Introducing: The Simply Cool Unimatic Modello Due U2-GMT “World Timer”
We have seen several releases from Unimatic over the last few months, but news around the Modello Due has been relatively quiet. Having said that, in the past few years, the team at Unimatic has come up with some great versions of this field watch that show how the classic silhouette perfectly suits the brand’s minimalist style. Now it’s time for the first Modello Due with a GMT function. The Modello Due U2-GMT “World Timer” is a logical next step in the lineup and a glowing display of the versatility that the brand’s minimalist design approach allows.
If you are familiar with Unimatic’s collection, you will know that the Modello Uno is the brand’s flagship diver. The Modello Quattro has the same round case but a fixed bezel. While Unimatic calls the Modello Quattro a modern military watch and the Modello Due a field watch, we could apply the latter label to both. Their silhouettes are wildly different, but Unimatic’s minimalist style, courtesy of founders Giovanni Moro and Simone Nunziato, ties them together. Today’s Modello Due release displays just how easily a GMT function is integrated into that aesthetic.
The Unimatic Modello Due U2-GMT “World Timer”
Let’s go over the details of the watch. The Modello Due U2-GMT has a 38mm stainless steel case with a 47.5mm lug-to-lug and a 12.7mm thickness, excluding the crystal. Including the heavily domed sapphire glass on top, the watch has a 15.7mm profile, but that is only at its thickest point, so the number is deceiving. The case is water resistant to 300 meters and features drilled lugs with a 22mm spacing. On the right side of the case, you will find the oversized 8mm screw-down crown that is super easy to grip. In good tool-watch tradition, the case features a fully brushed finish.
Inside the case lies a matte black dial with white markings. As you can see, the large, round, rectangular, and triangular hour markers each have an outer ring that gives them extra depth. I like this stylish approach to the indexes over the unframed versions that Unimatic uses for its U2 Classic. Encircling the hour markers is an open minute track with slightly thicker markers for every five minutes.
At the 6 o’clock position, we find a date window that keeps the layout symmetrical. Additionally, Nunziato and Moro added a 24-hour GMT ring on the outside of the minute track. Lastly, the matte black ladder-style phantom hour and minute hands and lollipop seconds hand are accompanied by a matte black GMT hand with an arrow-shaped white Super-LumiNova C1 tip. All this results in a logical display and a nicely contrasting black-and-white aesthetic that makes this Modello Due U2-GMT look cool.
The trusted Seiko NH34A GMT caliber
Hidden behind the all-steel “World Timer” case back, you will find the Seiko NH34A caliber. This automatic caller-style GMT movement operates at 21,600vph, has 24 jewels, and offers 41 hours of power reserve. It is the go-to affordable GMT movement for Unimatic, whereas the high-end models get an ETA or Sellita GMT caliber. The best thing about the NH34A is that it’s reliable and never lets you down. Officially, the caliber runs at -20/+40 seconds per day, which is not too impressive. However, most watches housing this movement run much more accurately than the factory specs indicate.
I own multiple watches with this caliber, including a Unimatic. I can say from experience that all of them run much more accurately than the official numbers suggest. Unlike some movements that require a few shakes or winds to start, the NH-series calibers begin running as soon as you pick up the watch. I love that, as soon as you touch it, the watch springs to life.
Final thoughts on the new Unimatic Modello Due U2-GMT “World Timer”
The new Unimatic Modello Due U2-GMT has a charcoal-gray tapered TPU two-piece strap with branded stainless steel hardware. This keeps the watch’s aesthetic straightforward, and I love that. Something is refreshing about seeing the first Modello Due GMT return to the brand’s black-and-white roots. Not only does it emphasize once more how easily the GMT function integrates into the overall design, but it also becomes a strong statement of style.
Unimatic will produce the Modello Due U2-GMT in a limited run of 300 individually numbered pieces. The watches will be available for €690 (inc. taxes). This makes the Modello Due U2-GMT “World Timer” a very tempting, affordable, and cool-looking offering. With the different iterations of its models, Unimatic has repeatedly shown us how powerful its minimalist canvas is. Indeed, there’s a compelling quality to this black-and-white Modello Due GMT that makes it a proper style statement.
