This U-Boat Chimera watch stuns in bold bronze colourway – but why is it so big?!

Italian watch manufacturer, U-Boat has just reinvented its Chimera watch in a new bold colourway. The U-Boat Chimera Damasco Bronze is a blend of bronze and steel colours and materials, and has an absolutely massive 46mm case – here’s everything you need to know.

The Chimera is U-Boat’s core collection, with the original watch dating back to 2009. It’s most recognisable by its oversized, left-sided crown and U-Boat branded crown guard, a design feature that the brand has introduced to many of its watches.

The new U-Boat Chimera Damasco Bronze is a reinterpretation of the original Chimera and keeps many of its key features. The new model is a tribute to Italian designer and U-Boat founder, Italo Fontana who took inspiration from his grandfather’s sketches for the Italian Navy in WWII.

As is the case – no pun intended – with the U-Boat Chimera, its new Damasco Bronze model has a huge 46mm case. Wearers definitely won’t lose this in a hurry as the watch’s bulk takes up a huge amount of space on the wrist – people with smaller wrists might find it to be a bit too big and heavy for their liking.

But if you like a bigger, bulkier watch, the U-Boat Chimera Damasco Bronze is a good bet. The watch is made from stainless steel and has a damascus steel bezel which gives it a grain, fingerprint-like pattern that’s punctuated by bronze screws.

The signature oversized crown and guard is still present on the U-Boat Chimera Damasco Bronze on the left side. The two-level dial is black and has a Clous de Paris pattern that makes it look beaded and three-dimensional. Bronze features on the dial on the hour markers, hour and minute hands, and 24-hour indicator. A date window also sits between nine and 10 o’clock.

The U-Boat Chimera Damasco Bronze is powered by the Swiss ETA 2824 Top Soigné automatic movement which can be seen via the caseback. It’s water resistant to 100 metres, has a 38 hour power reserve and is finished with a hand-treated Tuscan leather strap.

Limited to just 300 pieces, the U-Boat Chimera Damasco Bronze is available to buy for £3,950. If you can get over the sheer magnitude of its size, the U-Boat Chimera Damasco Bronze could be the brand’s best watch launch of the year.