U-Boat Watches have a reputation for effectiveness and flare, and so do their namesakes. The fame of the U-Boat in the Western World is of course tied inextricably to the German submarine program of the first and second world war. The first submarine built in Germany was the two man submarine Brandtaucher, which sank to the bottom of Kiel harbor during its first test dive. Brandtaucher was later rediscovered during dredging operations in 1887, and subsequently raised sixteen years later and placed in a museum in Germany, where it remains today.
This was followed in 1890 by W1 and W2, and in 1903, the Germaniawerft dockyard in Kiel completed Germany’s first fully functional submarine, Forelle, which was sold to Russia during the Russo-Japanese War. The German Navy’s first U-boat design, U-1 was based, ironically enough, on the Russian export models bound for the Russo-Japanese War. U-1 was commissioned into the Imperial German Navy on 14 December 1906 and by World War I, Germany had twenty-nine U-boats; in the first ten weeks, five British cruisers had been lost to them.
U-Boat watches, however, come from Italy, giving them a no less precise but particularly stylish look. Take, for instance, this suave and minimalist U-Boat Men’s Vintage Limited Edition Chronograph with a silver dial and genuine black leather straps. It may not sink ships, but is still an undeniably bold statement. Check out all our distinctive men’s watches at TheWatchery.com.
