Even the mighty U-Boat has been forced to acknowledge that prevailing tastes point to smaller case sizes.
The Italian watch brand renowned for its oversized case sizes and canteen-style crown guards appears to be scaling down its watches if its latest model is anything to go by.
The bronze and stainless steel-cased Chimera Mother of Pearl is a svelte 43mm in diameter, especially when compared to U-Boat by Italo Fontana designs of the past.
The Chimera also reflects an emerging trend in featuring Mother of Pearl on the dial of a watch which is presumably intended to be worn by men. Mother of Pearl has long been a weapon in arsenal of watch designers creating pieces for women but is increasingly being used in men’s watches such as the high tech Seiko Astron. Vulcain explored the concept in its 2015 special edition Vulcain for Heiner Lauterbach watch.