Squale
- Founded
- 1959
- Based in
- Neuchâtel, Switzerland
- In our catalog
- 2 watches from $895 to $1,300
Squale (French for "shark") has spent most of its life in the background. For decades it made pressure-tested dive watch cases for other brands, and its own watches were bought mostly by working divers. Today it sells those same kinds of watches under its own name, with plenty of 1970s character and solid specs for the money.
History
Charles von Büren founded Squale in Neuchâtel in 1959 with a focus on dive watches. Its cases were built to handle serious depth and were supplied to other watch brands, while Squale's own watches were sold to professional divers and some military units. Like many small Swiss firms, it struggled in the quartz era.
The brand was later taken over by an Italian family that had long distributed it, and it has since rebuilt its range around reissues of its classic 1960s and 1970s divers, with Swiss automatic movements.
Signature models
- 1521 Classic: A cushion-cased diver with a wide bezel and 500 m water resistance, based on a 1970s model. The design hasn't changed much, and that's the appeal.
- Sub-39 GMT: A 39 mm diver with a GMT hand, a sensible size with a vintage look.
What it's known for
Squale's watches are tested to their depth ratings, use Swiss movements and come with the kind of chunky, purposeful cases that look right on a rubber strap.
Price and positioning
Squale watches mostly cost $800 to $1,500. Doxa has more name recognition and costs more; Christopher Ward and Certina offer more modern designs. Squale is the choice for a genuine 1970s diver look from a company that was there.
Squale watches in our library
- Squale 1521 Classic ($895 to $995)
- Squale Sub-39 GMT ($1,200 to $1,300)