Venezianico continues to explore new materials for the dials of its watches. This time it is the turn of red coral, used for the dial of the Nereide diver.
Red coral has always been considered a symbol of life, luck and rebirth. With its deep red colour and naturally sculptured texture, this marine element has always fascinated many cultures, becoming a precious and meaningful material. Its natural origin and the process by which it hardens in contact with air have given rise to legends that are lost in time.
Venezianico uses it for the dial of the new Nereide Corallo, a diver's watch waterproof to 200 metres that pays homage to the historical connection between Venice and this fascinating material, also symbolically represented in Giambattista Tiepolo's fresco 'Neptune offers gifts to Venice', where the sea god gives coral to the Serenissima as a sign of prosperity and seafaring power.
Brothers Alberto and Alessandro Morelli (head of Venezianico), with the former having recently joined the illustrious academy of the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG), decided to make a dial in this particular material. Each dial is different from the other, and is made using a handcrafted mosaic technique that combines authentic fragments of red coral. Each of these is selected and matched manually, resulting in a unique composition. This approach enhances the natural irregularity and identity of each piece.
Once the mosaic block is created, the material is then cut using water-jet technology, which preserves the structure and prevents cracks and imperfections. The dial is then polished by hand to achieve a shiny finish.
Venezianico Nereide Corallo: diver waterproof up to 20 atmospheres
Swiss mechanics and Made in Italy design characterise this new creation with its red coral dial, produced in a limited edition of 500 pieces.
Venezianico's new Nereide Corallo employs a 42 mm steel case with a unidirectional rotating bezel with 120 clicks made of tungsten and a case back closed with 6 screws and fitted with a porthole. It is precisely the window in the case back that allows one to observe the Swiss Made Sellita calibre SW200-1 (28,800 vibrations per hour, 38-hour power reserve), known for its great reliability.
The movement has a skeletonised rotor decorated with radial côtes de Genève and finished with anglage. A further touch is provided by the 3N red gold galvanic treatment, which recalls the brand's signature colour.
The aforementioned red coral dial is protected by an anti-reflective sapphire crystal and features SuperLuminova luminescent baton hands and hour markers and a date window at 3 o'clock. The watch is completed by a red Made in Italy rubber strap.
Price on pre-order1,035 euro (instead of 1,295 euro; launch date: 28 April 3pm).
