EXPLORE U-BOAT WATCHES

Like their country of origin, U-Boat fake watches are known for their statement-sized cases, large crowns on the left side of the case, and stunningly complicated dials that captivate anyone lucky enough to see them in person. They differ from most ordinary luxury watches in that their design is simple, not fussing with overcomplication, but instead focuses on high-quality manufacturing that conveys a sense of discerning taste, confidence, and power.

The U-Boat brand has a fascinating story that began in 1942, when Ilvo Fontana, a talented precision-engineered instrument craftsman, was commissioned by the Italian Navy to design and manufacture watches for its naval pilots. A watch must follow a very precise set of technical specifications, while also guaranteeing maximum reliability and readability in any light or weather conditions. However, due to the times, the project never materialized. In 2000, Iivo’s grandson, Italo Fontana, stumbled across these designs and decided to use them as inspiration for the first U-Boat watch.

Since that day, Italo Fontana has designed every U-Boat watch on the market, giving them an instantly recognizable personality that can be seen from a few yards away. Each U-Boat watch continues to be designed and manufactured at the brand’s headquarters in Lucca, Tuscany, Italy. With Swiss-made movements and unique technologies and materials at their core, U-Boat watches cannot be ignored. Let’s take a closer look at all the latest U-Boat watch collections…

U-Boat Chimera Watch
The U-Boat Chimera watch collection is named after the fire-breathing hybrid creature from Greek mythology, which is made up of parts from more than one animal. These watches are beautifully crafted in a variety of different materials, from mother-of-pearl and bronze to titanium and laser-cut fine wires.

Another distinguishing feature of the U-Boat Chimera watch is its case with a unique crown cap and buttons on the left side for easy operation. The case is also locked together by external pipes on the bezel and case back to ensure complete water resistance. We really like the U-Boat Chimera Net watch, which showcases a skeletonized dial with four overlays. The final layer is meticulously crafted from a laser-cut fine stainless steel wire mesh that showcases the complex mechanical movements beneath it.

U-Boat Classico Watch
Their most iconic model, the U-Boat Classico watch represents Italo Fontana’s philosophy of pure, timeless design that won’t fade like regular outdated fashion. These striking instruments continue to have the unique left-hand crown placement and unique U-Boat crown guard, but offer a range of more classic-looking dial designs compared to the U-Boat Chimera.

The U-Boat Classic watch collection recently welcomed a new addition called the U-Boat Classico Sommerso, which represents Italo Fontana’s unwavering passion for diving. While most U-Boat watches are already designed to withstand the rigors of deep-sea diving, the Classico Sommerso features a new character bezel with a 60-minute scale and unidirectional rotation for ultimate help underwater.

U-Boat U-42 ​​Watch
The U-Boat U-42 ​​watch collection features some of the brand’s most unique and bold creations. One of its most famous designs is the U-Boat U-42 ​​Unicum, designed by Italo Fontana himself, made of lightweight titanium with an IP black finish. The bold instruments are entirely handcrafted and treated by Italian artisans to ensure that each limited edition piece is unique, while the skeletons adorning the naturally aged bronze dials capture the brand’s rebellious nature.

For a more classic aesthetic, the U-Boat U-42 ​​GMT watch showcases a compact dial with excellent features including hours, minutes and seconds, a 24-hour hand, a third time zone and a date window. The unidirectional rotating bezel is almost unmissable thanks to its titanium construction, lockable lever and 12 o’clock ball indicator made of scratch-resistant ceramic. This timepiece is perfect for continental jumpers who want to make a statement.

U-Boat Capsoil Watch
The U-Boat Capsoil watch is another completely unique design that goes beyond the boundaries of traditional watchmaking, featuring a Swiss electromechanical movement fully immersed in a low viscosity oil. This liquid flows not only through the entire movement, but also into the dial, creating an absolutely deep black finish and a constantly moving compensating bubble that distorts and amplifies the view of the hands.

U-Boat Capsoil is truly unique and must be seen to be believed. There are currently four main models in the collection: two standard third-hand models, one in stainless steel and one in titanium. The other two showcase excellent chronograph functions, with layouts at 12, 3 and 6 o’clock, also available in stainless steel or titanium cases.

