At last, a wristwatch that lets me put my Theatre Studies A-Level to some use. The Venezianico Redentore Arlecchino is dedicated to one of the iconic exports of Italy in the 16th-18th century, the commedia dell’arte, aka Italian Comedy. A stylised form of performance akin to pantomime in which a series of ‘stock characters’ that are instantly recognisable from production to production (thanks to their consistent outfits and mannerisms) tell a variety of comedic stories. One such stock character is Arlecchino, better known in English as Harlequin, who forms the focus of this wristwatch.
Arlecchino is a masked individual in a brightly coloured, checkered costume known for his acrobatics and witty antics. In commedia dell’arte he takes the roll of a trickster, often case in the position of a servant who outwits his master. Thanks to the bright costume and mask, he has become one of the symbols of the Venice carnival since its reintroduction by the Italian government in the 1970s. Which is why Venezianico takes an interest in the character because of their strong ties to the city.
The watch features a harlequin check style dial produced with a polished steel framework with each cell filled with colourful cold enamel – a material that gives a similar appearance to traditional fired enamels but that cures without needing to be heated to extreme temperatures. It’s much easier to use than traditional enamel but correspondingly less prestigious. Its use here makes a lot of sense given that a cloisonné enamel dial of the same design would be prohibitively expensive and also limit production to tens of watches (if that) instead of the 400 we have.
I quite enjoy the chaotic pattern of the display with no points of perfect symmetry or regularity in either its shape or colour. Yet, at the same time it feels cohesive due to the carefully chosen palette of colours that work well in concert. There’s yellow, orange, red, lavender, blue, turquoise, dark green, and green.
The harlequin dial is housed in the standard Redentore case, measuring 38mm in diameter with a 9.4mm thickness in steel. The case also houses the Miyota 9039 automatic with 42-hour power reserve, protected by a solid caseback that bears a depiction of Arlecchino. Around the edge of the picture is the Italian inscription “Arlecchino dances among the deceptions of the world, colouring chaos with the cunning of a smile.” It’s priced at €950 (approx. £826) in a 400 piece limited edition.
Price and Specs:
More details at Venezianico.
You didn’t speak of the thickness of the case (or should I say thinness); 9.4 mm is extremely thin. And the Saffiano leather band is beautiful, is scratch proof, handmade Italian leather used by high-end brands like Prada.
A beautiful work of art, I preordered one at launch. About my 12th Venezianico (I lost track lol).