tagline: "Classic yet powerful"
The phrase "expensive watch" usually evokes in us a strong association with Switzerland. However, there are many manufacturers in the world from other countries that produce similar products - expensive wristwatches that can compete with precious jewelry in terms of their cost. One of these brands is the Italian "U-Boat Watch".
Watches produced under this brand stand out due to their unusual, or rather brutal, design. They are very massive (usually at least 5 cm in diameter) and have an impressive body thickness. The winding wheel is not located on the right, as usual, but on the left. The unusual appearance is complemented by large and well-readable numbers on the dial.
This brand is quite young - the first watch went on sale in 1999. Its creator is Italo Fontana. The idea of creating such watches did not come to him by chance. The fact is that in 1942 his grandfather Ivo Fontana (Ivo Fontana) received an order from the Italian Navy to develop reliable watches suitable for use in various types of warships, as well as for naval aviation. Development was carried out in the laboratory Officine Fontana. Заказ был выполнен блестяще и в установленные сроки. Получившееся изделие было массивно и необычно, но надежно и удобно — к примеру, крупные светящиеся в темноте цифры прекрасно читались даже в условиях штормового моря. Для повышения надежности заводное колесико было установлено слева.
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| U-Boat CLASSICO AS (image from the official site) |
However, the swaying position of the Axis countries (countries of the Nazi bloc) mixed up all the cards and did not allow the mass production of amazing watches to begin.
And now, after 57 years, Italo (born in 1965 in Lucca, Italy, Tuscany region) revived the ideas of his grandfather, presenting his own development, completely based on old ideas. It took him seven years of painstaking work to create the first model. According to the official legend, the watch was originally named "Your boat", as a tribute to its "marine" origin. Subsequently, it gradually transformed into a more attractive "U Boat".
However, evil tongues claim that the current name is not just a banal abbreviation; in addition to the official, it also contains an additional meaning. After all, the development that Ivo was engaged in was commissioned by the Navy, and Italy in those years was an ally of Germany. So, the watches designed by Italo's grandfather, if they got into mass production, could well be used on the legendary German submarines - the infamous U-Boot (U-Boat).
Be that as it may, but the brand "U Boat" is very famous and respected all over the world. The cost of most models only starts at a few thousand dollars. They have many fans among the famous of this world. All U-Boat watches are mechanical, self-winding, which only adds to their value.
