U-Boat opens its third flagship shop in Italy, and does so in the heart of Milan. The store located in the pedestrian street Corso Como, precisely at number 9, will join the boutiques in Florence and Forte dei Marmi, not to mention the other 16 scattered around the rest of the world. Located in one of the city's most exclusive areas, the Garibaldi area, in recent years this "Corso" has become one of the best known streets and U-Boat has decided to position its Milanese landmark here. Italo Fontana, the creative mind behind the brand, jealously guarded some old papers belonging to his grandfather Ilvo with some sketches of a project to produce watches specifically designed for the naval forces. The Italian government had commissioned the production of watches for its pilots in 1942, but the project failed. These sketches gave Italo the idea to bring the project back to life and, starting in 2000, he worked patiently for seven years to redefine the concept of the watches: handcrafted pieces characterised by their strong identity, large size and easy readability in all conditions of use. Over time, U-Boat creations have won over well-known celebrities and many other personalities from the international jet-set. Today, the brand plans to further accelerate its retail development for 2012, including a flagship boutique in Rome, a third shop in Hong Kong and the first flagship shop in Beijing.
