The Venezianico Redentore Riserva di Carica (Live Pics & Price)

Venezianico is an Italian brand founded in 2017 with a couple of interesting dive watches in its portfolio. Its latest flagship is the Venezianico Redentore Riserva di Carica (Power Reserve), which takes a rather unconventional approach to common complications – date and power reserve. It’s nothing we haven’t seen before, but for such an affordable piece, it’s impressive. Inspiration comes from Venetian architecture via Andrea Palladio, specifically the Basilica del Redentore (Basilica of the Redeemer), and the caseback features an engraving of the building. Italian style and minimalism work together for an attractive, unusual watch. 

Italian Inspiration

Few cities in the world are as inspirational as Venice. Architectural beauty, multiple cultures and the absence of roads (replaced by canals) really stand out, reflecting the rich history of this capital in northern Italy. Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio is considered one of the best in history, himself influenced by Roman and Greek architecture. Early works include villas around Vicenza, but he’s well known for palaces and churches. The Basilica del Redentore was designed in 1577 by Palladio in response to the plague of 1575 that caused almost one in three Venetian deaths. A year earlier, the senate decided to build the church as the epidemic raged for divine intervention. Palladio’s structure remains a marvel today, but it’s not the only inspiration for the Venezianico piece. 

Its cross logo comes from the cross atop the 15^th century Clock Tower on the north side of St. Mark’s Square. All four arms are equal in length with round tips, representing geometric balance. The brand name, Venezianico, comes from “Veneziano” (Venetian) and “ico” (way of being). Colours and textures are also inspired by centuries of Venetian construction materials, including Istria stone from bases, grey sandstone and gold from mosaics.

Case & Design

The stainless steel case has a polished bezel and lugs with brushed sides, and that bezel is rather tall. The diameter is ideal for many wrists at 40mm, but with a height of 14.2mm, it’s a substantial watch. Not uncomfortable, but thicker than it should be. There’s a lot of space between the top of the box-shaped AR sapphire crystal and base dial. It certainly looks cool, but as a dress watch there might be a bit too much heft for some. Lug-to-lug isn’t too bad at 48mm. The lugs form a seamless guard for the push/pull crown, signed with an embossed cross logo. Water-resistance is still 100 metres.

The caseback is solid with a detailed engraving of the Basilica del Redentore and is secured with six screws. The model on hand is uncoated steel with a blue dial, but a gold (colour) coated bezel and crown is optional for a nice two-tone aesthetic. Overall finishing is also very nice for the accessible price. It’s fitted with a blue Italian leather strap with polished steel pin buckle and white stitching.

Stylish, Original dial

The dial is a sunray light blue that plays well with light and a matching snailed sub-dial sits at 6 o’clock. It resembles small seconds, but is actually a pointer date with an orange “hammer” tip. Large, applied indices contrast well against the dial, along with the polished hour, minute and seconds hands. The power reserve indicator is a bit unusual, utilizing a fourth central hand on the main shaft (with another hammer tip). An outer ring with a micro-sandblasted finish shows the reserve scale from 11 to 3 o’clock. It’s rare to see such a power reserve in this price range – most have a dedicated sub-dial. However, the Seiko movement running the show has been used by others with comparable setups (Aragon, for example). Looking down at the watch, there’s a real sense of depth as the gap between the crystal and dial is substantial, but it provides an architectural vibe that I’m sure the brand was looking for. 

Premium Seiko Calibre

Powering the Venezianico Redentore Riserva di Carica is a Seiko NE57 automatic, which is among Seiko’s premium line of movements (compared to one like the NH35). It has 29 jewels, beats at 21,600vph (3Hz) with a 41-hour power reserve. Functions include central hours, minutes, hacking seconds and power reserve, and a pointer date at 6 o’clock. This is a sister movement to Seiko’s 4R57, which is reserved solely for their own models. Accuracy is rated at -20/+40 seconds per day, but falls within those maximum parameters in practice. 

Thoughts

Venezianico isn’t a household name, but this flagship Redentore Riserva di Carica makes a great first impression. The diameter is great, but I wish it were a bit thinner – perhaps around 12mm or so. That doesn’t take away from the overall presentation, which is stylish, architectural and unique. The blue dial is certainly trendy and I like the matching strap, but you have four additional colour options that include two case styles. Dial colours include green, silver and black, the latter having either silver or gold hands and indices. The green and black (with gold accents) dial options also have a gold bezel and crown, and the strap colours match the various dials. That’s quite a variety from a young brand and provides something for many tastes. 

Availability & Price

The Venezianico Redentore Riserva di Carica retails for EUR 565 (incl. taxes) with availability from February 23, 2022. It comes with a two-year warranty and can be ordered either directly from the webstore or authorized retailers. This is a real value proposition for a piece with an unusual power reserve indicator and pointer date, not to mention the multiple dial colour/case options. For more information, please visit www.venezianico.com. 

Sponsored Post: This article is sponsored by Venezianico Watches. However, it reflects the writer’s opinion and has been written according to MONOCHROME’s editorial policy.