Instrumento N° Uno by de Grisogono
The 16 stars in the Expendables 3 cast notch up a total of 850 years’ age. Stallone, Banderas, Statham, Gibson, Ford and the others must have enjoyed making this film with its touches of comedy and irony amidst the tons of flying lead, and they also got the chance to wear a special edition of the Instrumento N° Uno by de Grisogono, at least during the film’s presentation. The watch has a steel case with black PVD finish, with red hands and numerals, a large date display, and a second time zone shown on the lower subdial. The black alligator strap has a red leather lining. The anniversary edition has brand owner Fawaz Gruosi’s autograph on the sapphire caseback. It is a limited edition, with 100 watches available (does that mean that there are 84 left for ordinary non-expendable people?). More info at www.degrisogono.com
There is another watch linked to Expendables 3, the U-Boat U-42 Unicum, a piece designed by Italo Fontana, creator of the company U-Boat. Arnold Schwarzenegger wore the watch for the film’s premiere at Cannes. The U-42 Unicum is best suited for wrists that have been expanded by years of bodybuilding, because with a diameter of 65 mm, it is truly a huge piece. It is powered by a Swiss-made automatic movement with a 40-hour power reserve, housed in an IP-black-coated titanium case with details in bronze. Case, dial and hands are hand-finished, and each watch is slightly different.
U-Boat U-42 Unicum
U-Boat, a company based in Lucca, Tuscany, is a company with just a few years of history, but it already has 14 own-brand boutiques worldwide, with over 370 shops-in-shop. The watches originated from a chance discovery by Italo Fontana, who one day was looking through his grandfather Ilvo Fontana’s old papers. He found a sheaf of documents regarding a 1942 project for Italian navy pilots’ watches, which had to be easy to read in all conditions. Ilvo never got the commission, but the design inspired Italo many years later, who worked on the first design for seven years, from 2000. His watch’s rugged, military appearance is heightened by the large crown wheel and protector, and the hand-made distressed leather straps. For further infomation, see www.u-boat.it
The question is, does Arnie wear the U-42 Unicum in the film? And what about the de Grisogono Instrumento Uno? I’ll just have to go and watch it to find out.
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