If you don’t really look, it’s a conservative, 42mm watch based on the workhorse automatic movement of Europe, the ETA 2824. But it has only one hand. No minutes, seconds, or day, just an hour hand. Look a little closer, and you’ll note that there are too many hash marks between the hours. The markings are five minute increments between the hours. Wait, what?

The Botta Uno is one interpretation of what a minimalist’s watch should look like. It has only one hand, and provides you with the information that you really use with a relevant, human degree of precision. Precise enough that you can get to an appointment without being too early, and without the clutter of many watches that heap on extra functions whether or not their target audience has a clue what they do.

It is a charming counterpoint to the trends that led to the excessively gadgetized TX Luxury watches with six or seven hands and dubious relevance. This is the kind of thing that should cause a bit of reflection about what really matters.

ByJohn Biggs

John lives in Brooklyn and has loved watches since he got his first Swatch Irony automatic in 1998. He is the editor of WristWatchReview.

Leave a Reply