editions.

Wearing the Unimatic Modello Cinque U5S-BL

In all honesty, I was a bit apprehensive when I first put the Unimatic Modello Cinque U5S-BL on my wrist. Previous versions of the watch have been almost too small on my wrist. That’s why a fellow Fratello team member, Daan, reviewed the Modello Cinque U5S-A back in 2024. It was interesting to find out whether this new Modello Cinque would feel the same. On top of that, we decided to take wrist shots with the watch on both Daan’s wrist (gray and denim) and my wrist (full black).

Daan was immediately enthusiastic about the new models. The 36mm watch fits his wrist perfectly on both the NATO strap and the leather strap. Additionally, it is nicely proportioned. Not including the crystal, the steel case has an 11.6mm profile. The crystal adds just a little over a millimeter to the overall thickness, making it a nice fit on the wrist.

To my surprise, I also loved how the watch looked on my wrist with the green NATO strap. The visual trick is in the 22mm lug spacing. The wider strap gives the watch quite a lot of wrist presence, making it look really cool and a great fit for people with slightly bigger wrists. Having said that, I wouldn’t recommend this to people with huge wrists. For them, the brand’s Modello Quattro would do a better job. But while I had my reservations about the Modello Cinque’s size on my 18.5cm (7.3″ wrist), wearing the U5S-BL completely put worries to rest.

Final thoughts on the new Unimatic Modello Cinque U5S-BL

Pleasingly, the U5S-BL also feels like a proper modern field watch, thanks in no small part to the large, open dial and Unilight 3D markers, and I enjoyed wearing it very much. Daan was also thoroughly impressed by this versatile new Unimatic Modello Cinque U5S-BL.

Kudos to Unimatic for releasing the new U5S-BL and U5S-BLN. These watches show the great versatility of the modest Modello Cinque. While we have seen more playful variations of the model recently, including the two versions that are part of the Italian Alps Collection and the colorful trio inspired by the De Stijl movement, this shows a different side to the Modello Cinque.

It’s a side that many watch fans will appreciate, which is why I feel that all 300 pieces of the regular stainless steel model and the 300 blacked-out examples will sell out fairly quickly. These watches show that clever design is a pivotal part of the brand’s great success, and that is why I like the Unimatic’s watches so much.