A Legacy through millennia
Egypt is 6,000 years old. A four-digit number cannot do justice to such a vast time span. Whatever event relevant to Western history has occurred in the Mediterranean, Egypt has somehow been a witness or a protagonist.
The Egyptian legacy has penetrated deeply into the European cultural fabric, with such a powerful symbolism that you can find it in every home. Who does not have a pendant, an ornament, a book, a small souvenir that depicts the stylistic features or artworks of ancient Egypt?
The iconic winged symbol is featured also on this edition custom packaging
Venice and Egypt: bond by legend
The relations between Venice and Egypt date back to well before the year 1000 A.D. The intensity of these exchanges is also documented by numerous historical artifacts that reveal a continuous relationship which spanned the entire history of the city. The bond that gradually developed became so strong that it even gave rise to legends, one of which explains the origin of the Lion of St. Mark, the emblem par excellence of the Serenissima Republic (i.e. Venice).
In fact, it is said that the Saint was on his way to Alexandria, Egypt, when he found himself in a storm in the upper Adriatic Sea. He then found shelter on one of the Venetian islands, perhaps Rialto, which was inhabited by fishermen and formed the early centre on which the city was later built.
The Column of St. Mark in Venice.
That night San Marco dreamed of a winged lion, who announced that his remains would one day rest in the lagoon city. St. Mark actually died in Alexandria and his remains were later brought back to Venice by two merchants, thus fulfilling the prophecy of the winged lion.
The Egyptian history following the kingdom of the Pharaohs was shaped by several people - Persians, Greeks, Romans, then Arabs, Ottomans and Turks - who controlled the country until Egypt achieved definitive independence in 1922, after a period as a British protectorate. This date marks the passage between Historic Egypt and Contemporary Egypt.
The epitome of Egypt: the Pyramids of Giza, featured on the watch case back.
A celebration of Egypt History
Redentore Riserva di Carica is Venezianico's most refined watch and we immediately deemed it the ideal candidate for a Limited Edition to dedicate to this event.
This watch design functions as a reminder of the essential features and history of the country. The sand-colored dial, with its particular granular finish, is inspired by the desert, the element that has consolidated in the collective imagination as the most emblematic of this land.
The blue details on the power reserve indicator and the hand of the date are a reference to water, as fundamental for Venice as it was for the civilizations that developed thanks to the Nile River.
The fascination of the Arab world
The Kingdom of the Pharaohs and the Arab domination are certainly the historical periods that shaped the image of today’s Egypt the most. Hence, the idea to use Arabic characters as indices on the dial and engrave the Sphinx and the Pyramids, the symbols par excellence of Ancient Egypt, on the case back.
Redentore Riserva di Carica - 100th Anniversary of the Independence of Egypt was launched as Limited Edition of 100 pieces on 5 September 2022 and sold out in less than an hour, a result that has left us truly speechless.
It is clear that the fascination of the Arab world has a strong hold, even on us and, therefore, we have decided to keep on developing concepts dedicated to the Middle East. Would you like to know more?
