Squale: 1521 Classic COSC Certified

You know this very well: at Watch Insanity we are enthusiastic Squalists! So much so that our ultra limited edition of five watches – not for sale – to celebrate our first five years of insane activity was created with our Squale friends. You can read why here, in the article about that celebratory project. And today we can’t but confirm those extras – adding, on one side, the human aspect (which is very important for us) represented by the exquisite friendliness of the owner Andrea Maggi, and, on the other, an objective fact: in the diver watch target equipped with Swiss movement and listed at around 1,500 euros, Squale is the undisputed reference in the category. In fact, no other competitor can count on the same characteristics: historical authenticity, independence, originality of the collection, technical production quality, and market success.

A LOT OF HISTORY AND LITTLE MARKETING: FOR YEARS A CONCRETE CERTIFIER OF REAL DIVING SPIRIT

Before going into the specifics of Squale’s outstanding novelty, it is worth remembering the actual history of the brand founded in 1959 by Charles Von Büren in Neuchâtel. In a world like watchmaking, where marketing has invented out-of-the-blue or exaggerated to an exponential degree past stories of many famous high-end brands, this is the exception that confirms the rule, given that Squale – between the sixties and seventies and until the early eighties of the last century – was actually a historic reference for the professional divers segment, and a supplier of other brands as well. But, mind you, not so much a simple subcontractor, but a trustworthy partner who could guarantee the diving qualities of the partner brands’ various models, given that the original case of the Squale Ref. 1521 was marketed for thirty years by other thirty brands and, often, the Squale logo appeared on the dial of these watches at six o’clock to guarantee water resistance. As in the case of four legendary models: Blancpain Fifty Fathoms 3H Bund, Blancpain Fifty Fathoms on a Squale 1545 case (with Squale name and logo at six o’clock); Tag Heuer Spirotechnique and Doxa Sub 250 Sharkhunter.

FROM DIVING CERTIFICATION TO CHRONOMETRIC CERTIFICATION!

There is a curious analogy in this new addition to Andrea Maggi’s brand. For years, the Squale logo at six o’clock was essentially an implicit certification of diving reliability. Similarly, the COSC, which stands for Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute), has the same official function in the field of chronometric precision. And now, in a rather symbolic way, the first COSC-certified Squale closes the loop. 

The neutral and independent Swiss organisation needs no special introduction. We will limit ourselves to saying that since 1973, it has been certifying the movements’ quality of the brands that request it, with Rolex historically occupying a large part of its work; in this sense, as for other opaque Swiss questions, there are no official numbers, even if the COSC itself communicated that from 200 thousand certified movements in 1976, the numbers have oscillated between 1.6 and 1.8 million pieces in recent years. Thus, of the three existing laboratories, those in Bienne and Geneva mainly analyse Rolex movements, while the one in Le Locle is dedicated to other brands. In short, what parameters are the COSC certifications based on? The movement is tested for 15 days at nominal temperatures of 8, 23 and 38 degrees centigrade. To pass the test, it must have an average deviation of between -4 and +6 seconds per day compared with the precision of two atomic clocks and a rubidium clock that serve as a time reference.

IL 1521 CLASSIC COSC CERTIFIED

Squale’s choice to have the 1521 Classic certified is very interesting. In fact, for this important upgrade, Squale has not chosen one of the top models – such as the more performing Matic 60ATM or the 2002 101 Atmos – but decided to focus on its iconic “entry level”, as well as the best and longest seller of the entire collection: the unbreakable 50 Atmos. 

The no-COSC version, which remains on the market at the unbeatable price of 920 euro (plus tax) and unchanged in technical and aesthetic terms, is flanked by the COSC-certified version – the basic movement is the Sellita SW 200-1 – with new details such as the bezel insert with all the luminescent SuperLuminova and highly successful round indexes on the dial, for a look that gives an immediate “wow” effect. As for the rest, the 1521 remains the same: the 316L stainless steel case is 42mm in diameter, 12.5mm thick including the flat anti-reflective sapphire crystal; the vertical distance between lugs is 48mm, while the strap lugs are 20mm large. The icing on the cake is a super-luxurious package including a “waterproof” case, two additional leather and Nato straps, a travel watch case and a chronometer certificate with data on the model purchased. For a list price of 1,290 euros (plus tax).

IN CONCLUSION

As you well know, among watch enthusiasts there is the myth – or perhaps the utopia – of the Exit Watch: that is, the ultimate watch that will replace all others and remain on our wrist for the rest of our lives, faithful through the centuries, like a carabiniere, together to form an inseparable pair. If the Exit Watch really exists, for a Squalist the COSC-certified 1521 Classic could be just that!

By Michele Mengoli