Squale: 2001 a space odyssey… UNDERWATER!

There are basically two different ingredients necessary to create a successful watch. The first stands in knowing how to trigger love at first sight or, to put it less romantically, being able to achieve perfect aesthetic harmony. The second is technical content befitting the value of the timepiece. Simple, but not that much, because in the end, even though it is all in here – that is in skilfully pinpointing these two ingredients – it never is such a simple thing to do. So much so that in the history of watchmaking, failures are decidedly greater than successes. And then, an additional element helps move everything to a higher level: storytelling.

Let’s say it without fear of contradiction: watches that have a story to tell have a much greater appeal. Let’s take one example out of all. A Rolex Daytona with a Paul Newman dial can be worth a few hundred thousand euros. The Rolex Daytona with Paul Newman dial that belonged to Paul Newman was sold almost $18 million at a Philips auction. Need we say more about the power of storytelling?

SQUALE 2001, COUSTEAU AND LAVAL: TOP-OF-THE-LINE STORYTELLING

Squale’s top management – led by president Andrea Maggi and the forward-thinking general manager Fabio Ferrari – have brilliantly learned their lesson with super-strategic partnerships such as the one with the Marina Militare Italiana and the Comsubin special operations unit. And today, for lovers of the brand founded in Neuchâtel by Charles Von Büren in 1959, they are re-proposing a cult model: the 2001 – a historic reference available on the market between the 1960s and 1970s – through Heritage, a new limited edition (300 pieces) based on the historic model that legendary explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau (1910-1997) decided to give to Michel Laval, first officer of the Calypso – Cousteau’s celebrated lab-ship – at the start of the 1972 Antarctic expedition.

THE ORIGINAL ONE, FROM LAVAL TO LABAN…

Of course Cousteau needs no introduction: he was the most famous explorer of the 20th century, as well as an award-winning documentary filmmaker with four Oscars, a Palme d’Or and a Golden Globe. And the story of the Antarctica expedition is also well-known.

In December 1972, the Cousteau Society set off on a four-month expedition with the aim – successful – of obtaining a complete video documentation of Antarctica, from the peaks to the ice crevasses in the ice pack to the depths of the Antarctic ocean’s glacial waters. Unfortunately, Michel Laval was the victim of a tragic accident with the mission helicopter and died on 29 December 1972 on Deception Island. He was only 31 years old.

After his death, the watch returned to Cousteau who entrusted it to chemical engineer, filmmaker, writer and painter André Laban, a historical member of Cousteau’s expeditions and himself a close friend of Michel Laval. André Laban kept the watch until his death in 2018. And, as per his wishes, the watch passed into the hands of an elderly German collector, a lover of historical divers, who at the end of a very long and romantic negotiation handed it over to its current owner, an Italian digital entrepreneur, a great watch enthusiast, whom we had the pleasure of meeting in person but who prefers to remain anonymous.

“Yes, it is now in my hands,’ he says with great pride, ‘and it is an honour to keep it and pass on its history. Being Laval’s personal watch, the story of this piece has become unique. And, from the very beginning, it exerted a great fascination on me. As a collector of objects and their stories, I don’t think there is anything more valuable. The watch, moreover, was not even for sale, so there was a kind of courtship between the seller and myself. I had to convince him that I was the right person to entrust this story to, with the promise of cherishing and sharing it. We made several phone calls in which we talked about the history of the diver and watchmaking in general; he wanted to understand what kind of person I was. Having overcome his initial hesitation, he invited me to his home in Germany. And I think I won him over by offering him a small gift, a diver that we had talked about during our calls. In fact, the economic negotiation lasted five minutes, no more”.

How does it feel to be in possession of such an historically important watch?

I don’t want to sound eccentric but I really don’t feel like the owner of this watch. I am only a worthy custodian. The owner was and always will be poor Laval. But I feel a great educational responsibility, which is why I decided to challenge my confidentiality and approach Squale to tell the story of the piece, to try to make it reach as many people as possible.

And the latter is the news within the news. It was the Italian entrepreneur who contacted Squale, and from there the whole project for the new limited edition was born.

ORIGINAL AND NEW, THE DNA IS SAFE!

The Ref. 2001, with a 40 mm diameter, was on the market as mentioned between the 1960s and 1970s. It is the model that inspired the oversized Ref. 2002 (44 mm in diameter), presented in 1968  on the wrist of the great apneist Jacques Mayol during the historic 67-metre depth milestone achieved in Japan in 1970.

The original 2001 is fitted with the ETA Calibre 2772: 25.60 mm diameter (11.5 lignes) and a frequency of 21,600 A/h; 17 jewels and nickel balance, with hours, minutes, seconds and date functions. The power reserve is 47 hours. The movement, extremely reliable and therefore perfect for this type of watch, was produced from 1969 to 1982. The new limited edition is a faithful reproduction of the model offered to Michel Laval by Jacques Cousteau, including the proportions and dimensions.

The asymmetric case, with hidden lugs, makes the 43 mm length feel perfectly wearable. The overall diameter is confirmed at 40 mm, with the crown integrated into the case and positioned once again at 4 o’clock. Also confirmed is the striking two-tone bezel in black and orange. The contemporary bezel, unlike the original from the 1960s made of bakelite, is made of sapphire crystal to guarantee superior resistance; and like the original, it is equipped with the ‘push to release’ system, a safety mechanism that allows the bezel to be released in both directions only by applying perpendicular pressure, guaranteeing maximum security even in the event of accidental shocks.

The vintage-like design features a black dial surrounded by a white flange with a contrasting minute track. The polished steel indexes are applied and coated with SuperLuminova C3. The ‘Saphir’ inscription on the dial is also repeated, as on the historical models, indicating the presence of the sapphire crystal protecting the watch. The ‘Tropical’ rubber strap is also identical.

The real difference between the two models is the level of water resistance. The original 2001 collection represented a milestone in the history of underwater watchmaking, in a pioneering period such as the 1960s, with an extraordinary resistance for the times of up to 100 atmospheres. While the current one, probably aimed at a more transversal audience, stops at 60 atmospheres, which in any case represents an ultra-professional figure. Another small difference is enclosed inside: the new one mounts the Sellita SW 200-1 Elaboré automatic, with 28,800 A/h and 38 hours of power reserve.

In conclusion, Squale in 2024 keeps celebrating its 65th year of activity, consistent in presenting non-trivial models inspired by its original history, and highlighting the events and personalities that have contributed to making the Italo-Swiss brand credible in the diver’s world, both yesterday and today. Above all, the Squale 2001 Laval, in our opinion, has the right ingredients for success: aesthetically beautiful, listed at 1,770 euro (in Italy VAT included), delivering on its promises in addition to having a truly evocative story to tell.

By Michele Mengoli