Monopoli, the Town That Said No to an Empire

Monopoli's name comes from Greek — monos polis, “the only city.” It was founded in classical antiquity, and the name became literal in 545 AD, when the Ostrogoths destroyed the nearby city of Gnathia and its survivors had nowhere left to go but Monopoli. From then on, it really was the only city in that stretch of coast.

It grew into a real port under the Byzantines and Normans, and by 1484 it was under Venetian control — the start of a few centuries of serious maritime wealth, in the same company as Amalfi and Genoa. The Spanish era left the town's most recognizable landmark, the Castello di Carlo V, built right on the water in the 1520s. And in 1529, Monopoli did something most small port towns never get the chance to do: it held off the armada of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V for three straight months, until the Spanish gave up the siege and left.

A fishing town that outlasted an empire's patience. That's not a bad standard for a dive watch to live up to. Monopoli runs a Miyota 8215 automatic in a navy turtle case with a red/white/blue bezel — built, like the town itself, to take a beating and still be standing after.

Some of my favorite time in Italy was spent right there, with my wife Melissa — swimming off those rocks, the water that particular shade of blue-green you don't quite believe until you're actually in it. I wanted this watch to carry some of that feeling home with me, not just the name.

— Matt