PW Project Watch

Before discovering the history of Squale and the importance of this brand in the world of diving watches, it is necessary to know that, originally, diving was carried out by the armies during military raids. Only after the end of World War II this activity became a sport with various branches and specialties such as apnoea and recreational diving.

It was in those years, more precisely in 1946, that Charles Von Büren opened his own watch company, Von Büren SA in Neuchâtel, in Switzerland. In practice he was a subcontractor, who repaired and produced parts and components of watches.

In 1959, Charles Von Büren created and registered the Squale brand (squale means shark in French), and he started to produce patented cases for other brands. The brands that have adopted Squale cases are countless: Doxa, Tag Heuer and Blancpain, to name the most famous and important ones.

The first Squale watches appeared on the market around the 1960s.

Squale’s professional watches were sold in diving shops, along with sports equipment such as masks, wetsuits and oxygen cylinders. This demonstrates the professionalism and importance of Squale products guaranteed as a lifesaver for the diver.

Some watches with dual brand Squale and Spirotechnique are important testimonies.

Spirotechnique (now Aqua-lung) is a company that deals with the creation and distribution of diving equipment. Leaders included Jacques Cousteau and Emile Gagnan, the creators of modern diving as we know it today. Innumerable are their inventions, the Aqua-lung respirator and the Calypso-Phot amphibious camera are among the most famous.

To identify this brand and its watches, you need to know that Charles Von Büren was a diving enthusiast. He was so passionate that, at times, he himself personally tested his watches in Neuchâtel Lake. Tests were also carried out in the winter seasons when conditions were more severe.

With his experience in scuba diving, Charles Von Büren understood the importance of highlighting the minute hand of his watches with a bright orange. The minute hand is essential for a diver. By aligning the bezel with the minute hand, the watch allows you to monitor the dive times.

Many apnoea champions have used these watches including: Enzo Maiorca who, in 1967, equipped with a Master Squale model, sets his depth record of 67 metres, or Jacques Mayol who, in 1970, made the record in Japan of 76 metres with a Squale model 2001 on his wrist.

Squale – The Models and Evolution of the Master

As mentioned above, there are numerous watches with the double brand on the dial. The Squale lettering and logo appeared along with the name of the watch company that commissioned its construction.

This association of brands served to assure buyers that the watch was a really reliable working tool and certified by one of the best diver watch case manufacturers.

The screw crown also featured the logo of the Von Büren Family coat of arms.

The first Master’s model appeared in the mid-60s. Master was synonymous of reliability, it guaranteed waterproofness up to 1000 m of marine depth.

Squale is used to initialising watches according to the pressure atmospheres they can withstand, in this case the maximum for their flagship model, the 100 Atmos Master Squale. 

Vintage Masters are divided into 3 different models:

The first model, Squale Master Series 1 featured a symmetrical case with a diameter of 40mm and a semi-protected crown at 3 o’clock. This version, no longer produced, left room for the next one.

In the Squale Master Series 2, the case took a more angular geometric shapes at the loops. While maintaining the crown at 3 o’clock, this configuration began to approach the 1521 design.

(In an advertisement of the time, this model was presented under the name 1521 Master Squale going to represent the archetype of this reference).

The latest version, the Squale Master series 3 remains almost unchanged from the previous one. One change concerns the position of the crown at 4 o’clock, so that it remains better sheltered from shocks. Essentially this Master will be the forerunner of the modern 1521 model with minimal variation including thickness and resistance to atmospheric pressure.

Famous is the Bund F.F. version made for Blancpain on request by the German army in the mid-1970s (West German Bundeswehr Kampfschwimmers).

Later, an unusual civilian version of Blancpain Fifty Fathoms was marketed, as despite having the appearance and thickness (16 mm) of the Master series 3, the reference 1521 was engraved in the caseback.

From the 80s untill today, the 1521 finds its final shape with a thickness of 12.5mm,

while the Master series 3 we find it today in the new Master models such as the Galeazzi, the Periscope and the Comsubin.

The latter created for the Italian navy, renews the collaboration between the two, which began in the 80s.

The 2001 model, considered the ancestor of today’s 2002, was born at the end of the 60s.

The first model initialled 1545 with a 37 mm diameter case appeared in the early 70s. Compared to its predecessor, the current model measures 40 mm, and in addition, it loses the crown protector shoulders.

Between the 60s and 70s, Charles Von Büren formed a collaboration with the Maggi family, responsible for the marketing of Squale watches in Italy. Over time, a friendship was born that spontaneously led, in 1982, to the transfer of the brand to the Italian family.

Under the new guidance the Rambo model with integrated compass and Tiger model which takes inspiration from the Ploprof 600 were born. 

With the advent of the new millennium, watchmaking is experiencing a comeback. On the wave of this enthusiasm Squale, in 2005, re-proposed his most iconic models in a modern key with considerable success.

In 2015, the Matic was born, a more performance model with increased waterproofing and a case diameter of 44 mm.

Two years later, Squale becomes an official supplier to various organs of the Italian State, including the divers of the Italian Police with the 2002 model inspired by the Squale 2001 of the late 60s.

To celebrate the 60th anniversary, the limited edition Sub-39 model of 150 pcs is made.
The idea of this watch is due to a finding in the Squale house of 2 prototypes never produced due to the size of the case, 34.8 mm, exceeded by the standards of the time.

40 vintage cases without a logo were found, along with the 2 prototypes; the same cases that were used by Rayville. Rayville was the name of Blancpain in the 50s.

The name was replaced due to a law obliging it to be changed in cases of change of ownership. Blancpain, unlike Squale, marketed with this small diameter case its Batiscaphe model aimed at the women’s market.

In 2020 the first super light model in fibreglass and carbon was born, the T-183.

In the same year, Squale became the official sponsor of Italian freedier Vincenzo Ferri and decided to move the headquarters from Milan to Switzerland, in the Canton of Ticino.

In 2021 Squale collaborated with the Italian company Drass Galeazzi, a world leader in the field of underwater technology and submarine construction. Thanks to this cooperation Squale was reconfirmed as a professional company specialising in watches conceived as diving instruments.

Today, Squale continues his adventure by producing Swiss Made diving watches. Thanks to its important history in the world of underwater watchmaking, Squale watches are a great buy for anyone who wants to add a piece of watchmaking history to the collection.

During this research in the Squale world, I came across numerous new and past models. In particular, I was struck by a watch that appears in a vintage advertisement and that Squale never proposed again, the Master series 1. 

With the symmetrical shape of the 40mm case, trapezoid-applied indexes, the more classic style hands, the semi-integrated crown in the case and the bracelet with flat links and double side rails, the Master Series 1 could seriously challenge the competition in this price range. Personally I think it’s their most beautiful watch!