The U-Boat Italo Fontana Darkmoon watch uses a deep, glossy oil-filled dial, bright colors and changeable love or hate compensation bubbles to provide an exciting and truly unique timepiece.
The oil-filled dial presents a fascinating rich color depth
Fashion-forward 44 mm unisex case diameter
Easy to replace “dry” battery compartment
The playful bubbles and deep, rich oil-filled dial make this timepiece instantly memorable and fascinating. We hope you enjoy the amazing wrist experience we introduced.
You may see references to “U-Boat Dark Moon Watch” or “U Boat Dark Moon“; this is easy to accomplish. However, according to U-Boat, Dark Moon is a word. This is U-Boat Italo Fontana Darkmoon, once you see it, it will be unforgettable. Why is Dark Moon? Because, to quote the manufacturer, it is “a series directly from the dark side of the moon.”
Italo Fontana has taken a place in the lunar-related watchmaking industry with this aspiring collection of handmade watches — proud of being “Made in Tuscany”. We think they are the winners. The same is true for Paul Buchanan, whose early encounter with Dark Moon made him the British sales manager for the Italian watchmaker.
Stunning and fascinating red glass dome
Paul told the story: “Just over two years ago, I met Richard, U-Boat’s distributor in the UK and Ireland. He knew that my illusions about the watch industry were disillusioned because the brands copied each other time and time again. He also knew that I was looking for an inspiring brand. After teasing and seducing me with U-Boat’s beautiful Chimera, he followed up with this watch with domed red glass, which makes it in every possible way Amazing and charming. When Richard spoke, I just sat there with a watch on my wrist and looked at it from all angles. I bought that watch, one of the first Dark Moon, and then became the brand’s UK sales manager. Only two watches are needed. U-Boat Darkmoon Red 44mm IPB is still my watch of choice.
Color depth
The rich colors of this oil-filled beauty is just one of the characteristics that fascinated Paul and attracted him to the brand. Once you see these stunning watches, you will notice how the eye-catching dial of Dark Moon provides “open eyes”, fascinating three-dimensional color depth and greater legibility. At first glance, it is obvious that they are very different from the information-intensive visual complexity of other U-Boat classic products such as U-Boat U-65 skeleton watches.
Since the first dark moon, sapphire crystal and dial color intensity improvements have been adopted to improve readability, making excellent products even more impressive. Then the iconic compensation bubbles move around the dial in its crystal clear oil bath. It helps to enlarge the field of view of the two hands-without the second hand-they seem to float freely above the dial.
Amazing magnified view of the hand
TikTok watch influencer Jack Biggs enthusiastic about these features in our U-Boat Dark Moon unboxing video. He said: “Another advantage of the oil bath is that it can enlarge the field of view of the hand and compensate for the temperature between zero and 60 degrees. I think this makes the watch look more three-dimensional, and it gives a deep impression on the dial. a feeling of.
U-Boat himself said that oil injection can “surprisingly magnify the field of view of the hand. Without glass, the hand seems to float freely.” The proprietary oil bath technology pioneered in the Capsoil watch, which premiered on Instagram in November 2018, made this possible.
Since then, cheap U-Boat has apparently been working hard to develop their second oil-filled product line. As a result, Dark Moon is now in its second iteration. It is irresistibly put together with the original Capsoil chronograph and dominates the U-Boat Italo Fontana product page of Watch Pilot, where you can browse and purchase the U-Boat watch of your choice.
Range description
At the time of writing, as Jack Biggs explained, the collection revolves around Darkmoon watches in black, cardinal, elegant brown, noble green and imperial blue. Of course, they are all equipped with the company’s iconic left-handed “destro” screw-in crown. And 50 m (5 ATM) waterproof performance, enough to deal with splashes, gentle swimming and cold showers.
Depending on the model, strap and bracelet options include stylish lightweight mesh, laser-cut hand-made, hand-finished calfskin, and a vulcanized rubber strap embossed with the U-BOAT logo in deep relief on both sides.
Case size and finish
U-Boat Swiss made replica watches are known for their amazing case diameters-no one will be ignored when wearing them! Although smaller than watches such as the 47mm U-47 Classico, the 50mm flight deck pilot watch or the large diameter 55mm U-1001, the latest Darkmoon 44mm case guarantees an eye-catching wrist.
