These days, watch lumes come in two major types. First you have tritium tubes, a minimally radioactive tech that doesn’t need charging to glow. And most commonly, you have phospho-luminescent coating like Super-LumiNova that will give you several hours of glow after a charge.
Every now and then, a brand does veer from these two paths to come out with something all their own — and the results are almost always spectacular. We’ve seen the likes of glowing ceramic from IWC and even MING’s Polar White, the only white-glowing lume around. Now, Italian watchmaker Unimatic has developed their own proprietary tech called Unilight, and we can’t wait to see its future applications.
A Cinque for the Modern Era
The Modello Cinque has had a busy life since its 2023 debut as a Massena LAB collab. That 36mm case size — a departure from Unimatic’s typical dive watch dimensions — proved there was real demand for something more versatile in their lineup. Since then, we’ve seen MoMA editions, Italian Alps colorways, and a killer white-dialed piece with The Armoury. But this Unilight release feels different. Rather than another colorway or collab, Unimatic developed an entirely new luminous system from the ground up.
The hand-applied three-dimensional markers are the star here, rising sculpturally from the matte black dial. During the day, they catch light at different angles, creating depth that flat-applied indices just can’t match. But when the lights drop, that’s where Unilight earns its keep. Unlike traditional lume that’s painted onto a marker’s surface, these 3D blocks glow uniformly from all sides — more lume material means more glow, and the effect is impressive. Unimatic isn’t sharing all the details about what the material is made from (ceramic? something else?), but the pigment itself is Super-LumiNova C1 in green emission.
Built Like a Unimatic Should Be
The 36mm brushed stainless steel case remains unchanged from previous Modello Cinque releases. You’re getting 300m of water resistance, a generous 29mm dial opening, and that angled rehaut that gives the watch surprising wrist presence despite its compact size at just over 11mm in thickness.
Inside, however, Unimatic upgraded to the Swiss-made Sellita SW200-1b automatic movement with a 41-hour power reserve. The double-domed sapphire crystal gets an anti-reflective coating on the inside, and the whole package is individually tested for accuracy and water resistance.
Both the stainless steel U5S-BL and black DLC-coated U5S-BLN come with an olive drab seatbelt NATO and a black leather quick-release strap.
Spec Sheet
Model: U5S-BL (stainless) / U5S-BLN (black DLC)
Case Material: 316L stainless steel
Case Size: 36mm
Case Thickness: 11.05mm
Movement: Sellita SW200-1b automatic
Power Reserve: 41 hours
Water Resistance: 300m
Crystal: 2.2mm double-domed sapphire with AR coating
Lume: Unilight C1 (3D markers), Super-LumiNova C1 (hands)
Straps: Olive drab seatbelt NATO, black leather quick-release
Limited Edition: 300 pieces per variant
Pricing & Availability
The Modello Cinque Unilight is available now directly from Unimatic. The stainless steel U5S-BL is priced at $1,250, while the black DLC U5S-BLN runs $1,390. Both are limited to 300 numbered pieces each.
Recap
Unimatic Modello Cinque Unilight 3D Lume
Unimatic just dropped their Modello Cinque with a new proprietary lume system called Unilight — basically 3D sculpted luminous markers that glow brighter and more uniformly than traditional flat lume. It’s a solid upgrade to their already-popular 36mm watch, though you’ll pay a premium at $1,250-$1,390 for the tech.
