Watch-Replica.net News Blog

Flightdeck is one of the best and one of the most popular watch collections from U-Boat, the young watch company whose history began long before the first U-Boat watches were presented to public.

History of U-Boat traces back to 1942 when Italian company “Officine Fontana” was poised to
develop a professional watch for officers of Germany’s U-Boat fleet. The timepieces Officine Fontana had to develop had to meet the German’s navy’s standards of high quality. The watches had to be very durable so that to withstand the severe conditions that in German submarines were daily life. Unfortunately the project was scrapped for unknown reasons. However, the original drawings as well as color samples and innovative materials were preserved for a very long time.
Sixty years passed and Italo Fontana, a cousin of the late founder of Officine Fontana launched that today’s inspired U-Boat brand and released the famous Flightdeck collection.

The idea to create Flightdeck collection came to the mind of Italo Fontana when he was in the flight deck of a plane where he realized that control panel of an aircraft reminds of the control panel of a ship. The designer spend a week aboard a yacht developing the new Flightdeck model.

Like all U-Boat watches Flightdeck watches catch attention by their unusual look: beginning with big diameter of the dial (50 mm and more) and ending with conception developed by Italo Fontana. The main peculiar feature of U-Boat watches is high readability of the dial (even in dark) and crown that is placed on the left side of the watch.

Flightdeck collection includes many models. Flightdeck CAS/Cab is an ETA 7750 automatic chronograph with frequency of 28, 800 alterations per hour. The watch has power reserve of 44 hours and comes in steel case that can have diameter of 43, 50 and 55 mm. The watch features black hands and spheres that are available in white, orange or yellow color coated with superluminova.

Flightdeck Chrono features Valjoux 7750 chronograph caliber and a very manly case that is hand finished in Italy, in the original U-Boat signature style. The watch features a sapphire-crystal and a see-through back.

U-Boat’s Flightdeck Cas BE is a chronograph that features a thick stainless steel case of either 43 mm or 50mm in diameter. The face of the watch is beige with brown hands and Arabic numerals. The watch features a very comfortable alligator strap. Push buttons are placed unusually – on the left side of the watch. The watch is depth-rated to 1,000 feet.

The latest in Flightdeck series is Eclipse that is dedicated to the concept of that great solar event. This is a black watch with cowl on the face at 6 and 7 o’clock.