This unique dial design deserves a durable and visually contrasting case finish. Depending on the watch, AISI 316L stainless steel has or does not have IP bronze (such as 8467/B Men’s Brown Darkmoon) or IP Black coating (such as 8464/MT Men’s Black Darkmoon).
Unsurprisingly, U-Boat Italo Fontana attaches great importance to how the Darkmoon dial, hands and quartz movement are all immersed in a special proprietary oil bath. Talk about it later. First of all, here is a campaign about powering the dark moon.
RONDA’s time-tested 712.3 caliber
Visit the highly acclaimed Calibre-corner website or Ronda AG website, you will quickly find that Darkmoon’s 712.3 movement is a proven Swiss made main force in the Swiss watch movement industry.
Put 712.3 into the U-Boat cheap watch, and you will have a good company. This is a tried-and-tested bidirectional 26mm diameter quartz movement. The brand also powers watches from brands such as TAG-Heuer, Raymond Weil and Yema. As the company explains, “Ronda produces Swiss precision mechanical and quartz watch movements for many leading watch brands. Our products can be found in brand watches, from elegant and sporty watches to stylish fashion accessories to Luxurious style.
Replacement battery
Since the quartz revolution in watchmaking in the 1970s, the accuracy and reliability of these movements have meant that batteries are needed.
At first glance, Darkmoon’s dial and movement are all immersed in oil, and it can be tricky to replace the battery every few years. Because of the oil bath, the early version of U-Boat Capsoil—which sounds like a hybrid word derived from “encapsulated oil”—needed attention in a professional factory in Italy when the battery was exhausted. The same applies to earlier versions of U-Boat Darkmoon watches.
Later iterations of Capsoil and the latest Darkmoon solved this problem, with a separate user-accessible battery compartment on the bottom cover. Keep it oil-free through an innovative internal locking ring system, which is a welcome improvement over the first generation of Darkmoon.
Clearly labeled battery port
If you look closely at the bottom cover of Darkmoon, you will see a clearly identified battery port with the battery identifier-SR936SW engraved on it. This and the different surface profile distinguish the battery port from the (upper) oil adjustment port. According to the manufacturer’s instruction manual, that one is for use, “provided exclusively by U-BOAT professional technicians.” If you decide to explore, please don’t say we didn’t warn you!
U-Boat pays attention to details
Now, thank goodness, you can easily replace the U-Boat battery with the dry battery port. In fact, this may be easier than removing the bottom cover and replacing the battery on a traditional quartz watch. This is just another example of the U-Boat details and continuous product improvement we expect from a Tuscan company.
U-BOAT watch
You probably already know U-Boat fake Watch Italo Fontana and the development of this Italian watchmaker since 2000.
At that time, Italo Fontana discovered the design of his grandfather Ilvo in 1942, which details the innovative watch of the Italian Navy’s Regia Marina.
For whatever reason, the design did not go into production. Instead, decades later, it inspired the founder of U-Boat to create his watch brand. Since then, Italo Fontana’s handmade luxury watches, with their large case, unique left watch crown, and iconic retro nautical style—according to some critics, even “steampunk”—design, Has established a loyal following.
The design of U-BOAT DARKMOON
Compared with many U-Boat designs, Dark Moon may appear very restrained. However, its eye-catching sunburst pattern-what U-Boat calls the sun pattern-on the dial, under the charming curved domed sapphire crystal, is by no means low-key.
Inspired by the dark side of the moon
The following is the editor Rob Corder of the respected watch industry magazine WatchPro wrote in September 2020:
‘U-Boat joined the Capsoil series this year, launching a sub-series called Dark Moon [sic]-referring to the black of their dial like the dark side of the moon-even giving them a scary change of blood red And black model. Mr. Fontana may be leading the werewolf in him.
Interesting but not surprising, the rich red glow of the magnifying dial on this particular model caused such a heartfelt reaction. The same is true when we show the collection to Michael Langley, an experienced visual designer, founder of Uchi Clothing and creator of the Uchi Horology collection of watch art and clothing:
Visually striking
“When I saw a red background and black text like U-Boat 8466/MT,” he said, “its eye-catching and visually bold design left a deep impression on me. It is both practical and practical. It is also eye-catching. The liquid dome crystal and huge dial numbers add to the atmosphere of the submarine. If any of the Dark Moon series has such a close connection with U-Boat’s traditional retro nautical style, it must be this .
