History of Anonimo Firenze
History Anonimo Firenze
Firenze Orologi Srl is a company that manufactures and distributes the watch brand Anonimo Firenze, representing mechanical watches manufactured in an artisanal way. The brand was founded in 1997, following a rather fortunate coinciding of events and meetings of several personalities. On the one hand, there was the founder, Federico Massacesi, who for many years was linked to the luxury world, more particularly to fashion house Salvatore Ferragamo, while on the other hand there was the presence of a small but prestigious Florentine traditional watchmaking atelier: that of the Ambuchi family (today proudly commemorated by writing Casemakers in Firenze since 1939 , on our watch cases), all that combined with some of the professional skills achieved at historical Officine Panerai.
The Ambuchi family atelier was founded by Enrico Ambuchi in 1939, it survived the tragedy of war, enlarged in 1958 and later passed on to the next generation through the son, Antonio Ambuchi. Consequently, with its foundation in 1997, Anonimo Firenze inherited nearly 60 years of work, craftsmanship and technological evolution in watch making. For over 50 years cases and watches have been coming out of these ateliers, by using its specialized machinery.
Officine Panerai on the other hand, represents a recall to precision and to the essential, resulting from the direct link (and an almost totally exclusive one up to the 90s), between the watchmaker and its user, the Italian Navy. The Italian Navy today still collaborates with Anonimo Firenze, strengthening the distant legacy of the other great tradition of military precision engineering, Officine Galileo, a company in which Enrico Ambuchi was trained.
The desire to concentrate on the value and prominence of the product itself rather than the exaltation of a brand name, as well as to launch the brand itself have been the catalysts for turning these products into reality, a reality in which high-tech design and manufacturing turn into excellent craftsmanship.
The history of the brand may seem short but it is already in its first watch models, as the Millemetri (continuously produced since 1997), that the search for excellence and respect for materials can be found. A great attention to craftsmanship, related to case finishing, has allowed us to diversify lines and patterns, case construction types, case treatments, coming up with a lot of innovations without ever losing our great Florentine craftsmanship.
This evolution has always been verified by the development of 'on field' watches, for both sporting activities such as rallies, spearfishing championships, the TP52 sailing circuit, as well as in the professional environment, through nearly a decade of collaboration with the C.N.S. (Cooperazione Nazionale Somozzatori) high-depth scuba divers or in hi-depth tests coordinated by C.N.R. (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche) in 2001.
Since 2009 the company has undergone a process of renewal, ensuring the continuity of the brand and its products, and focusing even more on straightforward products, value and craftsmanship.
Each year Anonimo Firenze produces a limited number of timepieces, taking a lot of care of each step related to designing, planning and implementation at its atelier, for those who are not guided by the need of acquiring status symbols.
Philosophy
The Anonimo Firenze watch collection is based on precise purposes and rigorous aesthetic and technical criteria. Every product is distinguished by great technological creativity and strong focus on modern design concepts. Its artisan finishing technique is a trademark of the Anonimo Firenze style and a testimony to Italian craftsmanship.
The name has not been chosen by chance, it has given rise to both curiosity and interest. The name "Anonimo", the Italian word for anonymous, was born out of a fundamental philosophy of the Company. This philosophy is based on the principle that the watches are not about us, they are about the individual who wears them and are a testimony to and an expression of the personality of the wearer. They are an expression of the values and principles which are inseparable from those of the Company.
Honesty. Every commercial business and human process is based on principles of absolute honesty. Anonimo Firenze will continue to deliver to its customers the ongoing support and integrity required to uphold each relationship.
Originality. Technological creativity and originality distinguish every product. They are the result of focused research and long term investment in R&D, aimed at building a cultural and technological reputation which will continue to set Anonimo Firenze watches apart from all others.
Essentials. This is the inspiring principle of the Anonimo Firenze vision and its absolute conviction. In the creation of our watches, anything that is unnecessary is eliminated, practical features are of paramount importance, resulting in watches with an unequaled quality-to-value ratio.
Excellence. We place quality above everything, from high quality components, to the most superior materials with suppliers whom are totally in tune with our mission. Our craftsmen and watchmakers complement our total commitment to exceptional strength and value in our timepieces.
Anonimo Firenze is firmly dedicated to teamwork, creating winning synergies and strengthening values. This philosophy begins with our founder and team members and is a vital part of the commitment by and between our strategic suppliers and distribution partners worldwide.
