There are many schools of watch design and one of the most extreme is that of the hyper modern watch. Pioneered by brands like Ulysse Nardin, Urwerk, and MB&F these are the watches that feel like they have more in common with a sci-fi future rather than a mechanical discipline centuries old. In the same category of design, I would put the U-BOAT U-65, a dramatic timepiece with an ‘extra-curved’ design that now for the first time houses an automatic movement.
I can’t think of many watches that push their designs to such an extreme level as the U-65. The 44mm case (available in regular stainless steel or with black PVD coating) is wide and low in order to accommodate the large, domed K9 mineral crystal that forms the central focus of the watch. It’s like the lid of a strange mechanical terrarium, revealing a technical world of gears and bridges contained below due to the skeletonised movement on display.
In order to read the U-BOAT U-65’s display through such an extreme curve, the hour and minute scale is sharply angled outwards towards the crystal, meaning that you can read it from both a profile and bird’s eye orientation. In the centre of the face sits the central hand stack with hours, minutes and seconds, which are also bold in their shape language to match the rest of the watch.
With the bright colours that the hands and hour markers are available in – turquoise, green or white – it feels like a device that would be at home in the Tron universe. In fact, the crown, which has a sapphire ring insert of a matching colour could almost be one of the disc weapons from that franchise. But I’m perhaps getting distracted.
Powering the watch is the Miyota 8N24 automatic movement with 42-hour power reserve. It’s visible through the skeletonised dial and exhibition caseback of the U-65 Automatic. It’s an interesting alternative to the quartz movement of previous U-65 models because in order to accommodate the skeletonised movement, they’ve also removed the previous oil bath as well. Without the added complexity of the oil filled case, the automatic watch is actually more accessible than its quartz counterpart.
Specifically, the U-BOAT U-65 is £990 with PVD coating or £890 without. That also happens to make it among the most accessible of U-BOAT’s watches. If you’re a fan of hyper modern design, this is the entry level.
Price and Specs:
More details at U-Boat.
