One of my favourite microbrand launches of the year so far is the sporty and characterful Venezianico Arsenale. An integrated bracelet sports watch with a gorgeously minimalist dial that puts all the emphasis on its finishing. Evidently Venezianico agree that this minimalist element is a core element of the design because now they’ve doubled down on that aspect of the watch by introducing the Venezianico Arsenale Ultrablack.
Jumping straight to the dial, it’s now painted absolute black with Musuo Black paint. If you’ve never come across Musuo Black before, it’s an incredible paint that absorbs 99.4% of the light that touches it, giving it an incredibly strong black colour that looks like an empty void. A handful of watch brands have adopted to colour for their watches, notably Venezianico have used it previously on their Nereide and Redentore Ultrablack editions, as well as brands like Boldr with the Singularity. A step above Musuo Black is Vantablack as used by H. Moser & Cie..
For the Venezianico Arsenale Ultrablack they’ve stripped away the hour markers and minute scale, leaving the dial more exposed to be admired. The only adornment is the tiny Venezianico cross above the central hands that are themselves skeletonised to reveal yet more of the dial beneath them. Paired with the 40mm, steel sports case it’s an interesting fusion of styles that works really well.
Turning the watch over it retains the solid caseback of the original collection with a significant change. Instead of an engraved image of the Venice Arsenale (a famous building in Venice) it features a satellite floating in orbit above the Earth with a shuttle in the background. It represents the bond between the past and future from the ancient canals of Venice to the final frontier, space. Behind the caseback is the Miyota 9029 with automatic winding and a 42-hour power reserve.
The watch is available to purchase from November 26th at 2pm GMT at a price of €800 (approx. £670). It’s presented on either a rubber strap or an optional steel bracelet for an additional €100 (approx. £80). I really like this as a follow up to the original Arsenale collection because it feels more special than a simple colour change, which on a technical level is essentially what this is. It’s amazing how much of an impact Musuo Black can have on the style of a watch.
Price and Specs:
More details at Venezianico.
I absolutely love the Venezianico Arsenale Ultrablack! The Musuo Black dial is stunning—its deep, void-like finish really captures the essence of space.