Whilst distressed finishes are frequently applied to denim, furniture and even guitars, the two U-Boat novelties featured here are certainly a departure from the norm in horology. Unveiled at Baselworld 2014, they have been intentionally distressed, yet adorned with precious metals and stones. The juxtaposition of a tool watch’s wear and tear with a luxury watch’s refined materials makes for interesting timepieces, to say the least.

The first offering from U-Boat is the Flightdeck 925 Elementium (S$39,800). You will immediately notice the cracks that line the watch’s crystal, case and even its buckle. Thin cracks have been drilled into the sapphire crystal, with a single white diamond set at the ‘point of impact’. The 50mm sterling silver case (hence the 925 moniker) and strap buckle have undergone a similar treatment, with over 1ct worth of black and brown diamonds set into these fissures. Apart the unique finishing, this watch’s design generally falls within U-Boat’s Flightdeck collection, with the crown situated on the case’s left and fitted with a protective device, and the chronograph pushers flanking it.

The Classico 48 925 Mother of Pearl shown next has several similarities with the Flightdeck 925 Elementium (S$49,800) – cracks too, have been drilled into its sterling silver case and strap buckle, with black diamonds set into them. The sapphire crystal has, however, been left untouched to better showcase the mother of pearl dial. Despite its chronograph movement, the watch is unabashedly ornamental, with no markings on the chronographs subdials for its user to measure the passage of time. Beyond these, you have the standard protected crown and chronograph pushers on the left of the case, which is slightly smaller at 48mm wide. Of note too is the choice of hour markers. Rather than the usual Arabic numerals for 3, 6, 9 and 12 o’clock, the dial has been seemingly split into three with the only numerals for 4, 8 and 12 o’clock and indexes at the other hours.