Casemakers since 1939
Innovation When Federico Massacesi set up the company in 1997, his goal was to breathe new life into the declining Florentine watchmaking industry. He convinced Antonio Ambuchi (son of Enrico Ambuchi, founder of the Ambuchi workshop, which has produced traditional watch cases since 1939), to take the plunge with Anonimo Firenze. Massacesi and Ambuchi had the same determination, the same sense of creativity and a shared love of refined Italian watches. Ambuchi said yes and became head of Technical Design.
This was the beginning of a fruitful cooperation. After all, the reputable family business was known for its sense of innovation and technical expertise. Over the course of the 20th century, the company developed watch cases for big names in the watch industry and for Italian producers of diving equipment.
In the 1930s, diving watches had not yet been invented. Nevertheless, time is of the essence in the navy. A reliable, high quality watch which is accurate, easy to read and with a long power reserve is crucial for military and professional operations. Anonimo Firenze today still works with the divers at Cooperativa Nazionale Sommozzatori (C.N.S.), one of the world's largest deep-sea diving companies.
Craftsmanzhip
Each Anonimo Firenze timepiece starts with a case made in the traditional way. Craftsmen expertly mill cases starting from solid bars of metal. This process consists of different stages which each require complex and precise operations with special hi-tech machinery. This example of craftsmanship allows Anonimo Firenze to produce superior quality watch cases.
Anonimo Firenze's workshop, where all the watches are finished, is still located in the building where Enrico Ambuchi set up his workshop in the late 1950s. Here the cases are in the experienced hands of Alessandro Lari and his team. They grind down the rough edges, clean them thoroughly and then sandblast them. Finally they are dipped in a cleaning bath. Also in this workshop our watches with bronze cases and/or bezels undergo a pre-oxidation treatment.
This is a labour-intensive process which is characteristic to our artisanal way of watchmaking.
Dino Zei
Dino Zei, born in 1931, began his Navy career in 1958, when graduating at the Italian Navy Academy and grading in Industrial Engineering. This was the first in a series of destinations in his life, both as a journey as well as study. It was also the beginning of a lifetime journey that has eventually led him towards the art of high quality watch making, an art never in conflict with the rigor of an engineer.
Dino Zei became head of the Firearms and Explosives Section in the Navy from 1968 at Centro Studi del Raggruppamento Subacquei ed Incursori Teseo Tesei, (a top team of Navy divers entrusted with weapon development and testing), a section of which he became the Director in 1969. At the same time he dealt with tools and watches which had to meet all the strict requirements for Navy divers, and was also the Chief of the Missiles and Ammunition Section of the Permanent War Material Experiments Commission.
In 1972 Dino Zei left the Navy to go and lead the Florentine company Guido Panerai and Son, following a request from the last Panerai family member, Giuseppe, and in accordance with the Navy Chief of Staff himself. At the time this company was a strategic supplier to the Navy for specialized watches and many other tools. During the same year Dino Zei founded Officine Panerai Srl, which became responsible for all the industrial activities of Guido Panerai and Son, and he was nominated CEO. Zei later became the Chairman of Officine Panerai SpA, and finally became chairman of Panerai Spa, after the watch division was sold to Vendôme in 1997. He kept this role till 1999, the year in which the company (Panerai Spa) was transferred to Calzoni of Bologna.
This curriculum shows why Dino Zei is able to create very reliable and functional watches also for the public market. After all, time is of primary importance in a military environment, an environment in which activities are planned and carried out according to strict deadlines.
With his considerable technical expertise and a love for rigorous but harmonious styles, Dino Zei completely renovated the Florentine watch making industry, setting new worldwide standards in luxury watch making. And he continues to do so with Anonimo Firenze, for whom he developed some unique watches inspired by the military world and its values and requirements, starting in 2003, with a collection that bears his name and alludes to his world of origin that is represented through a logo showing a traditional diver’s helmet. During the years the Dino Zei line has acquired its own identity and personality within the Anonimo Firenze watch collection and it continues to develop itself thanks to this close collaboration with Mr.Zei.
Dino Zei currently lives in Florence, Italy, and in 2012 he will become Honorary President of Firenze Orologi Srl, the manufacturing and distribution company of Anonimo Firenze.
The Dino Zei Line by Anonimo Firenze is composed exclusively of handmade limited edition watches. The line preferably uses gauges and dedicated cases, all handcrafted at the Anonimo Firenze ateliers, aiming at a high level of exclusivity.
