Unimatic is one of these brands I’ve heard so much about but waited such a long time to review that it held a sort of mysterious allure which I found to be extremely compelling. But for the past many years I heard many things being said about it, the same things over and over again, and so I drafted a particular image of the brand in my mind: minimalist designs, large and flat cases, overpriced. These are some of the words and adjectives that stuck reading reviews about Unimatic which however didn’t scare me to want to check it out as I know by experience that I, nor you, should ever 100% trust what others say. Especially when it comes to watches which are objects we collect and adore and not the latest medical discovery or AI tool. In other words, watch collecting should be fun and we should make up our own mind about watches. My attraction to Unimatic was further fueled by the fact that the brand focuses solely on tool watches which is the type of horology that drove me deep into this hobby. 

So evidently Unimatic and I were bound to meet and click, as I did looking at the Modello Quattro UT4-GMT, one of the four models part of the brand’s Tool Watch collection. These are tool watches through-and-through and priced accordingly for a proper utilitarian timekeeping device: $655 USD for this model for which you get a lot of bangs for your bucks. As we will see, the UT4-GMT is visually and mechanically unique, very much anchored into the brand’s philosophy of minimalist utilitarian designs around which it created its entire persona. Whilst I haven’t yet had any experience with other models from the brand, it seems to me that the more tech you get the more you pay, an idea that makes sense to me. I don’t know why so many people cannot rid themselves of the idea that we should pay X amount of money for X type of watch, but in order to get Z timepiece we need to pay Z price for it. In other words you pay more to get more and you pay less to get less. Quite simple, isn’t it? 

Specifications 

Despite the fact that lots of people have many negative things to say about Unimatic, what they do often mention, and that which prompted me to finally want to review one, is the fact that the Italian brand builds tough watches. And that alone was enough for me to want to check it out because I do like robust tool watches and I have a particular niche interest for brands which come up with novel solutions to make their watches impervious to things such as shocks, corrosion, scratches, and magnetism. After all, tool watches should be protected against many things and I find that this idea of building badass analog watches in 2025 to be extremely compelling even though they are massively unnecessary to most of us poor humans. But they exist, Unimatic makes them, and so all is good for me. The first thing you should know, then, about the UT4-GMT is the Made-in-Italy TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane)  360° anti-shock system which is composed of a main piece holding the movement from behind and a ring protecting the dial. 

Therefore the critical parts of the watch are indeed fully protected against mild (daily) and intense (in the field) shocks, as this model and all from the Tool Watch collection meet U.S. Government’s MIL-STD-810 military standards for robustness and durability. Through intense testing, the watches are put through their paces to measure their resistance not only to shocks but also to humidity, variations in temperatures and atmospheric pressure, vibrations, and more. And what is extraordinary is that most of what Unimatic does seems to be made in Italy as the brand claims, which is commendable in its own right. And I find already that the shock-absorbing systems to be quite ingenious and it certainly in part explains the larger dimensions of the UT4-GMT. Because in order to equip a watch with real protection against shocks you ought to enlarge the case to make it fit inside of it, as we saw a long time ago with Seaholm watches. Thus this beast measures 40mm in diameter, 49mm lug-to-lug, 12mm thick and comes with a 22mm lug width. 

More than that, Unimatic equipped the UT4-GMT with a Swiss Made 515.24D quartz GMT caliber which has a stated accuracy of ± 15 seconds per month and a battery life of 3 years. As we know, quartz movements are paramagnetic which further adds to the comprehensive list of outstanding specifications this model is endowed with. But it gets even better: an 8mm screw-down crown and a screw-down case-back for 300 meters of water resistance which is much more than even professionals need; a 2.8mm thick piece of inner double-domed sapphire crystal with multiple layers of inner anti-reflective coating (which means the crystal is resistant to shocks and scratches and is free of distortions;) generous applications of green-glowing SuperLuminova C1 on the hands and printed hour markers. All of that for $655 USD seems to be a more than fair price to ask for such a mechanically and technically comprehensive tool watch. Lastly, the watch ships on a robust two-piece black nylon strap that comes with a large moving keeper. 

