Description
MEMPHIS BELLE
Who we are
The company, which takes its name from a true legend of military aviation, the b-17 Memphis Belle bomber, has strengthened its
link with this area year after year; a considerable creative effort has led to the creation of models expressly dedicated to the most prestigious formations of our armed forces, of the present and of the past: from the tricolor arrows to the tenth mas, from the thunderbolt to the daring raiders, just to name a few examples.
Memphis Belle is, in fact, the licensee of the pan, aeronautical military, Italian and navy marque brands, and unquestionably represents the leading reality of this particular market area.
Thanks to the accumulated experience and the application of the best technologies, the company has pursued a level of extreme specialization.
The design study, linked to military operational needs, is characterized by its marked qualities of innovation; The design of the watches is characterized by the simultaneous presence of technical elements and style elements, a combination that is the recognized signature of beautiful Memphis.
The high-quality standards of the watches produced by the Genoese company have decreed its growing success, allowing widespread distribution of the brand nationally and the progressive opening to foreign markets.
The company produces underwater super-professional watches and chronographs with materials of total quality, with technical content that perfectly meets the needs of the military professional. the high level of the models made has meant that our watches were used by many special and flight departments, for operational use in important national and international military missions.
The choice of materials and the design and production methods of the individual models are modeled to obtain the maximum in terms of functionality, resistance, and precision.
The cases and bracelets are made of 316L aisi steel with zero oxidation rate or in pure grade 2 titanium, a metal characterized by a maximum level of almost total: these are the same materials that are used for the construction of submarine hulls and of the spaceships.
The waterproofness of the waterproof boxes varies from 10 atm (100 meters) to 120 atm (1200 meters) and the bracelets are equipped with a double safety lock and can be lifted for use over the suit.
The crowns have a special internal screw system with a double safety o-ring, identifiable by the head of the diver engraved in relief. all our models use a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with a special anti-reflection coating to allow use even in extreme light conditions. the dials and hands, with high night visibility, are equipped with non-radioactive super luminova, which is charged with sunlight. the dials can be customized with a departmental or company logo.
Every beautiful Memphis watch is the result of continuous research, of an in-depth study of the details which is an absolute guarantee of quality.
25 MISSIONS, 10 MEN, 1 AIRPLANE
The “Memphis Belle” was one of the 12.750 B-17 Flying Fortress bombers built by Boeing.
The aircraft was named after pilot commander Robert K. Morgan’s sweetheart, Margaret Polk, a resident of Memphis, Tennessee. Morgan originally intended to call the aircraft “Little One”, which was his pet name for Polk, but after Morgan and copilot Jim Verinis saw the movie “Lady for a Night”, in which the leading character owns a riverboat named the “Memphis Belle”, he proposed that name to his crew.
Morgan then contacted George Petty, a disciple of the great Alberto Vargas, at the offices of Esquire magazine and asked him for a pinup drawing to go with the name, which Petty supplied from the magazine’s April 1941 issue.
The 91st’s group artist, Corporal Tony Starcer, copied the Petty girl as art on both sides of the forward fuselage, depicting her suit in blue on the aircraft’s port side and in red on the starboard. The nose art later included 25 bomb shapes, one for each mission credit, and eight swastika designs, one for each German aircraft claimed shot down by the crew. Station and crew names were stenciled below station windows on the aircraft after its tour of duty was completed.
From the 7th of November 1942 to the 17th of May 1943, the Memphis Belle accomplished 25 successful missions without any significant damage and, most of all, without any loss among its crew.
The Memphis Belle and its crew immediately became a living legend and a leading example for all the U.S. Army, because of the U.S.A.F. General Command determined that after 25 missions each crew could return back home, released from military service. This order has been a great boost for all the Servicemen, that struggled their best to accomplish their missions without getting damaged, in order to return home as heroes.
During its 25 missions, the Memphis Belle flew for 148 hours, covering more than 20.000 miles.
But the 26th, the last mission, has been the most important assignment among all: the Memphis Belle was commissioned indeed to start a promotional tour across all the United States to sell war bonds and to greet and thank the population, raising funds and boosting their morale for sustaining their Army and Servicemen with great sacrifice.
Memphis Belle’s crew visited over 32 cities where they’ve been welcomed and treated like heroes by the population. Their mascot dog, Stuka, flew with the crew, crossing the Atlantic Ocean and being an active part of the final ceremony too.
On the 17th of May 1987, exactly 44 years after its final mission, the aircraft was put into a dedicated area of the Mud Island River Park, where more than 25.000 people joined the opening ceremony of the Memphis Belle pavilion. During that celebration day, a squadron of B-17 airplanes flew across the museum area, throwing rose petals on the audience. Miss Polk and all the original crew of the Memphis Belle met and thanked the public for their effort and closeness. The bomber, after a complete and meticulous restoration, lies nowadays in the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio.
U.S. Air Force officially declared the Memphis Belle as a historic national treasure: a fitting tribute to the lady of the sky!