Squale: Master Marina Militare Limited Edition

Only few weeks ago we were writing about a possible Exit Watch – that is, the ultimate watch – for the ever-larger group of Squale enthusiasts with the presentation of the new 1521 Classic COSC; and now Andrea Maggi, the enlightened owner of Squale, immediately makes us question our claim with the introduction of another novelty, as successful as it is coveted, which doesn’t only represent a new model born from the exceptional partnership with the Marina Militare, – in only 300 pieces – but also inaugurates an entirely new collection in the catalog. Or rather, to be more precise (and the most attentive Squalists will already have connected the dots with the name under the brand name at 12 o’clock), the reinterpretation of a legendary and historical Squale model: the Master!

A FORETASTE IN A THRILLER STYLE WITH DRASS GALEAZZI!

In a film or roman noir, when in the opening scenes a gun appears somewhere, even simply gathering dust while hanging on a cellar wall, we know that, sooner or later in the plot, that gun will return and, most likely, be the weapon of the crime. In fiction, this foretaste is called “metonymy.” In watchmaking, it is a strategy that Squale has been able to handle perfectly. To be precise, Squale’s metonymy was the model made in collaboration with Drass Galeazzi, a historic company specialized in underwater technology since the 1920s, and today a world leader in subaquatic decompression equipment. You know perfectly well what we are talking about: the 500-piece Limited Edition, long since “sold out,” which not only counts on a very fine aesthetic pair of dial and bezel, but also – and above all – on a slightly bigger case compared to both the 1521 line and that of the Matic, and thus able to house a very thick sapphire crystal – 4 mm – and the helium valve on the case middle at 9 o’clock.

THE MARINA MILITATR AND THE MASTER COLLECTION: THE PERFECT MARRIAGE

For those who still can’t resign themselves about not being able to fasten the Drass Galeazzi on their wrist, you now have a chance to try again with the new Marina Militare (although our advice is to hurry up because the small number of pieces available, only 300, will probably leave many brand aficionados empty-handed once again). On the other hand, this partnership deserves all the honors because the relationship between the Chiasso-based brand and the Marina Militare goes all the way back to the 1980s, when Squale won the contract to supply watches for the La Spezia Diving Group twice. Forty years later, the new and evocative collaboration is renewed with this Limited Edition and, at the same time (as mentioned above), reintroduces Squale enthusiasts to the historic Master case, one of the first created by the brand’s founder, Charles Von Büren, in the 1960s – and which in some versions had a water resistance of 1,000 meters.

THE SQUALE MASTER: ENZO MAIORCA’S AND JACQUES MAYOL’S WATCH

The Master, for Squale, was never just like any other model. So much so that it has been seen on the wrists of the most famous freedivers of heroic times, such as the very Italian Enzo Maiorca and his arch-rival, Frenchman Jacques Mayol, who set up one of the greatest sporting challenges between the 1970s and 1980s establishing groundbreaking world records. And today as well, the Master is reintroduced as a super-professional instrument with water-resistance to a depth of 1,200 meters – while the Drass Galeazzi, with a case identical in size (42 mm in diameter, 17 mm thick and 49 mm long at the lugs), stops at 500 meters, although it is the same Drass Galeazzi that has a resistance certified to 120 atmospheres for the new Master Marina Militare – while keeping the helium escape valve and the 4 mm thick super sapphire crystal. 

As a result, water resistance to 1,200 meters makes the Marina Militare and the Master collection the best performing watches in the catalog, better even than the 2002 line, which with its highly recognizable case with hidden lugs and various professional partnerships – one of the most famous with the Italian State Police Diving Unit – stops at a depth of 1,000 meters.

OTHER PECULIARITIES OF THE MASTER MARINA MILITARE…

Let’s start from the eye-catching and really effective matte black dial with the Marina Militare lettering in orange at 6 o’clock, and the “sandwich” solution that allows more of the SuperLuminova BWG9 to be concentrated in the large indexes below. 

While the case of the new Master Marina Militare is the same as the Drass Galeazzi, the finishing is radically different. In fact, Squale, on the Marina Militare, has opted for brushed 316L steel except for the thin polished bevels between the case middle and lugs, and the bezel’s polished edges. It is the latter that has the strongest aesthetic impact, adopting the “Bund” bezel. Its peculiarity is obvious: in the black PVD insert there is no tachymeter scale, which is replaced by a single SuperLuminova luminescent triangle (however, the 120 one-way “Clicks” remain unchanged) – not a fashionable quirk but a military diving prerogative to keep track of hours spent on very long dives, not minutes as in traditional bezels. 

Noteworthy as well: the case back, which features the Marina Militare coat of arms, depicting the four Maritime Republics. The progressive number of the limited series is also featured. 

The automatic movement is the very reliable Sellita SW 200-1 Elaboré, and the set includes two straps: rubber and Nato. Finally, the price: 1,350 Swiss francs plus tax – very competitive as always, especially in the light of the fact that with the Master Marina Militare you can strap on your wrist another likely Exit Watch, in a passionate Squalist style!

By Michele Mengoli