U-BOAT WATCHES
by italo fontana
1942 – Lucca, Italy. The Italian Navy sends out a commission to design and build a new model of watch for Navy pilots.A first draft of a watch by Ilvo Fontana. Hand-crafted pieces, characterized by strong identity, easy to read in all weather conditions and boasting unique, bold and distinctive design. This challenge meant satisfying the high quality standards of the Navy and respecting very precise technical specifications, but above all guaranteeing maximumreliability and time visibilityin any light and weather condition. Italo Fontana, Ilvo’s grandson, always intrigued by design and following his grandfather's footsteps, decided to create U-BOAT, a concept of watches as pieces of craftsmanship with their own powerful identity.
In 2000 also he came across ilvo's precious designs and, working patiently for seven years, he decided to bring his project back to life. In the space of just a few years, U-Boat has succeeded in opening a global network of retail partners and mono brand boutiques.Today the brand continues to accelerate its retail development with global partners in China and Europe.
Recent boutique openings have occurred in Cannes, Rome and Venice. These prestigious additions to the U-Boat world have followed in the footsteps of very successful stores in Hong Kong, Florence – on the Ponte Vecchio Bridge and of course the new store in the vibrant centre of Baku, Azerbaijan. For many years in a row U-BOAT has been an established presence at Baselworld, which is the most important trade show for the watch industry, in the prestigious Hall 1.
In the first half of 2016, U-Boat will open new boutique’s with partners in Dubai and Moscow as well as continuing the rapid expansion of the retail partner network. Italo Fontana’s creations have won the appreciation of worldwide celebrities. Sylvester Stallone has four of them;
Giorgio Armani bought one in Mykonos; Kenzo Takada, David Beckham, Tom Cruise, James Blunt, Il Volo have them; and also women, such as Victoria Beckham, Lindsay Lohan and Bar Refaeli.
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