Model # 1989
Brand/Model: Anonimo Firenze Sailor Diver (limited edition
of 199)
Movement: Swiss automatic
Material: stainless steel case,
‘Kodiak’ waterproof leather strap
Complications:
date display
Price: MSRP $2,890 USD
Plenty of photos follow the review.
Click on the pictures to enlarge.
I have previously
reviewed one Anonimo watch on this blog, the Anonimo Firenze Millemetri Ox-B (Drass) 10 Anni Automatic a
couple of years ago. Here, I am
reviewing yet another Anonimo with a short recap on the company’s history.
Anonimo was founded
in the aftermath of Panerai’s acquisition in 1997 by Richemont SA, when
Richemont moved all of Panerai’s production from Florence, Italy to
Switzerland. This left behind many
employees, who more or less launched Anonimo to carry on the Italian heritage
in watchmaking and case making that they were famous for.
Due to their short
history, Anonimo watches are a bit of an enigma. They have strong roots in Italy since their
founding in 1997, but since 2013 (after the company was bought out) are now
fully Swiss Made. Previously, the
watches had Swiss movements but had their cases made in Italy and were also
assembled in Italy. Either way works for
me.
Anonimo is most
well known for their quality cases, which resemble Panerai. They have produced a variety of watches over
the years, some with rather unusual crown placements, but when they make a
straightforward dive watch, they do it right.
The Sailor Diver reviewed
here is from around 2009; this watch was purchased in unused/unworn condition,
or as some say, ‘New Old Stock’ (NOS) condition. The cushion-like case is crafted of brushed
stainless steel and while on the large size, does not wear big due to its
stubby lugs. This watch was a limited
edition of 199 total pieces.
Not to confuse the
issue here, but this watch was also released as a model known as ‘Tricolore’
which looks very similar to the Sailor Diver (hand, markers, arabics, etc.)
Case diameter is
44.2mm without the signed screwdown crown; 47.2mm including the crown. The crown is located at approximately the 4 o'clock position. Lug width is 22mm, which also helps to bring
a smaller proportion to the watch. The
lugs are drilled to accommodate the screwbars that hold the strap in place.
Thickness is
13.8mm. The caseback is screwed down,
with the limited edition serial number stamped on the back, along with a few
other things like ‘stainless steel’, ‘Made in Italy’ and ‘30 ATM’. The caseback is also brushed, so it matches
the rest of the watch.
The screwdown crown
is polished and signed with the Anonimo logo (a stylized ‘A’). The crown is suitably sized and has nice
knurls on it making it easy to operate.
It screws down with almost three turns.
Having a nautical name like ‘Sailor Diver’, this watch is factory rated
for 30 ATM of water resistance.
The dial on the
Sailor Diver is matte black, with three large arabics (3, 6, 9) and markers in
a pale yellow with reddish outlines. The
markers are asymmetrically shaped and have a slash mark that actually cuts
through at a diagonal about one-third of the way down across the markers. I think this is just styling, although it
might be in reference to some sort of nautical sailing flag, because that is
the flavor they exude.
The hands are
skeleton style in white with green inset lume.
The markers and arabics are also luminous. Lume quality is very good. The seconds hand is a long white stick with a
lumed arrow tip with pointer. I
especially like the length of the seconds hand, as it extends almost all the
way to the inside case edge, making it easy to see and track across the dial.
Between the
luminous markers and arabics are reddish hash marks for the seconds and minutes. The date window resides at the 3:45 position,
with a black on white quickset date wheel.
The wheel aligns in the window correctly and contrasts nicely against
the black dial for easy reading.
Below the 12
position on the dial is the wording ‘Anonimo’ with a sailboat logo and very
small lettering spelling out ‘sailing team.’
Below this is the word ‘automatic’ in red.
Above the six
position on the dial is ‘30 ATM’ and above this is ‘Sailor Diver’, both in the
reddish color featured elsewhere on the dial.
All this lettering makes for a somewhat cluttered dial, but the reddish
color of most of it helps minimize its impact.
I wouldn’t exactly
call this dial ‘multicolored’ but it may be a bit much for some. My only real gripe is that the arabics are
borderline ‘clown sized’ along with the aforementioned excessive lettering, but
otherwise, the dial works (i.e.: time is
easy to read) and it also looks good overall.
Capping the dial is
a flat sapphire crystal. Build quality
is great, with no distortion on the crystal, no dirt on the dial and a clean
print job and lume application on the markers and hands.
Inside the Sailor
Diver is either a Sellita SW200-1 with 26 jewels or the ubiquitous ETA 2824-2
25 jewel automatic movement. I wish a
company of Anonimo’s caliber would state exactly what movement is inside the
watch I own, because at this price point, there should be no question as to
what is beating away inside the case.
There is nothing wrong with either movement, but don’t be so vague.
The Sailor Diver
hacks and manually winds and all the functions of this watch have worked
perfectly, from time and date setting to crown operation and overall
timekeeping. This particular example has
run a bit slow over 24 hours (about -8 seconds) but that may be due to the
watch already being over five years old, despite having never been worn. Power reserve is fine, at 42.25 hours. Overall, no complaints in the performance
department.
The strap on the
Sailor Diver is of high-quality; it’s fairly thick yet lightly padded and is
rendered in smooth black leather with yellow stitching. The yellow stitch may sound loud, but it really
doesn’t jump out at you as much as you might think it would. The strap is signed on the inside and stamped
‘Kodiak’, which means the strap, despite being leather, is 100% waterproof.
The strap measures
22mm at the lugs and tapers to 20mm at the large stainless steel buckle. Curiously, the buckle is not signed or
logo-ized, which seems like an oversight.
There are two keepers, one fixed and one floating. Despite being rather thick, the strap wears
well and is fairly flexible. It’s a
great complement to the watch itself.
Presentation on
this example is by way of a leather pouch or carrying wallet, rather large at
about 292mm x 114mm and crafted in soft, black leather with a microfiber tan
lining. Quite nice and more useful than
a big old box.
The Anonimo Sailor
Diver is a perfect watch for everyday wear.
It looks good, is easy to read and is something that you will not see
the ‘other guy’ wearing. Find one and
you’ll have a keeper.
Pros: great case work, high quality throughout, strong
lume, exclusivity of the limited edition
Cons: colors on dial a bit much for some, excessive
printing on dial, undetermined movement source (ETA or Sellita?)
Verdict: a bold, attractive, quality watch that will
stand up to the rigors of sailing, walking, running, driving, desk diving and
more. A good showing from the Anonimo
craftsman in Florence.
Thanks for reading
and enjoy the pics.
Excelsior!
-Marc
