Squale stands out to me as a watch brand for a few different reasons, most of them having to do with authenticity. We are seeing a current uptick with watch enthusiasts buying re-issues and heritage pieces. Authenticity is lacking, with faux patina lumes and words like “Heritage” adorning dials. But is there a watch built to the standards of a real heritage piece without any gimmicks?

The Squale 2002 Collection 1000 Meter Automatic dive watch is just such a watch. Packaged beautifully with a professional presentation that clearly represents the ocean and makes sense here. A very brief history of the company: it was founded in the late 1950s by a fabricator and supplier of watch cases to legendary dive watch companies such as Blancpain and Doxa, and thus an indirect inspiration to their next step, to craft their own dive watches. After the almost complete death of the company with the passing of their founder, it was later purchased by friends of the Von Burens family. When you look at this watch, you see more than a wannabe throw back, you see something genuine and whole – this is an authentic dive watch from a time before computers were created. I would happily take this piece snorkeling or exploring some water-filled caves – real places I have been, and this watch would have proved to be a great companion.

This watch is created to be swallowed whole by the blue depths of the ocean. It utilizes a very cool bezel made from Bakelite, hand-painted in several layers of luminescent paint, and which requires you to push down on it to rotate and mark your times – rather simple, yet more secure than what we see today, and certainly not complicated. With 1,000 meters water resistance, you know this watch is the real deal – again, a feature of the original back in the ’70s. We see increments of improvement here, e.g., the ETA 2824-2 movement, no-radioactive lume, and a genuine sapphire crystal. So, rather than a compete change of ideology, we have an upgrade for our benefit. Suggested improvements? I would like to see it a tad thinner in profile, longer lugs, and a bit more balanced on the wrist. Then again, if we did this today, it wouldn’t be fresh from the ’70s anymore!

I realize this is brief, though I doubt if you take the plunge with this watch as your companion you would ever be disappointed. Finally, I’d like to thank Squale for the watch and aBlogtoWatch for this fantastic opportunity! squale.ch