2013 U-Boat U-51 Chimera Bronze Limited of 300
Ref: 6945

Points of Mention

This watch is sold with its original U-boat Watches leather box and paperwork. The watch comes paired with a 20mm leather strap and an additional leather 20mm strap comes in the box. The watch is from August 2013 and is sold in worn condition. Overall, however, the watch is in good condition for a used bronze watch as you can see from the photos. The watch comes with our 12-Months Warranty.

The Watch

Here we have a 2013 U-Boat u-51 Chimera Bronze Limited of 300, the 46mm brushed bronze case is attached to the bezel and case back with 5 screw and bolt tubes giving the watch a unique profile, and the stubby angled screwed lugs curve over your wrist with a lug-to-lug length of 56mm and a case thickness of 18mm giving the watch an impressive wrist presence and a surprisingly comfortable fit. The bronze is untreated and will naturally patina over time. Down the left side, we have the chronograph pushers, the lower pusher starts and stops while the upper square pusher resets the chronograph, their characteristic screwed-on cap on the centre crown, once unscrewed you can change the time and date by pressing the crown to move the crown to its first position turn it clockwise to adjust the date, press the crown again to move the crown to its second position to adjust the time, fully depress the crown to its neutral position and screw the cap back on. On the right side, a screwed-in plaque with the number out of 300 engraved into it. The smooth bezel holds a bronzed sapphire crystal for a smokey appearance above a multi-dimensional composite laser-cut dial, the matte bronze base shows through the dark brown laser-cut upper layer of numeral and baton indexes marking the hours, at 12 o’clock we have a 12-hour register, at 3 o’clock a laser-cut continuous seconds register and finally at 6 o’clock a laser-cut 30-minute register each register is a different size adding depth and character to the dial, and at 9 o’clock a date window. The bronze skeletonised hands are complemented by a tapered bronze chronograph hand, above the date, we have the U-Boat motif and the founder's name Italo Fontana underneath. On the reverse, a brushed bronze exhibition case back with bronzed sapphire crystal gives it that smokey appearance, inside automatic eta/valjoux 7750, 25 jewels, 28,800 beats per hour, with a skeletonised sterling silver rotor, rhodium plated movement and blued screws. The watch comes fitted on a handmade 20mm calf leather strap with a signed bronze buckle, an additional leather 20mm strap comes in the box and the watch comes with its leather presentation box and paperwork.

Personal Note

The Brand

Italo Fontana founded U-boat Watches in 2000 after he found his grandfather’s watch sketches for a commission for the Italian Navy in 1942, these designs were never made as the Navy did not choose him, but Italo wanted to fulfil his grandfathers' dream and with the help of brand developer Mounir Moufarrige who had worked closely with Montblanc and Panerai he spent 7 years of development to produce his first watch. Based in a villa in the Tuscany, Italian mountains they produce robust dive watches in steel and bronze. The unconventional designs are liked by Tom Cruise, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone to name a few.