Nereide

The Nereide is the model with which, in June 2017, brothers Alberto and Alessandro Morelli entered the watch world, launching on Kickstarter the campaign that gave birth to what was then still called Meccaniche Veneziane. The name chosen for the watch is no accident: it is a tribute to the Nereide, a Regia Marina submarine launched at the Arsenale of Venice in 1913, one of the symbols of the lagoon city's naval engineering in those years. From its debut the Nereide presented itself as an automatic dive watch with a rugged but accessible character, aimed at enthusiasts looking for build quality at a modest price: the campaign, with an initial target of just €15,000, raised almost €170,000 thanks to the support of more than 600 backers around the world.

The Nereide's commercial success became the engine of growth for the whole company, so much so that the founders returned to Kickstarter with new campaigns dedicated to variants of the same family, including a GMT version with a second time zone. Over the years the collection has gradually expanded, adding new case sizes, alternative materials such as bronze, titanium and ceramic, and dials with special finishes — from aventurine to hardstones such as malachite, lapis lazuli and coral — while remaining faithful to the original concept of a rugged, versatile dive watch.

Today the Nereide has become, in the brand's own words, the "sporty backbone" of the Venezianico catalogue: a range with dozens of different references, covering a wide spread of prices and styles while keeping intact its diving identity and its link with the Venetian naval history from which it was born.