I have been completely overhauling my timepiece collection recently. In the process, I actually found myself Panerai-less for a few days. I actually thought I could do it. But within a couple of days, I felt like something was very wrong. Something was missing… TimeCaptain had lost his mojo.
Allow me to set the stage. For the past couple of years, I have been craving an oversized pilot piece with the vintage and legendary ETA 6497 Unitas physically wound movement. The Archimede XL Pilot was my favorite. As you may know, if you are a fan of timepiece collecting, this brand is all about the case. The complicated structure, incorporating classical and modern techniques and materials embodies ‘the art of fusion’ – a philosophy at the centre of the brand’s identity. I found the riot of textures and materials constantly engaging. It’s the same concept. But these pieces are not easy to find in Montreal. You would need to import one. Soon, I found myself with a new Panerai on my wrist one with that unmistakable watch dial. And I felt like… TimeCaptain got his mojo back!
I can hear you all now. I can. I’ve heard it before. Replica U-Boat is a tacky fashion brand. It’s awful. It’s for 17-year-old’s who just graduated from high school. It’s for muscle heads who wear skin-tight t-shirts and grease their hair before going to the club. Yeah, yeah. I, in point of fact, don’t deny most of this. The problem, in fact, was not having a Panerai at all to strap on my wrist. While I had plenty of other cool pieces to choose from, it hurt to not have an example of my favorite brand to sport during meetings and presentations. I have very thick wrists at almost 7 1/2″ so I can pull off 45mm+ replica watches. A 44mm Luminor does not even look big on me. The SMALL U-Boats are 45mm so the sizes are interesting for me. Current U-Boat timepieces are using ETA movements. How does that differ from Bell & Ross or Longines? U-Boat does not have the heritage, however, you have to love their direction- they went from quartz to Japanese Miyota and then to Swiss ETA. If you like the style of a U-Boat and it uses the same movement as Bell & Ross or something, and then certainly it is a right watch?
And it is a sandwich dial. I mean, you can find all of these features on Luminor models such as the 111. For me, the U-Boat was just a fun toy- something not-too-serious- to strap on once in a while for kicks. And that movement…
Adam has taught me to blog about the feel of a timepiece. At the end of the day, timepieces are absolutely unnecessary luxuries so it’s all about how they make you feel. OK so let’s get back to the ad on Canadian Watch Collector (CWC). So here is this replica U-Boat… a brand I had always considered as an outside candidate for my watch box. Being pre-owned, the price was very very acceptable. As I looked it over, the U-Boat ticked all of the boxes. Oversized? Try 50mm!!! It had my target ETA 6497 movement. And style? You can see for yourself. As for certain, there is a lot of Panerai effect and the style will not be suitable everyone. And people will say the U-Boat is a cheap immitation of Panerai (even with its name hinting at WWII). But I really like the more classic style of certain replica U-Boat models. And this one was all black and stealth something that has been missing from my collection. The U-Boat was being provided at a lower price, which provided a quite distinct style and color scheme to my collection. It had a beautiful box set and it was powered by the very movement I desired.
At the same time, the replica U-Boat just oozes Panerai essence and DNA. It’s manually wound, basic, non-in-house-movement feels authentic and true to Panerai history. Despite the Radiomir not having the Luminor’s crown protector, the U-Boat replica watches looks PANERAI. Anybody who looks at it will know it’s a Panerai. And for me, that’s the whole point! I just wanted something that looks and feels like a Panerai.
Time Captain is a fan of the U-Boat replica watches?
