by Tyler Frederick
Affordable luxury
When you read the word “luxury,” what comes to mind? An expensive car or a beautiful house? That one watch you’ve always wanted but seems unattainable due to the high price tag? Many of us, myself included, have always had this vision of what it would be like to be rich and to afford whatever, whenever. However, as you get older, the idea of luxury changes; it did for me, anyway. Peace, bills paid, food on the table, comfort—to make a long story short. With the evolution of watches, luxury is more attainable through various brands, especially in the microbrand space. These wearable time capsules are becoming more than just a way to signal affluence; to be fair, they always have been. The watch on my wrist today is from Venezianico, and the watch in question is the Arsenale Ultrablack; absolute darkness meets the elegance of stainless steel integrated construction.
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Key Features of the Venezianico Arsenale Ultrablack
A brand in evolution
Venezianico is a brand that has floated in my orbit since 2017 when it was originally named Meccaniche Veneziane; Venezianico has a much nicer ring to it. Since 2017, they’ve experienced significant evolution, and over the last couple of years, I’ve seen remarkable growth within the North American watch community. Their watches have been on the wrists of many reviewers whom I’m lucky to call my friends, so I have handled their watches before, and I want to thank the one and only Dan Mann (@thedansome) for personally introducing me to them. I spoke briefly with the brand at the Toronto Timepiece Show in 2024, but 2025 into 2026 was the year(s) I got the opportunity to check them out for myself, and I’m glad that I did.
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Value proposition
Allow me to explain my rant at the beginning; to keep a long story short, comfort is mainly the priority for having a happy life, and the luxury side partially dwindles away like the flame of a candle. It doesn’t exactly extinguish; it still exists, just at a dull flicker. The warmth is still there, but it’s not nearly as bright. When a watch like the Arsenale Ultrablack comes along, you get that feeling of luxury, comfort on the wrist, and a sigh of relief when you look at the price tag. Yes, it’s around $1,000 CAD, but the watch you get for the money is spectacular. You get the “finer things in life” feeling without the heart attack of paying for the finer things in life—get what I’m saying? Now, I also understand that $1,000 is a lot of money, but for those of us with the sickness that is watch collecting, it’s fantastic.
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Wearability
I mentioned comfort on the wrist, and that’s an understatement. What makes it so comfortable is the 40mm case paired with the compact 44mm lug-to-lug and an approximate lug width of 20mm with an absurdly comfortable rubber strap. The case cascades and hugs my wrist perfectly, and while the overall sizing of the case is outstanding, the 8.95mm thickness adds to the enjoyment. It’s so compact; it’s so thin—it feels so damn good, and it looks even better. I often compare it to the first time you see an Italian sports car, and after my recent viewing of Ford vs. Ferrari, this is fitting. The Arsenale Ultrablack gave me the same feeling as if I discovered the Ferrari F40 all over again: sleek, lightweight, sporty with heaps of elegance, and those curves—my goodness—that’s how I felt about the F40, and that feeling resonates with the watch. I understand Ford vs. Ferrari is about the Ford GT vs. the Ferrari 330, but I wanted to make a connection. Do I get bonus points for mentioning an Italian automotive juggernaut and pairing it with an Italian watch brand? Here’s hoping.
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Dial
Turning focus to the literal void on my wrist, the Musou black dial. I don’t think there’s anything more beautiful than the simplicity of a black dial that’s so rich it absorbs almost all the light that hits it. For those who don’t know, Musou black is the little brother of the famous Vantablack. The difference? Musou blocks out 99.4% of visible light while Vantablack blocks out 99.965%; pretty big difference if you ask me as I type and laugh at how absurd comparing 0.565 of a percent is. The dial on the Ultrablack doesn’t look real. I brought this watch to get a beer with a close friend of mine before he made his trek out West on his road to happiness and a new start when he said, “You turned your wrist for a second, and it just looked like a black hole. Like reality forgot to load for a second,” and he’s absolutely right. The dial absorbs so much light it just looks like reality forgot to show up, and the dial just doesn’t exist; only this black silhouette of what should be. Jake, if you read this, I miss you already, brother. All the best on your next endeavor, and I’m proud of you. Thanks for saying that so I could steal it for this review. That last part took me out for a minute; I had to grab some tissue. That’s another thing: this watch has such a deeper meaning to me now. I wore it when saying farewell to a brother before he pursued his version of happiness; that’s pretty damn special.
SPECS
| Case | 316L Stainless Steel 40mm Diameter 44mm Lug to Lug 8.95mm Thick 20mm Lug Width 50m Water Resistance |
| Dial & Crystal | Sapphire Crystal Musou Black Dial Dauphine Hands |
| Movement | Miyota 9029 Automatic 24 Jewels 28 800vph 41-Hour Power Reserve |
| Strap | Integrated Rubber /w Steel Endlinks |
Venezianico Arsenale Ultrablack
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Of Interest
I want to talk about the overall design and some things I noticed during the wearing experience. I know people love steel bracelets when it comes to an integrated case and bracelet design, but I’m personally a sucker for a rubber strap due to how clean it looks. I found the stainless steel version actually took away from the beauty of the black dial. The black rubber creates a beautiful separation and contrast between the case and the dial, further enriching the overall look; black on black with stainless steel looks phenomenal. I recommend this one on the rubber, but that’s just my preference; both look great.
One thing I’d like to point out from a functionality standpoint is the legibility. The Arsenale Ultrablack has no markers or indices and no seconds hand, so you’re kind of ball-parking what time it is and hoping for the best. In the correct lighting, the dial is gorgeous and easy to read, but in a dimly lit room, those polished hands completely disappear, and time is no longer discernible. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it can be somewhat frustrating when you need to check the time. Just something to keep in mind.
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Final Thoughts
The Venezianico Arsenale Ultrablack is one of the most beautiful and comfortable watches I’ve had the opportunity to experience. It’s a compact and thin automatic watch (Miyota 9029) that feels luxurious and blends simplicity, elegance, and sport all in one package: the epitome of dressing it up and dressing it down. It’s a watch I’ve already attached memories to; it’s a watch that I look down at my wrist and contemplate how sometimes minimal can be the most beautiful. While I technically listed it as a con, not being able to see the hands in low light reminded me to focus on what’s going on around me—that time in that scenario isn’t necessary, and to be present. Maybe I’ve brought a lot of my feelings into this review, but that’s the beautiful part of watches: we connect our lives, our memories, and our emotions to them, and I’m grateful to have had my experience with the Arsenale Ultrablack, and I think you will too.
Pricing & Availability
The watch retails for € 656 (or approximately $1050 CAD. For more information, please check out Venezianico. Thank you, as always, for taking the time to read my thoughts, words, emotions, all of it tied to one of my passions. Until next time, cheers, and see you soon!
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About the author
Born into a family obsessed with motorsport, Tyler Frederick became enamoured with speed and beautiful cars at a young age. His love of Formula 1–and all things mechanical–eventually lead him to horology. You can follow him on Instagram.
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