Squale - did you realize what an important historic brand this is?

I really like the Squale offerings, but finances & priorities as they are, I'll likely never pick one up. 

Totally get it. 

Sometimes Marc from Long Island Watch has some good deals on Squales. He did a version a year ago called the Montauk that was really well priced.

Came close to pulling the trigger on the T183 orange (like TGV's latest) but found a non-watch use for the money instead.  One day I'll probably add one to the collection.  Great divers with (as you say) a lot of history

I'm aware of the brand, I know about their history and I still don't find them interesting. 

Most of the folk that watches TGWV have been thoroughly informed. 

Squale is cool, but I imagine that the amount of Rolex homages they move might help some folk dismiss them. 

They make some of or maybe the best homages, but I find it kinda lame at the same time.

Considered acquiring a Squale before. Good watch with a great history. Somehow got pushed down the line by other acquisitions. Maybe in the future will come around to get one. 😉

Great thread, that is an awesome collection you have there, so many of the difficult to find and rare ones. That Squale Prototype made for Blancpain, is really something special. I have nothing but respect for Squale and own several, the only rare one being the Tribute in your first photo. 😀

Ok - the Eagle Star, yeah I think I need that in my life…

My take as well. 

Maybe I'm the odd one out innwatxh collecting, but I don't particularly care about "history" or "heritage" in watches. I buy a machine for my wrist that tells time, and looks appealing to me. History is all marketing fluff in my opinion.

I also don't particularly care about "horology". I like watches because they are a functional tools in my line of work, and also a form of jewelry. 

I don't think you are odd in preferring functionality that suits your taste. I too honestly don't care if Ramses the  3rd wore a sundial or what Sean Connery wore when he was wiping his butt.

I totally agree with you - the decision they made earlier in the 2010s to produce Rolex Sub homages was a very bad one and hurt the brand. Seems like they have since course corrected and stopped putting out that kind of shite. I would never own those references as 1) I'm no fan of the Sub; and, 2) I really don't care for homage watches very much. 

I'll give them a pass for some bad judgment now that they have gotten back to producing their own heritage designs and some interesting new ones.

Thanks for the kind words! The prototype is really cool - a little small for my wrist but a neat piece of history.

Yes - that 60th Anniversary was the first watch that caught my eye from Squale. I saw it in WatchTime Magazine and it became my mission to acquire it. It was amazing how fast that release sold out - I'm sure the promotion around it really helped. Had to pick mine up on the secondary market - the one time I was willing to fork over a premium above list for a watch...considering it was brand new fully packaged box/papers, it was obviously a flipper making a small profit on their good fortune.

I've been thinking about a 1521 for years and just never got around to it.

OP - that Eagle Star is super cool.

And - is that an adjustable wrench in the handle of the dive knife?  What a good idea.

Forgive my asking this, but if you don’t care about heritage or history, and say, you want a tool watch (diver in this instance), would a brands track record in the field not play any part of your decision? 
Would you, say, buy a car made by Apple if they released one instead of Ford, even though it might have ok specs, but they are really not renowned for their car production?

Asking for a friend…

Finally was able to add the Squale DRASS Galeazzi to the collection...

I found out about Squale within the last year through TGV's YouTube channel. I'm intrigued but I have not watched the video yet. What jumps out at me from my internet searches on Squale is the French company name, Italian owners, Swiss movements, and a Chinese URL domain. 

The company has always been based in Neuchatel, Switzerland. The original owners, the Von Buren family, were Swiss, but had distribution in Italy through the Maggi family, which now owns Squale. In 1982, the Von Buren family sold the company to the Maggi family.

You are mistaken on the website address. The .ch extension URL is Switzerland not China. 

The name is also not French. Squale is Italian for Shark.

So, in summary, to clear up your confusion:

1.  Squale means Shark in Italian. Italy was one of Squale's main markets for distribution.
2.  Squale has always been based in Switzerland
3.  The current owners in Italy purchased the company from the original Swiss owners, but their relationship went back almost to the beginning of the company.
4.  The website address is based in Switzerland not China (i.e. URL is a Swiss location defined as .ch)

LOL, my old eyes saw .cn, I need to get my glasses checked. Also, someone needs to correct the author of the article I just read on Squale.😮

https://www.linternaute.fr/dictionnaire/fr/definition/squale/

Name and logo[edit]

Squale is a French word for shark.[7] The E is silent and it is pronounced "Skwal." In 1946, Charles von Büren created C.Von Büren SA in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. In 1959, after testing the reliability of the watch cases himself on numerous occasion, he registered the Squale trademark. Squale is now based in Chiasso and is in partnership with the Maggi family from Italy.[2]

Thanks - yes just double-checked. 

Actually, it appears that Squale is neither French nor Italian, but in fact is Corsican for shark.

I love the brand and their connection to the diving sport and brands like Blancpain that many believes is a good marketing tactic they use.

Do you guys think this Blancpain reference was legit and issued in the 1545 Squale cases? I personally don't see why should we doubt it and how one believes this watch was put together just to claim that it's a Blancpain in a Squale case.

Looks legit to me - Squale was still making watches for Blancpain in the late 1960s and they usually double signed with the brand name and the Squale logo.

Squale did a fair amount of white label production in the late 1960s/early 1970s.

I just picked up this neat little number that Squale released in the 1960s...it's only 35mm so a little small for my wrist, but that blue dial is just gorgeous...

Wow that is a nice little guy, congrats! I prefer the smaller case watches, even in divers. Any leads to track down these vintage beauties?

This one came from Watches83.com based in Spain. Silvia and Sigfrid are great. They always have some really great vintage watches. There is a small premium you pay, but they always have exceptional quality and I have never had a problem with any of the vintage watches I've purchased from them. You should reach out to them and let them know you are interested in vintage Squales. Who knows what they might turn up.

You can probably tell by now that I'm quite into this topic and have a fascination for this mysterious reference😅

So anyway, I did a little "research" to confirm that the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms in Y1545 Squale case was not only a one piece prototype run.

Based on these photos I found I think it can be said with certainty that there are at least 3 watches with the same design and specs out there.

Looking at the lume pip, the different lume plot imperfections, the bezels and the condition of the hands on each clearly confirms that. Not to mention the dates and locations they were offered.

Just thought you might find it interesting.

Excellent! Great research - thanks for sharing.

Chinese domains use the .cn suffix.

@stephenlai Yes, I misread the suffix.

Hey Mel, thanks for the link! Excellent post on Squale, which I totally agree is such an underappreciated watch brand with deep heritage. Love your Squale collection! Here’s mine, which always me of Quiet Riot’s electric guitar! 🤙😂🤘🤘🤘

Thanks for the kind words. That is total Quiet Riot colors! Love it - fantastic looking watch.