Unimatic’s First Japan-Exclusive Watch Utilizes a Coveted, Uncommon Dial Detail

Unimatic has become the indie watch brand of choice for hype-enducing collaborations, and the hits just keep coming.

One of the newest releases features a simple yet fascinating tweak, but it is more noteworthy for its distribution than design.

Unimatic

The Unimatic U2-JDM is almost identical to the standard-issue U2 Classic, except it features a California dial. If you’ve never heard of a Cali dial, it means the dot indices on the original dial have been replaced with Roman numerals on the top half and Arabic numerals on the lower half.

It is a collaboration between Unimatic and Japanese designer Yoshimasa Hoshiba, specifically for Sugawara Ltd. The distinctive dial treatment has mid-century military roots, a genre that Unimatic has mined with great success since the Milanese brand debuted in 2015.

Unimatic

Aside from the numerals, the U2-JDM is a boilerplate Modello Due with a 38mm brushed steel case, a 2.7mm thick domed sapphire crystal with AR coating and a sizeable 8mm diameter screw-down crown.

It runs on an SII (Seiko) caliber NH35A automatic movement, which is the wholesale version of the movement used in most of the Seiko 5 Sports collection. It has a 41-hour power reserve and a modest beat rate of 21,600vph.

Going-going back-back to Cali-Cali

The California dial has a somewhat mysterious reputation, but its true origin is well documented. Rolex patented the design in 1942, during the height of WWII, to maximize dial legibility for military-issue watches.

Unimatic

Using different style numerals made deciphering the orientation of a watch dial as easy as possible under challenging conditions. The Rolex Zerographe, a forebearer of the Submariner, and early Oyster Perpetual references started sporting the design in the mid-1940s.

From the beginning, Unimatic has modeled its dials after early Rolexes, with the triangle at 12 o’clock, dashes filling out the other cardinal positions and dots in between. However, the U2-JDM also pays homage to what is believed to be the second brand to feature California dials.

In 1944, Panerai released the reference 3646 Kampfschimmer, which was produced by Rolex and featured a Cali dial. The sterile dial is remarkably similar to the one created for this Japanese-exclusive limited edition.

Unimatic

With all those details considered, this ostensibly simple dial adjustment is actually an Easter Egg hinting at a fascinating little corner of watch history and a fun way for Unimatic to salute its fellow Italian watchmaker.

Playing the field

The Modello Due has always been positioned as a field watch, which is clear from the case design and two-piece nylon pin-buckle bracelet on the standard model and the U2-JDM.

Unimatic

However, I’ve always found that it defies categorization because it also boasts 300m water resistance thanks to its burly 12.7mm thick stainless steel case, screw-down crown, solid steel caseback and 2.7mm thick sapphire crystal.

As mentioned above, the dial is rooted in dive watch history, both on the standard U2 Classic and the U2-JDM. Of course, it has a featureless steel bezel, which cuts out half the functionality of a diver.

Unimatic

For military and dive watch nerds like myself, the U2-JDM is a fascinating proposition. It is also objectively cool and has broad appeal for even the most casual watch fans. The only issue for us Americans, or anyone living outside of Japan, is getting our hands on one.

Availability and price

Here’s the rub: the Unimatic Modello Due U2-JDM is exclusive to the Japanese market and only sold by Sugawara Ltd. and Hoshiba’s Minimal Wardrobe shop. Complicating matters further is the limited edition production of 100 pieces, which is low even by Unimatic’s standards.

The fact of the matter is that anyone reading this article will almost certainly have to turn to the second-hand market to land this awesome watch. Its face value is ¥154,000, which is currently trading for $1,044. Happy hunting, my friends!

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