U-Boat Releases The Phoenix Classico Chrono At Baselworld 2014

Italo Fontana has struck gold or maybe silver with this new release for Baselworld 2014. U-Boat is world leader in unique forms of watchmaking and the Phoenix Classico Chrono is a prime example of this. The watch’s basic design is all U-Boat but this time for the Phoenix, the brand has taken it a step further and upped the ante.

For starters, U-Boat has chosen to craft the Phoenix in 925 sterling silver. The silver has undergone a hand finished martellée effect, which is responsible for its textured look. However, U-Boat was unsatisfied with just this, so the Italian brand then took to carefully drilling fissures into the case. As if this wasn’t enough, U-Boat then set a total of 180 black diamonds into the cracks. Each of the 180 full cut black diamonds was hand set by Italian craftsmen, ensuring that the diamonds will not fall out from wear and tear.

As with many U-Boat watches, the Phoenix is made in an oversized case diameter, which comes in at 48mm. The sterling silver weighs in at almost 105 grams without the calfskin leather strap. The strap is also hand finished but is also hand stitched using vintage leather working techniques. The strap also features silver inserts set with black diamonds. Securing this calfskin strap to the wrist is a pin buckle clasp made from 925 sterling silver.

The case also features a left hand crown design protected by an elaborate crown guard. On the case back is an exhibition sapphire crystal where the movement can be viewed. The crystal protecting the dial is also made from sapphire, chosen for its scratch resistant properties. The case back is secured with 8 screws maintaining a water resistance of 50 meters or 5 ATM.

The dial is beige with stenciled Arabic numeral markers at the 4, 8, and 12 positions. The other positions are represented by long baton shaped indexes. The hands are coated in black offering maximum contrast against the dial. At the 3 position is a large small seconds counter. The chronograph totalizers are situated at the 6 and 9 positions where they display the minutes and hours respectively. The chrono seconds are indicated via a thin central hand also in black. There is a date aperture at the 9 o’clock position.

Powering this stunning timepiece is a personalized self-winding chronograph movement. This automatic movement carries a standard 44 hour power reserve. For precision, this timepiece – the U-Boat Phoenix Classico Chrono beats at a constant 28,800 alternations per hour.