For anyone trying to understand why certain watch designs are so effective, Watches Tell More Than Time, written by industrial design master Del Coates in 2003, is a useful reference. When planning to write an article about Dark Moon, reading this book in depth is effortless.
It is reminiscent of the iconic Movado Museum watch
Gazing at the dark moon swimming in the compensating bubbles reminds me of Movado’s 1947 museum watch designed by Nathan George Horwitt, which features a circular “noon sun” pattern at 12 o’clock. To quote Coates:
“[Museum Watch] has won its place, on the contrary, it is aesthetically, with groundbreaking innovations with countless faces…it has become one of the most memorable and imitated timepieces ever.”
A design leader for others to emulate?
U-Boat Darkmoon may not be the most complicated oil-filled watch ever, nor is it the most expensive. However, by incorporating this necessary compensation bubble into such a visually deep and impressive “high-value contrast” dial, it may position U-Boat as a design leader that others will try and replicate in the future .
Then, think about the innovative Ressence brand of Benoît Mintiens, a leader in watch design who has tried oil injection…
Comparison with RESENCE is inevitable
We will not be the first commentators to notice the amazing and very expensive timepieces of Capsoil and Darkmoon’s Ressence. In fact, although they are known for using oil-filled technology, they differ from U-Boat watches in several important ways.
The first is technology. U-Boat Darkmoon has its Ronda quartz movement and dial completely immersed in oil. Compare it with TYPE 3 and TYPE 5 Ressence. They combine an air-filled chamber for mechanical movement and an oil-filled upper chamber to provide its iconic “droplet” image projection effect. A complex micro-magnetic transmission connects the two chambers.
Ressence of a poor man?
Is U-Boat Darkmoon “Return of the Poor”? We will let you judge. What we want to say is that oil-filled watches have actually existed for decades, although it is a specialized and unique subset of watches…Of course there is Ressence, and there are anti-fog, non-reflective underwater mission watches, such as Sinn’s user experience. The rest, including timepieces such as the French Beauchat Genesis 4000 HPS or the water and oil-filled Bell & Ross Hydromax 11100M, constitute an exclusive club. But none of them, or even used examples, can be bought at prices close to U-Boat’s latest Dark Moon.
That signature compensation bubble
As mentioned earlier, the moving compensation bubbles on the surface of the Dark Moon (and Capsoil) are constantly reminding the truly iconic Movado Museum watches.
Why is there? The bubble that caused the strong polarizing reaction of watch forum participants is not just the designer’s idling aesthetic indulgence. On the contrary, despite the ability to please or torment the foam within a few hours, it exists for important technical reasons. It provides compensation when the oil expands or contracts with temperature changes within the manufacturer’s recommended operating ranges of 0 °C and +60 °C.
We can only speculate on how many Darkmoon wearers cannot resist trying to place the bubble directly above the center column of the watch.
Who will the dark moon attract?
Is this a unisex U-Boat watch? Although U-Boat offers watches specifically for women, such as its 8474 Rainbow Ladies Mother of Pearl, it is no secret that its main audience is traditionally young men.
However, current fashion-forward watch wearers often see larger men’s watches worn on women’s wrists. According to U-Boat’s British importer, Darkmoon’s 44mm case is smaller than its size shows, which definitely amazes both men and women.
One of the best U-Boat ladies’ watches
Make no mistakes; this is arguably one of the best women’s U-Boat watches at the moment. After all, why should such visually engaging horological objects be reserved for children, especially in a world where women happily rock men’s Rolex watches and other high-end watches?
Obviously, the brand chemistry that made U-Boat so popular among male celebrities such as Sylvester Stallone and Nicholas Cage has also had a powerful influence on female counterparts such as Israeli model Bar Refaeli and actress Lindsay Lohan. How about you?
Go to the dark side
This is U-Boat Darkmoon. Do you like watches with strong retro nautical stories, unmissable visual impact, and fascinating oil-filled technology? If so, this piece with its charming design and fascinating “Made in Tuscany” story may be for you.
Watch Jack’s YouTube videos and be immersed in his passion for these amazing timepieces. Then browse our collection of men’s and women’s U-Boat watches to discover for yourself the wonderful dark side of the Dark Moon series-or as a gift for someone special. 1:1 quality replica watches
