Anonimo has launched a stylish collection in Bronze, widely considered a metal that gives watches a vintage character, and has made a strong comeback as one of this year’s key trends. At Anonimo, however, bronze watches have something of a pedigree. In homage to the brand’s Italian beginnings, Anonimo watches honor the unique savoir-faire of Florentine artisans, who have been making watch cases since 1939. The technique used by Anonimo artisans is highly distinctive and comprises a series of meticulous steps.
It all begins with a solid block of bronze, which the artisans work until a particularly strong and scratch-resistant watch case takes shape. This is an unusual technique within watchmaking, where components are usually modeled into shape. Here, the process is completely different, slower and more gradual. The bronze is tapped, and then threaded before assembly. Patinas age the metal prematurely, thus creating a wide variety of effects on the surface.
Since 1997, each bronze watch created by Anonimo has continued in this same tradition of quality and love of the art. Anonimo’s bronze watches are available in limited editions, and owe their beginnings to divers in the Italian navy.
A Vintage Military Alpini in bronze has been created in homage to the 4th regiment of the prestigious Italian mountain infantry. An elite corps, the physical and technical demands placed on the Alpini are among the toughest any soldier has to undergo. The Matterhorn, the celebrated legendary summit, straddles the borders of Italy and Switzerland, two countries which together have forged the DNA of the brand.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, a vast number of different items were crafted from gilded bronze: fireplaces and lamps, candlesticks, torches, candelabras and girandoles, clocks, finishes on dressers, vanity tables, desks, side tables and vases. The most legendary sculptors worked with bronze to create timeless pieces. This metal offers such incredible resistance to wear and corrosion that it has been used to fit out centuries of ships for the high seas. This unique ability is a result of slight surface oxidation, which protects the metal from any further attacks.
An alloy of copper and tin, to begin with, bronze has a similar patina to gold, darkening over time to acquire a natural and inimitable patina. This oxidation lends bronze watches a vintage look, highly desired by fans of this noble material. Bronze watches are, for the most part, composed of more than 60% copper (sometimes as much as 95%) and a variable amount of not just tin, but also aluminum, lead, beryllium, manganese and tungsten, as well as silicon and phosphorus in significant quantities. Although often used in bronze alloys, Anonimo watches do not contain any nickel.
