are u boat watches really that bad?

[katiedaddy]

OP, follow your heart in this. There are a lot of watches you won't be able to buy if you put too much thought into it. I owned 2 U-Boat Flightdeck 50mm and Breitling Super Avenger and never really regretted buying them. I also posted similar post here before I pulled the trigger on U-Boat and although my first one was impulsive purchase by all means I enjoyed the heck out of it. As long as the price is right I don't see any reason not to try U-Boat watches.

[Janne]

Wait - you own PAM111 and are complaining that Hublot has inflated prices? PAM111 is like $5k, it's steel, and contains a 6497. That's a recipe for for a 4-digit profit percentage.

They aren't exactly small or medium in size, and they don't have a history I would consider glorified either.

Don't get me wrong, I own Panerai as well (PAM 288), but that too is a steel-cased Valjoux movement with a $5 - 6k sticker.

I needed a PAM as a fashion statement!
I know, silly...
It is the design of Hublot, it is so like an AP. Same designer was it?

[BBK357]

You may want to look at the Corum Admiral Cup line. Most of those watches are 47-48mm. I don't know much about Corum, but they seem to make quality watches. And they look pretty sharp too.

+1!
I had a Corum Admirals Cup about 3 years ago and I loved it, totally regret selling it. You tend to make brash decisions in your first year of marriage when your strapped..
But someone else is enjoying her!
A bit overpriced, but felt like luxury on the wrist.

[Frogman4me]

Hublot has only been around since 1980, they use limited editions and such to hype up the brand. I personally would never pay that much for a watchmaker with little to no history.

[Seele]

SevenStars,

"U-boat" is the English speakers' abbreviation for "Unterseeboot" which merely means submarine, and not specifically those used by the German Navy during WWII; in fact those used in WWI were called as such.

But what I find amusing is that U-boat watches is one of the myriad of brands with styling "inspired" by the Zlatoust diver, and that includes Invicta, whose claim to have invented it has been "totally busted" (to paraphrase the Mythbusters) time and again. The Zlatoust original was meant to be worn outside a wetsuit, hence its size, and the canteen crown would not interfere with the wrist as it would be further up the lower arm.

[Biased&Critical]

Hublot has only been around since 1980, they use limited editions and such to hype up the brand. I personally would never pay that much for a watchmaker with little to no history.

Yet, you've named yourself after a watch that first appeared in 1993. From a brand that started making watches... in the 80's.

I can appreciate the significance of a watch manufacture with an illustrious history (my favourite brand in general is probably Ulysse Nardin, not because of the marine chronometer from the 1840's, but it doesn't hurt) but I find it odd to think that a brand is persona non grata because they don't date back to the 1800's. I hold a deep amount of appreciation and facination for a few brands out there younger than I am, that are making absolutely top-notch timepieces of impeccible ability. That they are not dusty-old would not factor with me for a second on considering a purchase.

At the end of the day, it is cutting-edge technology in the background of all watch brands today, even if they advertise with pictures of white-bearded curmudgeons sitting at well-worn wooden desks.

[John MS]

They have a less than sterling but likely not bad reputation for spotty quality control. Because of that they seem to be way overpriced. And the watches are huge which means the lugs will overhang most wrists and the straps will lean inward rather than wrapping around the wrist. The effect will be somewhat like an 8 year old wearing his fathers watch.

[Frogman4me]

pointless

[novedl]

lets not get personal with this back & forth as you have both made your point.

[Janne]

U-boat = Underwater boat (UK English)
U-Boot = Untersee Boot (German)
Sub = Substandard underwater boat (US English)

No clue what the Italians call their submersibles.