If you don’t know much about South Park, the show centers around four boys and their friends and families in the town of “South Park.” This fictional town is loosely based on real towns in Colorado, with one of the most notable ones being Fairplay. Coming from our headquarters in Colorado Springs, this is a scenic drive west on Highway 24 and then up Highway 9 a bit. You could drive right through South Park and not even realize it!
And that’s exactly it for me. It’s not very often you live somewhere at the intersection of one of the watch brands you’re an Authorized Dealer for, and a brand they’ve collabed with several times over the years. So what does that mean? Well, it means I had to take the South Park Unimatic to South Park, Colorado.
Armed with an iPhone, the watch, and a desire to learn a little more about the town and history, I set off to explore.
Fairplay sits at 9,953 feet of elevation here in Colorado and serves as the county seat of Park County, which is directionally southwest from the city of Denver on a map. Compared to Denver, it feels tiny at roughly 742 residents, yet it packs a punch of history and scenery combined.
The town began in 1859 during the Pike’s Peak Gold Rush when prospectors demanded fair rules for mining claims. Main Street separates newer shops and eateries from the bluff top historic district. There, the South Park City open air museum brings an 1800s mining town back to life with forty-four original buildings full of period artifacts. It was closed off when I drove through recently, but I might have to venture back in July for Burro Days, where racers and their burros tackle a course of 29 miles through the mountains.
Fairplay also acts as a gateway to the outdoors pretty much all year long, regardless of season. 3 season activities like fishing, hiking, mountain biking, are hugely popular, and once the snow comes the area becomes a playground for snowmobiling and off trail skiing.
This might sound like an ad for our state, and well it should be. But let’s talk some more about this watch I had on my wrist during my visit!
We’ve been an AD for Unimatic for a couple years now and they remain one of our most popular options on our website. And I get why. We’ve taken their watches all over the world on adventures with RMW, and they’ve held up in every aspect.
They have 2 lines that they keep as always-in-stock options, the Toolwatch series, and their Classic Editions. and is the entry point to seeing the foundation of their design language. They company is based in Milan, Italy, and was founded by Giovanni Moro and Simone Nunziato. Their eye for design is captured in every watch they create, and what I love about their work is how they use this design direction to inform all of their collaborations. This is where their real magic is, IMO, where their work with global brands such as South Park, MoMA (Museum of Modern Art), NASA, Massena LAB, etc etc, let’s them interject their own designs into the world around them in unique ways.
The Unimatic UT4-SP South Park edition itself is pretty standard, with a 40mm case, quartz movement, nato strap, and minimalist design. This leaves space for the IDGAF attitude of the 4 boys from South Park to be perfectly encapsulated on the dial.
This was a limited edition of 200 pieces, which is about in line with many of Unimatic’s special editions. There are some that are lower quantities, and their releases usually sell out quickly (including this one).
If you find yourself driving through Fairplay, maybe on the way to ski Breck, or just headed deeper into the mountains to play, it’s worth stopping by the town to check it out. I’ll be the first to tell you that it’s not a luxury destination, but that’s the point about this for me. Out here in the kind-of-middle-of-nowhere Colorado is this little town where you catch a glimpse of what the show is about.
I’ll note, there are various “clues” around town letting you know that this is the real South Park. The pics you see in this post were taken at a few of the shops that were open on my trip. One of the stores, The Salt Licking Goat Clothing Company, owned by Loren Daniels, focuses on all kinds of merchandise about the show, from shirts to caps, to pins and cups, and more. I picked up my own Towelie for this year’s golf season. “You’re a towel!”
If you’re still looking for more merch, and have some money left to spend, you can go a street over to South Park Pottery and and pay $3.50 to visit the private collection of merchandise from a collector from the area. From a South Park pinball machine, Funko pops, every plushie you could imagine, to posters from the South Park experiences at Red Rocks, you’ll find tons of rare and hard to find collectibles from the show. Some of them are even for sale.
The reality is that these releases are just plain fun. Do you need to be a fan of the show? Yes, 100%. Which means while this watch isn’t for everyone, it is a neat offering for those that are. I’ve not met Giovanni or Simone in person, yet, but asking about their love of the show is high on my list.
Interested in checking out more from Unimatic? Check out our inventory here.
Enjoy some additional photos, including yours truly cheesing for the camera for a photo op with the boys. (It’s not very often you get to me celebrities!)
Every photo here was taken by me. Don’t steal them. As Cartman says, “Respect my authority!”
Rocky Mountain Watches, 2025