U-Boat 1939 Doppiotempo Watch
New for 2019, the U-Boat 1939 Doppiotempo watch is unique in its own collection and, for the past few months, has only been available to order exclusively through CW Sellers Jura Watches. This outstanding watch pays homage to the many watches commissioned by Italo Fontana for Italian and international special forces, including the Carabinieri’s GIS (Special Intervention Group).

The U-Boat 1939 Doppiotempo watch is mainly inspired by the model created for the historic 9th Paratrooper Commando “Col Moschin”. Its 200-piece limited edition has already made waves with its Swiss-made self-winding movement, 43mm satin-finish stainless steel case and two removable crowns on the left to change the time and date.

U-Boat Precious Watch
As some of the most luxurious and exclusive watches in the U-Boat collection, U-Boat Precious watches are enriched with a stunning selection of precious gemstones including white diamonds, black diamonds, rubies and sapphires. These breathtaking gems are hand-set by talented Italian artisans in the U-Boat workshop in Tuscany, Italy.

Our favorite U-Boat Precious watch has to be the spectacular Black Swan model, which is crafted from 18-karat gold and adorned with 11,000 black diamonds. Some of the diamonds at the bottom of the case are even set back for a spiky and rebellious look. The U-Boat Precious watch collection is for only the most glamorous men and women.

Porsche Design 1919 Chronotimer x Porsche Winter Driving Experience

When it comes to sports chronographs, these used to be purpose-built timepieces. Now, it’s more of a fashion/style statement than anything else. A few decades ago, however, chronographs were mainly bought by gentlemen with the budget and time to enjoy playing fast cars. Competitiveness has always been a human trait, especially the 50% of people with more testosterone (also known as men). Chronographs allow them to measure time and compare lap times. That’s what I didn’t do when I went to Northern Finland with replica Porsche Design for the Porsche Driving Experience winter event. It’s a report on having fun on snow and ice, covering almost the entire lineup of Porsche cars. I forgot to measure lap times, but I’m sure you’ll understand when you see this video and the photos below.

I think it’s important to remember why we wear watches. And why there are so many changes, not only in design but also in different functions. As I’ve already mentioned, wrist-worn chronographs used to be primarily for those who could afford to play fast. At least in the early 1900s. Okay, doctors use chronographs too, however, their chronographs have a pulsometer scale instead of the tachymeter scale that gentlemen use when they drive fast. In the first half of the 20th century, these chronographs were proper specialized tools.

Porsche Design invited me to a legendary Porsche driving experience in Santa’s backyard (northern Finland) and I couldn’t say no. I plan to do some testing with the Porsche Design 1919 Chronotimer on my wrist, like those aforementioned gentlemen driving their fast cars. With everything in place, trousers, fleece jacket, thermal socks and a Porsche Design 1919 Chronotimer on my wrist, I got into my first car of the day, a Porsche 911 Carrera S.

quit! Pedal metal! Well…of course I was careful at first, but slowly I got the hang of it and worked harder. The experience is nothing short of spectacular on a slippery surface, it’s hard to walk even without coasting, this powerful machine at 420 bph (I’m talking about a Carrera S) finds its speed gracefully and can quite easily deal with. If you think the tires have spikes, I can guarantee that they are not. Normal rubber on snow and ice (well, winter tires) and even most safety features are turned off, while Sport+ mode is turned on!

Our idea was to test/experience the various 911, 718 Cayman, Panamera Turbo, Macan and Cayenne on ice. I was too naive to think I was counting the hours. First, everything is white. The track, everywhere you look except the track, the sky, you see white. So any sense of speed, or even your exact position on the track, is futile. Most corners look the same. Timing laps proved to be very difficult, but most importantly, I was too distracted. Despite the ubiquity of white, the scenery is beautiful… breath taking.

It was an early morning, and despite the short night, I was completely awake when I saw this gorgeous lineup. Like it says good morning and have a great day! This is exactly what I have.

Driving and handling a Porsche isn’t something I do every day (unfortunately), and this new experience distracts me from actually timing the laps. I learned how to drift, or at least I tried to learn it. When we had to go home again, I learned a lot more about Porsche cars, how they handled and which systems needed to be turned off for more fun. Here are some impressions from my two days at the Porsche Driving Experience Winter event in northern Finland…. awesome!

For those interested, you can sign up for the Porsche Driving Experience website here. The training program started in mid-January 2018, and while most programs are sold out, there are still a small number of places available. In addition to the Porsche Winter Driving Experience, there are many other exciting activities and training programmes, including World Adventures!