Design

As indicated in the introduction, Unimatic is not only known for making robust watches but also for having developed a bespoke design language which permeates through its entire catalog and which quite a few micro and independent brands have already drawn inspiration from. Both a form-follows-function aesthetic but also a minimalist and brutalist approach to sketching out dials and cases which combine together make for unique tool watches with a singular character. If you aren’t new to Mainspring you know I have a thing for straightforward designs and so it was only a matter of time before I would handle a Unimatic in the metal and the UT4-GMT constitutes the perfect introduction to the brand. What this model first shares with many Unimatic’s is the bold and angular case profile whose main visual characteristic is the flat and elongated nature of its mid-case. The lugs have three major facets, the upper mid-case a flat section which sits below the fixed bezel, showing an undercut between the two. 

All of these elements blend in together seamlessly thanks to the fine sandblasted case finish which is easy on the eyes and soft to the touch. The large crown has thin but perfectly machined grooves which makes it easy to grab and operate, and its large profile is enhanced by the large crown-guards which are complemented by chamfers on their upper sections. Looking at its dimensions and angular nature, the case does appear massive, an effect which is reinforced on this version by the wide and flat upper fixed bezel which reduces the visual foot print of the dial. (It squishes it in.) But the case doesn’t only appear large but is large as 49mm of L2L is not negligeable for my 6.50”/16.5cm wrist, as the lugs do shoot out quite far from the case. After all, one cannot make an actually robust and shock-proof tool watch without adding a few millimeters in all directions, and again I should remind you that the UT4-GMT comes with a thick double-domed sapphire crystal, a proprietary anti-shock system, and 300 meters of water resistance. 

All of this is to say that the UT4-GMT would have looked quite odd should Unimatic had shaved off a couple of millimeters from the lugs which would have thrown off the watch’s balance on the wrist. But that is just my humble opinion. Moving on, let us talk about the dial then and its superb minimalist layout. Small Arabic numerals printed in the brand’s bespoke variable font system mark the hours save for at the six where we find a porthole date aperture composed of white numerals printed on a black date disc. A lot of text above it to remind us that we’re looking at a Made-in-Italy Unimatic watch which follows the MIL-STD-810 military standards. Then two-partite pencil-shaped hour and minute hands with black surrounds showing large real estate for lume, complemented by a long seconds hand which comes with a lumed lollipop counter-balance and an orange-painted tip for maximal readability. And lastly, a cleverly integrated GMT disc complication located above the pinion where the even hours are indicated with numerals and the odd ones with dots. 

The Heart of the Matter

By studying the Unimatic UT4-GMT from all design and technical angles, it was made clear once again that we should never let other people’s opinions dictate our own thoughts about a watch or brand. Even though it is largely impossible for most of us to buy whatever watch we fancy to see if it would indeed be a good match, we need to tap into our critical thinking when reading up about watches and looking at fancy visuals in order to define whether or not it would be of interest to us. I am aware that you are now reading a review about a watch you may have never seen in the metal, and that you are reading my opinions about it. But I do hope that you will be able to draw your own conclusions based on what you read and saw today. And so I think that Unimatic is a brand that is misunderstood by many as it does appear to make very good professional-grade tool watches which are endowed with great specs and a bespoke design language. You cannot have either of the latter elements without charging a certain price for them. 

To keep things simple: $655 USD for such a robust and singular looking timepiece is more than reasonable. 

Conclusion

I once again profess my limitless love for good utilitarian watches and today I was delighted to share my thoughts about the Unimatic UT4-GMT. A proper tool watch as some might call it and one which comes with actually good specs and an effective design language so that the way it looks matches the way it’s supposed to be used. Then you should know that there are currently four models in the Toolwach collection: the Modello Uno UT1 with a diver bezel; the Modello Uno UT1-GMT with a dive bezel and GMT complication; a time-only Modello Quattro UT4; and a the Modello Quattro UT4-GMT with a date and GMT complication. Prices range $515-$760 USD based on the model you would choose. Again, extremely good value and unique design which some of you will feel compelled by. 

Thanks for reading.