Seven years after the first launch, Italo Fontana brushes up this astonishing design with a range of new Capsule watches still drawing inspiration from the 30's bathyspheres and with steampunk aesthetics reminiscent of Jules Verne's imaginative worlds.
The Capsule watch was first introduced in 2015 at Baselworld and was directly inspired by the first undersea exploration modules. Italo Fontana was fascinated by depth gauges from the early 1930s and incorporated their characteristic features into the design of the Capsule watch. These primordial submarines had a rounded shape and porthole windows with water pressure-resistant glass to ensure the safety of the people inside the cabin during the dive. The spherical portholes, made from strong glass, were clamped to the outside surface using a system of levers to ensure water resistance. With these features in mind, the designer created a watch with a domed sapphire crystal that amplifies the view of the dark dial with a magnifying glass effect and is sealed to the case through an external and independent bezel fastened to it with five external screws. On the sides of the case, the small number of screws docking to the case to the bezel allows a long see-through slit with a view on the dial and running all around the watch circumference from the patented pusher for the easy crown extraction to the characteristic crown cover protection hook.
Available in 50mm and 45mm sizes, the Capsule watch features a grade 5 titanium case, known for its strength and lightweight characteristics, as well as a version in PVD-treated steel and in steel in both sizes. Inside the watch the precision of the Swiss movement with a Sellita SW200 automatic caliber, modified to the U-BOAT specifications, which beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour with 41h power reserve.
Limited edition watches, in 90 pieces only for the titanium version and 200 each for all the others, are completed by a laser engraved case-back, with the image of a bathysphere, locked by 4 screws and a leather strap handcrafted by Tuscan artisans with traditional techniques.