I have been looking at the various models offered by Squale in the last few years. There are a number of very interesting designs that I would like to have. However, I never got around acquiring one, until recently.One of Squale's famous design is the Reference 1545 diver series. This series was first introduced by Squale back in the 1960s. There are a number of slight variations to choose from. I decided to find one with the following criteria: no Rolex or Mercedes hands; sapphire crystal with no magnifying cyclops, ceramic or sapphire inserts for the bezel and jubilee bracelet. Lo and behold, Squale released a model that fit my requirements perfectly. The Squale 30 ATMOS Blue/Red Vintage GMT Ceramica Reference 1545GBRVC is the latest model introduced by Squale.
Made in Switzerland and powered by a Swiss Made automatic movement with quickset GMT and date functions, this is the first black dial GMT model featuring a two-tone blue/red ceramic bezel with engraved caramel coloured 24 hour markers.
I found the watch on offer by Gnomon Watches out of Singapore and I immediately made a purchase. Within a few days, the watch was on my table.
As this is the first Squale in the collection, a short introduction about the brand is given below. The information was summarised from a Wikipedia entry about the brand.
The History of Squale
Squale was founded in 1946 by Mr. Charles von Büren in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. It started as a manufacturer of watch components for other watch brands. In 1950, von Büren S.A./Montres began to produce its own range of professional diving watches under the Squale brand name.
Following the watch industry's "quartz crisis", like many watch companies at the time, Squale began to fade from the international watch market.
After the retirement of Charles von Büren, the Maggi Family, friends to the von Büren family and former distributor of the brand in Italy purchased the company. The brand was relaunched in 2010 and is now headquartered in Milan. The production facilities are located in Grenchen in the Jura valley, Switzerland.
The Watch
This watch has a vintage feel to it. Made out of 316L stainless steel, it has dual coloured ceramic inserts for the bezel as well as sapphire crystal for the window. Coupled with the jubilee bracelet as well as the date complication and the additional GMT hand, this model looks old school cool.
With a diameter of 40 mm across, 47 mm lug-to-lug length and thickness of 12.5 mm, the watch fits nicely on an average wrist. Weighing in at approximately 145 gm, it has some weight to it but not to an extend that is too obvious to the wearer.
To top it off, the watch is satin brushed on the top and polished on the sides to give it a nice contrast especially with the beautiful bezel.
The Dial
The dial has a black surface surrounded by a brushed chapter ring. Minute line markers in white at the peripheral of the dial. For the hour markers, applied indices framed in polished steel and painted liberally with SuperLuminova C3 luminous paint. A mixture of circles, rectangles and a singular triangle indices represent the hours on the dial. However, the index for 3 o'clock has been replaced with a date aperture. The aperture is framed by thin white border lines. To provide some visual balance, the date wheel has a white background.
The logo and brand is located on the upper quadrant of the dial. The rest of the texts are on the bottom quadrant. The logo, brand and all the texts except for "GMT" is painted in white. The word "GMT" is painted in red.
The hours and minutes hands are straight sword-like. I am pleased that Squale did not choose to put the more typical Rolex or Mercedes hours hand for this model. Like the hour markers, the two main hands are painted liberally with SuperLuminova C3 luminous paint. Meanwhile, the thin seconds hand has a small rectangular section painted with SuperLuminova C3 luminous paint. The fourth hand, the GMT hand has its arrow head painted with SuperLuminova C3 luminous paint and its stem painted red.
The simplicity of the dial makes it very legible and easy to reference to.
Covering the dial is a flat sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on the inside. Instead of flushed with the top of the bezel, it protrudes by approximately 0.5 mm (in the advertising text it mentioned the sapphire is flushed with the casing: see the last paragraph of the screen shot from Gnomon website about this). In the photo above, you can clearly see the step-up from the bezel to the crystal.
I would have wished a dome sapphire crystal was used instead. Oh well, at least Squale left out the magnifying Cyclops eye. In my opinion having a Cyclops eye would make the watch look disjointed.
The Bezel
The striking aspect of the design has to be the dual coloured bezel. A solid blue top half and a coke red bottom half. The hour markers represented by Arabic numerals and dots are actual cuts made in the ceramic and filled with caramel coloured paint. The ceramic material also is highly polished which creates a liquid shine that is eye-catching and makes you feel that you are in the presence of a very expensive watch.
Since it is ceramic, The colours are expected to remain the same for eons. Coupled with the scratch-resistance properties of ceramic, the bezel will retain its looks for a very long time.
The bezel is unidirectional and turns in 120 clicks for a complete rotation. The ratcheting action is loud yet reassuring. There is no much play in the bezel if you tried to turn it the other way.
