Article Surfing Archive

The first U-Boat Watches were devised in 1942 and meant to be a series of timepieces for the pilots of the Italian Air Force and U-boat officers, indestructible and easy to read under any circumstances.

Italo Fontana, the mind behind these watches, knew exactly what was needed but, as he was preparing to put his ideas into practise, the political situation of the time prevented him from doing so. He had already gathered drawings, samples and a lot more creative material which he had to preserve for sixty years. With the original drawings, colour samples and innovative materials that the present-day could offer, in 2000, a cousin of his finally launched the U-boat collection, so Fontana's ideas eventually came out. His watches are now among the most desired in the field.

U-boat watches are characterised as bold, aggressive and oversized. They have a unique design and a very comfortable wear. They come with a crown on the left side of the case. U-boat watches are designed and handmade in Italy and some of the models are limited to only 1,000 pieces. These watches embody a lot of force and style while revealing the unique personality of the man whose creativity stands behind them, Italo Fontana.

The U-boat Thousands of Feet collection of watches gives a sensation above and beneath the ocean. Let us take 34 Thousands of Feet MBY model as an example. With an ETA 6497 mechanical movement, and a frequency of 18,000 alternations per hour, based on 17 rubies, the U-boat Thousands of Feet is a reliable watch with a face that expresses modernity and good taste. The steel case (316 L AISI) with PVD treatment (used to preserve brightness features and special shades of colour) has eight steel screws which lock up the back case to the upper side.

The elegant black dial with luminous numbering (which is produced with Superluminova added to different colour pigments) has a 50 mm diameter. The dial structure is composed of two superimposed dials. One of them, yellow or orange, is treated with Superluminova; the other dial is laser cut with black pigment (the kind that is used to produce military devices).

The watch is water resistant to 10 ATM. The glass is also high-quality, specially cut in highly resistant K1 glass. Available with calf leather strap, which is handmade in Italy, the watch is the king of elegance and style among this kind of watches.

The U-boat Thousands of Feet AS 3, AS Y and AS R look as spectacular as the model described above. With a 43 mm diameter and available with a black dial and Superluminova marks with white, yellow and red pigments, these steel watches can add to any man's personality and charm.

The U-boat Thousands of Feet CAS3, another excellent automatic chronograph with an ETA 7750 movement and a 50 mm diameter has the classic black dial with white luminous numbering and a black alligator and rubber strap. The list of attractive and precise U-boat watches may go on with more details, but I think you had better check for yourselves and decide which one is closer to your desire.