U-Boat

In the year 1942, the Fontana workshop was poised to produce a professional timepiece for the distinguished officers of the Italian Navy's submarines (also known as U-boats). Though the project was ultimately scrapped, the distinctive drawings, color samples, and original materials were lovingly preserved for more than sixty years. In 2000, Italo Fontana, a cousin of the workshop's late founder, realized a longtime company dream with the launch of the modern U-Boat brand.

U-Boat watches, just like their original namesake, are bold, aggressive, and oversized. These timepieces embody force and style, revealing the unique personality of the man behind the revival, Italo Fontana. 'It took me seven years to develop and refine the U-Boat watches. Inspired by eighteenth-century craftsmanship and intricate made-by-hand detailing, we can now produce a timepiece of rare artisanal quality that reaches toward a new dimension in watchmaking.'

Character and strength are a hallmark of the U-Boat brand. All of the line's timepieces are designed with the crown on the left side of the case - a unique and unexpected element making this timepiece extremely comfortable to wear despite its extreme size.

Each of the U-Boat timepieces is powered by Swiss ETA movements, automatic and manually wound alike. All of them are housed in full-bodied, oversized stainless steel cases ranging in size from 45 to 55 millimeters in diameter.

Red, yellow, and orange PVD-treated crystals and precious metals meld beautifully with rubber and steel details, challenging traditional design standards in horology. From the Thousands of Feet collection, with its particular dodecahedral-shaped case, to the latest Nightvision collection that allows the wearer to change out the colored crystal, each watch expresses its own singular personality.

In 2005, Italo Fontana joined forces with Mounir Moufarrige, an acclaimed tastemaker known for his singular work with Montblanc and Chloe. Together, these two are bringing U-Boat into the limelight of today's watch industry, helping to bring about a new feel for Tuscan watchmaking along with other reputable makers from this picturesque region. All of U-Boat's timepieces are designed and assembled in Italy.

Found only at the most discriminating of international retailers, U-Boat watches are earning worldwide appreciation from connoisseurs of rare and beloved timepieces and can now be found at 220 select stores around the globe, thirty of which are located in the United States. The U-Boat pieces retail between $1,450 and $6,500, with prices rising along with the number of sparkling gems that may be set into these stately cases.