Anonimo sets the tone for sailing – Hands-on with the cool Nautilo Sailing Edition

Founded in the late 1990s, Anonimo combines Swiss precision with rugged Italian sports chic, producing highly functional watches with a robust, modern feel. Among its latest collections – and a favorite within the Monochrome team – the Nautilo Sailing Edition is an attractive red-black dive watch inspired by the marine background of the brand. It was released in the frame of a sailing partnership as Anonimo has teamed-up with SFS headed by skipper Lionel Péan.

The Anonimo Nautilo Sailing Edition is a contemporary re-interpretation of the diving watches designed by the military engineer Dino Zei. Dino Zei was at the helm of Panerai for over 20 years, until Richemont took control of the brand in 1997, and later joined Anonimo. The idea of the founders of Anonimo (in particular Federico Massacesi) was that the product, with distinctive functional design, should always come before the brand itself. For this reason, the brand didn’t appear on the dial for a long time. The choice of the name “Anonimo”, the Italian word for “anonymous”, was directly derived from this concept.

The attractive cushion shape 44mm case of the Anonimo Nautilo Sailing Edition is crafted in steel, with a DLC-coating on the case body and a fluted case-band offering sharp contrasts in shape and colors. The crown is positioned at 4 o’clock for ease of operation (a classic feature for the brand). It is protected by a crown shield that also offers great potential for color and material combinations. It features a notched unidirectional rotating bezel with an anodized aluminum red/black ring to keep track of diving times. The rotation feels both accurate and super smooth. The case-back is crafted in hypoallergenic titanium. As it is intended to be a proper diving tool, its water-resistance is rated down to 20 ATM / 200 meters.

The highly readable dial is presented under a slightly domed sapphire crystal and comes in black. Its no-nonsense lay-out features large luminescent markers – either baton-style (at 12, 4 and 8 o’clock) or dots. The chapter ring and the logo are printed in white while the red caption “automatic 200m” adds a touch of color. The date is shown at 6 o’clock. The hands are luminescent to provide perfect legibility even in the dark. The central seconds hand’s counter-weight comes in red in the shape of the brand’s logo.

The Anonimo Nautilo Sailing edition is powered by the reliable Sellita SW200 movement, a work-horse, with automatic winding, 38h power reserve and beating at 4Hz.

The Anonimo Nautilo Sailing Edition comes either with a super cool red/black nato strap matching the colour of the dial and bezel or the brand’s newly designed rubber strap with a grid pattern. At 1,950 Euros, this attractive dive watch is indeed a worthy pick if you are looking for a stringent, distinctive yet perfectly functional design offered at an accessible price. More info on www.anonimo.com.

Technical specifications – Anonimo Nautilo Sailing Edition

• Case: 44.4 x 12.45mm steel case with titanium case back – domed sapphire glass with anti-reflective coating – 200 m water resistant
• Movement: mechanical with automatic winding (base Sellita SW200-1) – 38h power reserve – 28’800 vibrations/h – 26 jewels – hours, minutes, central seconds and date.
• Strap: Nato or rubber strap with pin buckle
• Price: 1,950 EUR