Nereide Opale Blu: Light takes shape
Shifting depths, reflections of teal, azure and cobalt. Venezianico presents a new interpretation of its iconic Nereide diver, featuring a lab-grown blue opal dial that transforms every variation of light into colour, in a limited edition of 600 pieces, each one different from the next.
Some colours are simply observed. Others seem to be born from light. It is from this evocative idea that Nereide Opale Blu takes shape, a new interpretation of Venezianico’s Nereide which, following the success of the previous edition featuring a Tiger’s Eye dial, returns to explore one of the most fascinating and complex materials ever used by the brand for its dials.
This time, it does so through a deep, seemingly monochromatic blue that suddenly comes alive when it meets the light, revealing reflections in shades of teal, azure and cobalt. Tones emerge, disappear and overlap with the natural movement of the wrist, creating an ever-changing surface that captivates the eye of the wearer.
A chromatic depth that almost seems to evoke the sea, an element inextricably linked to the history of Venice and to the very identity of the Nereide collection.
The undisputed protagonist of Nereide Opale Blu is therefore its dial, crafted from lab-grown opal produced in Japan by KYOCERA® through an exclusive manufacturing process. The material requires long growth times and extremely rigorous control to achieve the distinctive structure that interacts with light and creates extraordinary optical depth.
This is not simply colour applied to a surface. It is the very structure of the opal that generates the visual effect: light penetrates the material, encounters its internal texture and returns to the eye transformed into a kaleidoscope of shades. No two dials ever display exactly the same pattern, the same arrangement of reflections or the same chromatic intensity. It is precisely this unpredictability that makes every Nereide Opale Blu a truly unique and unrepeatable piece.
A material as fascinating as it is complex: each dial begins as a sheet just 0.4 millimetres thick. The material is remarkably fragile and therefore requires progressive processing, carried out with dedicated tools and extreme precision. From cutting and drilling to polishing and the manual application of the hour markers, every stage is performed in-house through expertise refined over years of experience.
It is precisely in this balance between technology and craftsmanship that the material becomes a watch. The dial’s essential lines allow the opal and its iridescence to take centre stage, while Nereide’s technical architecture frames its character without overpowering it. Its aesthetic identity works in harmony with the technical vocation that has always defined Venezianico’s diver. The 42 mm case in 316L stainless steel, with a satin finish, is paired with a unidirectional rotating bezel featuring a polished tungsten insert, an exceptionally scratch-resistant material with a hardness rating of 9/10 on the Mohs scale.
The sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating protects the dial, while Swiss-Made BGW9 Super-LumiNova® luminescent pigment ensures excellent legibility even in low-light conditions. Water resistance to 20 atmospheres, or 200 metres, preserves the model’s authentic diving character.
At the heart of Nereide Opale Blu beats the Swiss Made Sellita SW200-1 automatic movement, customised by Venezianico with a rotor crafted from a brass base, subsequently skeletonised and engraved.
The rotor’s surface is embellished with a radial Côtes de Genève decoration, complemented by a sunray satin finish at its extremities. The subsequent rhodium plating gives it its distinctive silver tone, allowing light to accentuate the geometry and details of the workmanship. An element usually hidden from view thus becomes another expression of the aesthetic research devoted to the model.
The watch is finely completed by the Sansovino bracelet, whose five-link construction alternates satin-finished surfaces with polished details. Its clasp features a micro-adjustment system that allows the bracelet to be quickly and precisely resized without the use of tools.
The complexity of producing opal and the lengthy processing times involved mean that only limited quantities can be made. Nereide Opale Blu is therefore produced in a limited edition of 600 pieces, further emphasising the exclusive character of a creation in which even two watches belonging to the same series can never have perfectly identical dials.
Completing the project is dedicated packaging with an iridescent blue finish. The surface of the box reacts to light through shifting shades, anticipating even before it is opened the interplay of depth and colour that lies at the heart of the watch.
With Nereide Opale Blu, Venezianico once again explores its relationship with materials, this time relying not on a stone shaped by nature over millions of years, as with the recent Nereide Tigris, but on a material born from the encounter between technological research, time and savoir-faire.
A blue that is never simply blue. A surface that changes with the light. A dial that, precisely because it can never be perfectly replicated, gives each of the 600 pieces an identity of its own. Light becomes colour. Colour becomes matter. Matter becomes Nereide.
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