The design is done solely by Italo Fontana, using only Swiss movements. Until Italo Fontana brought the plans back out, revised them, and introduced the watch models under the U-Boat name.
His grandfather drew the designs, but the production order never came through, and the plans remained in a drawer somewhere. At the time, the goal was to ensure that the wristwatch was big enough so that the pilots could instantly read the time in all weather and light conditions. In 1942 Ilvo was commissioned by the Italian government to design a watch for the Italian navy pilots. The Italian company is based in a small village only 15 minutes away from Lucca in Tuscany’s heart.įontana comes by his interest in watch design naturally from his grandfather, Ilvo Fontana. U-Boat watches are big, bold, robust, and designed to keep on ticking under even extreme circumstances. We've also included links to explore and purchase the watches from different used/vintage sources as the case may be.Created by owner and designer Italo Fontana, U-Boat watches distinguish themselves by their no-nonsense approach to displaying the time. Thankfully, there’s a wealth of information out there on most of these, so should you feel inclined to explore more deeply, there’s plenty of opportunity to do so. The list is by no means definitive, but we’ve tried to include examples from as many different militaries and countries as possible. What follows is a selection of some of the world’s most famous military watches and a brief history and explanation of each. For example, of the 1,156 German U-boats produced from 1939 to 1945. A cluttered dial, for example, makes the time difficult to read, and a special dive bezel that doesn’t turn easily can make use underwater almost impossible. Included is an authentic Kriegsmarines leather case with MF markings embossed into. Parts can (and do) break during use in adverse conditions, and if a watch features, say, a movement that is difficult to work on, this will prevent the watch from quickly being put back into rotation.Įase of Use: The timepiece should be easy to read and operate, and devoid of clutter and extraneous elements that impede its functionality.
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Serviceability: It should be relatively simple for a watchmaker to service a military watch and to change or upgrade parts as necessary. Movements must be able to function in cold, heat, and at high altitudes, and, if battery-powered, they should feature batteries that are extremely long-lasting and efficient. Reliability: A military watch, whether it features a mechanical or quartz movement, must be reliable at all times. (Interestingly, this is one of the reasons why a watch worn in the military must often be covered, to prevent the enemy from spotting a luminous dial from afar.) Luminosity: Without some sort of luminous compound on the dial (or a backlight), it would be virtually impossible to read the time under low-light conditions, so a military watch must have some type of system for illumination. Before the common use of stainless steel (or during wartime shortages), nickel-coated base metals or even sterling silver were used, whereas today, plastics are increasingly common in addition to steel. Toughness: Cases should be machined from a material that is highly resistant to impact, corrosion, and harsh environmental conditions. What are the necessary qualities that make a military wristwatch mission-ready? There isn’t necessarily a codified list of attributes, but the following traits make for a good jumping-off point: There are very few extraneous design elements to a military wristwatch - what’s present is only what’s absolutely necessary to get the job done, and there’s a special kind of beauty in this type of product. Military watches are a seemingly endless source of fascination to civilian watch collectors, and for good reason - these are timepieces that were purpose-designed and built to adorn the wrists of infantrymen and women, divers, explosive ordnance disposal personnel, special operators and other folks who regularly put their lives at risk in combat.