INSPIRATION

The world's first covered lifeboat

In 1904, Norwegian Ole Brude set sail from Ålesund for New York in the United States. Even with large ships, it was a long journey - and the 24-year-old Brude was to make it in an 18-foot covered lifeboat that he had designed himself. The boat was shaped like an egg and was named Uræd.

The case of this watch is rounded like pocket and wristwatches of the time, and we have used elements from the Art Nouveau style that characterizes Ålesund, and an outline of the lifeboat is engraved on the sapphire crystal of the back cover, which also provides insight into a beautiful clockwork.

Ole Brude from Ålesund was a deckhand from a young age, and on his first trip the ship he was hired on sank.

The wooden lifeboats were crushed to pieces during the evacuation, and amidst the chaos, Brude had an idea that has saved countless lives.

The young Ole Brude designed and built a revolutionary lifeboat that was far ahead of its time; a covered lifeboat shaped like an egg. To prove that covered lifeboats were the future, he and three others sailed with their lives at stake from Ålesund to Boston - across the Atlantic Ocean.

The boat was named Uræd.

Despite severe storms and hurricanes, the voyage was a success, and Ole Brude and his crew were hailed as heroes. Among other things, Brude was granted an audience with President Roosevelt.

Unfortunately, his heroic status was short-lived, and covered lifeboats did not become standard equipment until the 1970s. The inventor never received the recognition he deserved, despite the fact that the design kept four adult men safe for five months at sea.

We have been inspired by Brude's heroism, and it is with pride that we can finally present our way of paying tribute to him: Von Doren - URÆD.​​

Read the newspaper article here

Photo: Aalesund Museum's photo archive