ANONIMO 'Dino Zei' San Marco BRONZE

By TLex ANONIMO will celebrate two important anniversaries this year: their 15th birthday and Dino Zei's 40th year in the watch industry. To mark these occasions they have launched at Baselworld the new Dino Zei San Marco BRONZE. A fitting tribute when you consider that Dino Zei was the sole Director of Officine Panerai during the days when bronze was first pioneered for use in dive watch construction.

For my knowledge only Panerai were using bronze in those days for dive watches. A very small number of bronze prototypes were built by them in the early 80s for use by the Italian Navy. These watches which never went into production were resurrected almost a quarter of a century later by two former Panerai engineers Alessandro Bettarini and Luciano Nincheri, who after leaving Paneria went on to establish the ENNEBI brand in 2004.

When the Vendôme group took over Panerai in 1997 a number of veteran dive watch engineers as well as Dino Zei stayed behind at the Florentine watch company, which was to become Anonimo. Anonimo have continued to use bronze for many of their models and were in many ways (through their history) one of the pioneers of bronze. Later on Dino Zei collaborated with Anonimo to produce his own line of watches. The highlight of this collection, the San Marco was created in collaboration with former San Marco brigade commander, Franco Zavattaro . . .

From ANONIMO Anonimo Firenze’s Dino Zei San Marco Bronze is an excellent reflection of Anonimo Firenze’s rich history. This model is illustrative of the driving passion of Anonimo Firenze: to remain in control of time, even in the most extreme conditions. With a brand new case in aluminium bronze, Anonimo Firenze has added new sport values to the elegant military style of the Dino Zei line in celebration of the company’s 15th birthday.

Dino Zei has developed this high-performance watch together with the former commander of the San Marco brigade, Franco Zavattaro. Typically for the Anonimo Firenze Dino Zei San Marco, this edition also features a robust monobloc case and a bezel with five exposed screws.

Anonimo Firenze crafted the watch case in bronze for the anniversary edition of the Dino Zei San Marco. This exceptional model shows off the great creative expertise of the Anonimo Firenze Dino Zei line. “The San Marco Bronze marks the introduction of a techno vintage material, aluminium bronze, in this Dino Zei model, which has been developed by and for military personnel. The San Marco is the very top of the Dino Zei line,” explains Antoinio Ambuchi (R&D department of Firenze Orologi). “Aluminium bronze is an alloy typically used in maritime applications such as propellers for ships, and by incorporating it into the watch we have lifted its performance to an entirely new level.”

In addition, this model is illustrative of the refined, dynamic style of Anonimo Firenze’s Dino Zei line. Its dark brown face, with fluorescent numbers and markings, reflects the elegant military style for which Anonimo Firenze is so well known. With its combination of a bronze case and a wrist strap in salt water resistant Kodiak® calfskin, this watch will appeal to men whose taste dictates subtle, distinguished design.

The Anonimo Firenze Dino Zei San Marco Bronze has been produced in a limited edition series of 300.

Suggested retail price: € 8.400.