In 2011 Dino Zei (born in 1931) celebrates its eightieth birthday with a new model: Aeronauta, a watch designed for travelers, pilots, frequent flyers and aviation lovers.
Lines
Sport Line
The watches that belong to the Sports family were made for a great performance in a wide range of activities and situations, with their solid construction and a clear presentation of data on the dial. This line combines simplicity with true sportsmanship (there are no limits to an intensive use): if these watches were produced by other brands, they would probably be called "extremes". The Millemetri model (and consequently the entire Polluce series of watches) is the best example of this extremeness: it has been tested in the Mediterranean depth up to 2100 meters attached to an unmanned submarine without any water seepage. The guaranteed depth of the Millemetri model is 1000 meters, as Mille Metri is Italian for Thousand Meters. Hence it over performed its guaranteed depth! But its complex structure is not visible at a first glance, the sporty but not extreme technologies hide technological and refined craftsmanship. This is a good example of the concept of understatement, very typical to Anonimo Firenze.
Militare Line
The link between the different models in this line is clearly visible. They were all inspired by the initial period of military tradition in watchmaking, from the 10s to the 30s of the last century. Consequently, they are large, with easy readable and well-sized dials, digits and indices. Respecting the design of these distant ancestors, these models do not hold the crown on the side but at six o’clock, namely for two notable reasons: first of all because inspired by the design of previous pocket watches and secondly to eliminate the risk of the watch remaining caught to various obstacles (like barbed wire). We designed a streamlined and straightforward case, with a crown at six o’clock. Consequently we were forced to design a new crown locking device integrated into the strap.
This crown locking device is not only an exclusivity to Anonimo Firenze (patented), but it is also a good example of how we think about watches. it combines the functions of strap attachment with the safety (read: water resistant) locking of the crown, making it impossible to wear the watch without having secured water resistance and, above all, preventing any damage or undesired opening of the crown.
Professionale Line
This line is the fulcrum around which the entire collection of Anonimo Firenze watches rotates.
Firstly: these watches are designed and engineered IN COOPERATION WITH professional divers who will use them. Before starting a watch project, we listen to professional users, to get their valuable input on watch design and functionalities, and after that we listen to them again. We believe there is always something to learn from those who actually use such a complex instrument in extreme environments. During the process of prototype construction there is a continuous exchange of ideas in order to get the best watch ever. Where our watches from the Sports and Militare line are technical-sports products, designed for a wide area of users, the Professionale line has a more specific purpose.
Secondly, this particular design and project process leads to particular choices of materials, manufacturing and treatments. In addition to the popular stainless steel AISI316, which is a balanced compromise among mechanical properties (resistance to corrosion in sea water) and workability, Anonimo Firenze has introduced a naval material with excellent properties: Aluminium Bronze alloy or the so-called Marine Bronze. This is a result of the very close link between the mechanical tradition of Florentine watch making and the marine environment, just thinking about our collaboration with Colonel Dino Zei, or looking at the initial development of Officine Galileo (a large company supplying the Italian Royal Navy). It has been decided to use this bronze alloy, including aluminum and other metals, wherever a strong mechanical stress, a need for resistance to corrosion and for galvanic compatibility are found. This type of alloy offers a combination of chemical and mechanical properties which is not achievable by other types of bronze alloy, and which is even superior to many types of stainless steel. The particular alloy, chosen by Anonimo Firenze for its hardness, mechanical strength and resistance to corrosion, is at the same time alive: it has an evolving appearance over time. It forms an intrinsic film on the surface, thin but adherent, of oxidized aluminum, which prevents further oxidation and corrosion, and gives a warm dark color.
Dino Zei Line
A similar principle as in the Professionale Line, namely that of close cooperation in terms of the product development between Anonimo Firenze and whoever will be using the watch, can be found in the Dino Zei line: these models are conceived for military professionals (for both daily and operational use) rather than for ordinary civilians. The essence of the watches belonging to this line is the same as that of all other Anonimo Firenze watches (formal cleanness in design, excellent engineering and traditional handcrafting character), but declines from a point of view of elevated austerity in design and incorporating a more explicit emergence of technological complexity and craftsmanship. The design of these watches wants to highlight the underlying elaborated project, caused by two different fields of users for these watches: those that value tradition and have great respect for particular design shapes and those that value extreme ruggedness and functionality.
