Celebrating 100 Years of Disney With UNIMATIC
Brand: Disney x UNIMATIC x Highsnobiety
Release Date: November 22 at 15:00 CET
Buy: Online on the Highsnobiety Shop and Highsnobiety iOS App.
Editor's Notes: The Disney x UNIMATIC 100th anniversary capsule collection is arriving, the latest development in Disney’s longstanding relationship with the world of watches.
Everyone's favorite red-shorts-wearing mouse has appeared on some of horology's most iconic pieces. If you're an avid collector, at some point, you've come across highly elusive Gérald Genta Mickey watches and Mickey Rolex Oyster Dates. Or, your Seiko Quartz Mickey "Hirohito" and Disney x Gucci Grip are some of your most prized possessions.
For Disney's 100th-anniversary, the cultural behemoth has turned to the Italian watchmaker UNIMATIC and our own Highsnobiety team to create its latest, exclusive capsule collection
Our long-time friends, UNIMATIC, are at the forefront of today's collaboration: an Italian microbrand known for its disruption of the watch industry with beautifully crafted tool watches.
These watches strike a perfect balance between industrial Bauhaus design and high-level performance. Adhering to a 'design-first' philosophy, the UNIMATIC team draws inspiration from the rich history of horology, skillfully blending elements from the most iconic watches in history to forge something entirely new, Italian-made, and contemporary.
As a collaborative design effort between Disney, UNIMATIC, and Highsnobiety, we've created a limited-edition collection of watches in three distinct styles. Crafted in titanium or stainless steel, all of the watches will include a unique Mickey Mouse illustration drawn from his iconic appearances from 1929, 1947, and 2023.
"Working with Disney and Highsnobiety on the Mickey Mouse evolution through time, and embodying this path into actual watches is a fascinating fractals-like process that in our design and crafting intention delivers three timepieces relevant to the present and future times, just like Mickey," says UNIMATIC founder and CEO Giovanni Moro.
Limited to 100 pieces each, all of the watches are individually numbered with custom engravings on the reverse side, bearing the UNIMATIC x Highsnobiety x Disney100 logo and the corresponding year of each respective illustration. Additionally, all the watches are presented in custom packaging. Keep scrolling to see a deep dive into each of the models.
Reference: Modello Tre U3-HS
Watch Type: Chronograph Diver
Origin: Made in Italy
Water Resistance: 300m = 1000ft = 30atm WR
Case Size: Diameter 40mm case with 41.5mm bezel
Crown: Alchemical Sun ☉ 8mm screw-down
Caliber Type: Meca-quartz calibre Seiko VK64A
Starting with the U3-HS, this chronograph diver comes in a brushed 316 stainless case. With a diameter of 40mm, the case is extremely wearable, and it sits comfortably on the wrist thanks to a red TPU strap or the alternative black nylon nato strap. The watch not only boasts 300-meter water resistance but also an impressive antimagnetic rating of 1600 A/m.
Nonetheless, the true star of the show is the famous 1929 drawing of Mickey Mouse on the chronograph's light grey dial. This Mickey was popularized in Disney's Steamboat Willie film, the first film featuring the character to include synchronized sound — sparking a revolution in animated film and pushing silent animation out of vogue.
Reference: U2S-T-HS
Watch Type: Field Watch
Origin: Made in Italy
Water Resistance: 300m = 1000ft = 30atm WR
Case Size: 38mm case
Caliber Type: Automatic calibre Sellita SW200-1 b
Next up, we have our collection's field watch, the U2S-T-HS. Like many of our favorite things, such as cargo pants and bomber jackets, the field watch was originally born out of military functionality — to tell time easily and reliably without worrying about heavy or rough use. The U2S-T-HS delivers on just that, but with a 1947 illustration of the loveable mouse on the dial.
Powered by a Swiss-made Sellita SW200-1b movement, the 38 mm watch case is made from Grade II titanium. Titanium is a grail among watch nerds because of its lightness and increased durability compared to other watch materials. With a 41-hour power reserve, other notable features include the watch's dome sapphire case crystal, inner side anti-reflective coating, and a "hacking" secondhand function.
Reference: U1S-HS2
Watch Type: Diver
Origin: Made in Italy
Water Resistance: 300m = 1000ft = 30atm WR
Case Size: Diameter 40mm case with 41.5mm bezel
Crown: Alchemical Sun ☉ 8mm screw-down
Caliber Type: Automatic calibre Sellita SW200-1 b
Finally, we have the U1S-HS2. Using the latest 2023 Micky Mouse illustration from Disney, the UNIMATIC slim diver is packaged in a 40mm 316 stainless steel case powered by Swiss-made Sellita SW200-1b movement. Since this is also a diver, the U1S-HS has 300 meters of water resistance. The 120-click aluminum mono-directional safety bezel has a raised red lume dot and a hacking seconds hand.
