The youngest brand on this list, Unimatic is the joint brainchild of Milanese natives Giovanni Moro and Simone Nunziato, who met at the Polytechnic University of Milan while studying industrial design. Leading the Visconti collection are models like the 1960s-inspired Roma, in both a sporty three-hand edition and a more elegant bicompax chronograph, and the Opera, the company’s haute horlogerie family designed to evoke the atmosphere of Milan's Teatro alla Scala, with a complex multi-level dial and a triple-time-zone GMT function. The straps, as one might expect, are all made from high-quality Italian leather. Visconti has been boldly experimental in several areas, using materials like bronze, “aged” steel, iridescent metals, and even cooled lava from Mount Etna in its watch cases. Visconti watches are designed and assembled in Florence with Swiss-made movements the company has acquired facilities once operated by Panerai and Anonimo, both Florentine brands that have since migrated their watchmaking to Switzerland. In 2013, following in the footsteps of legendary German pen maker Montblanc, the growing luxury company delved into watchmaking, naming its first timepiece, the Classic, after its first collection of luxury pens. Throughout the ‘90s the company was a pioneer in the writing instrument field, developing innovations like the double reservoir filling system to prevent ink leakage. Notable models: Roma 60s Sport, Roma 60s Chrono, Operaįirst and foremost a manufacturer of high-end luxury fountain pens, Visconti was established in 1988 by friends and pen enthusiasts Luigi Polli and Dante del Vecchio. The leading model collections include the sport-luxury Montecristo (including Chronograph, Skeleton, and Moon-Phase versions), the elegant, vintage-styled 1960 Lady, and the nautical-inspired Mare. Cases and other components are made in Italy, while movements, both quartz and mechanical, are sourced from Japan. Today, Locman watches are still produced at the brand’s HQ on the Isle of Elba and distributed in Europe, the U.S., the Middle East, and Japan. Locman gained international notice shortly thereafter, finding its way to the wrists of Hollywood luminaries like Sylvester Stallone (who had famously also put Panerai on the map), Sharon Stone, and David Beckham. Many early Locman models sprang from partnerships with Italy’s Navy and Air Force and eventually also from a collaboration with Italian carmaker Fiat, which inspired a 500-piece limited edition in 2007. Named for its founders, Fulvio LOCci and Marco MANtovani, the company started making its own watches in 1996, after several years of assembling watches for other brands. It is also the birthplace of Locman, which started out in 1986 making leather goods, including straps for wristwatches. History buffs know the Island of Elba, east of Corsica in the Tuscan archipelago of the Tyrrhenian Sea, as the site of Napoleon Bonaparte’s first exile in the 1800s. Notable models: Amo, Montecristo, Mare, 1960 Lady Read on to discover our list of Italian watch brands, which ranges from affordable and versatile to artisanal and exclusive. Watches actually made in Italy, however, are relatively few - Panerai and Bulgari are far too rooted in Switzerland nowadays to be considered for this list - but each company in the small fraternity that makes Italian watches has a distinctive identity and an intriguing story. Even Italy’s world-famous luxury sports-car marques - Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati - have exerted a muse-like influence on watchmakers worldwide, in both design and technology, often through direct partnerships. It’s also the ancestral home of Bulgari, which, despite being more famous for its jewelry, has earned awestruck respect in the watch world for its record-breaking, boundary-pushing ultra-thin complications. Italy, another country historically renowned for its meticulous craftsmanship and bold, stylish design language, has exerted its own small but impactful influence on the world of watches: it’s the birthplace of Panerai, for example, a brand that essentially opened the door for old-school military tool watches to enter the rarefied air of luxury. As watch connoisseurship grows in the 21st century, former watchmaking powers like Great Britain, the United States, and France have started increasing their footprint in the industry. Switzerland, of course, is widely recognized as the world leader in the horological arts, but nations including Japan and Germany have also made a name for themselves on the world watchmaking stage. Watchmaking is a trade that draws artisans and enthusiasts from around the globe, though as an industry it has taken root in only a relative handful of nations. 0% interest for up to 24 months available on select brands.
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