Here is where I start to see some issues. The first is the lack of luminous paint on the bezel even on the primary triangle marker at 12 o'clock. Although it can be argued that the design does not provide for it, the fact that the watch is define as a diving watch meant that a luminous pip on the bezel is expected. The second is the promotional text on Gnomon website that mentioned the following; "The engraved numerals on the hardened bezel are then carefully filled with vintage Superluminova, allowing it to glow in a dark environment" which is definitely not true (below is a screen grab of the text).
The third and final issue about the bezel was the finishing on the primary triangle marker at 12 o'clock. The paint job on the triangle is blotchy and not smooth. Rather disappointing. I was not able to get a good photo of the paint job but in the photo below, despite the poor photo quality, you can still see the blotchy surface on the triangle marker.
The Crown & Case-back
The watch comes with 6.5 mm wide screw-down crown. Partially protected by shoulders protruding from the casing, the crown has fine grooves cut into it side for grip. On the dome top of the crown is an engraved blue “Von Buren” emblem. There is a bit of roughness in screwing the crown in and out but relatively much better than Seiko's screw-in system.
The first impression I got when I saw the blue covered crown top is that it was covered by blue plastic or painted with loctite glue. If I didn't read the promotional text on the website, I would be busy trying the scrap the blue stuff off!
In actual fact, it was a blue piece of plastic. After wearing it for a day, it peeled off naturally (below is the false information about the "..blue "Von Buren emblem..." in the promotional text). Another case of false advertising.
Below is the graphic on top of the crown.
The solid case-back is a screw-down with minimal information. The center is sandblasted white with the shark logo at the bottom. The code "Y1545" refers to Squale classic diver design of the 1960s. The number "119" is the serial number of this particular model.
Underneath the case-back is either the ETA 2893-2 or the Sellita SW330-1. I contacted Gnomon to ask them about this. They replied that it can come in either movement. The watches are not labelled when delivered from Squale. I find this very surprising. The exact nature of the movement is important to the buyer. We are buying a mechanical timepiece at considerable price and we are expected to know that it could be one of two models?
Below is the specifications of the two possible movements in the watch. They are definitely not the same. In fact, the Sellita SW300-1 is deemed to be more afforable compared to the ETA 2893-2.
| Specifications | ETA 2893-2 | Sellita SW300-1 |
| Diameter | 25.6 mm | 25.6 mm |
| Height | 4.1 mm | 3.6 mm |
| Jewels | 21 | 25 |
| Power Reserve | 38 hours | 42 hours |
| Frequency | 28,800 BPH | 28,800 BPH |
| Hacking? | Yes | Yes |
| Handwinding? | Yes | Yes |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, central seconds, second time zone GMT hand, date | Hours, minutes, central seconds, second time zone GMT hand, date |
Based on an accuracy test using the Toolwatch app, I was able to record a reading of -7.7 seconds per day. Unfortunately, I cannot confirm whether it is for the ETA or for the Sellita movement.
We are buyers of precision mechanical timepieces and not disposable watches. Every aspect of the watch is of interest to enthusiasts and not declaring the most singularly important part of the watch, its beating heart - the movement - is unacceptable.
The Bracelet
The lug width for the watch is 20 mm. The inward curving lugs makes it very comfortable to wear as it minimizes the potential of a wrist overhang. You can even rest the bracelet on the case-back.
The watch is paired with a 'Jubilee'-like bracelet. Every solid link has semi-circular hump which is visually vintage in appearence. The bracelet is finished in a mixture of satin brushed and polished with solid end-links and screw-in links.
The bridge between the two halves of the bracelet is machined which again exudes quality and value. The signed clasp has a simple friction lock and a secondary safety tab for security. In addition, there are four micro-adjustment points available to properly size the bracelet to the wrist of the user.
There is tapering throughout the length of the bracelet. From 20 mm at the lugs, it tapers down to 18 mm at the clasp.
As the links are connected by pin-screws, one would just need a precision micro-screwdriver to do a sizing adjustment. In the unit that I got, some of the pin-screws were tightly screwed in. I don't dare unscrew them with force as it could cause the screwdriver to slip and scratch the metal surface. Eventually, I was able to choose the correct pair to take out. For my 6.45 inch wrist, I just need to take out two links (one from each side) and set the the bracelet on the innermost micro-adjustment point on the clasp.
My only comment is the clasp system used. I would prefer it if Squale dump the current friction based fastening system for a push-button locking system. In the current system, one needs to put some force to unlock the clasp. A push-button locking system is much more elegant.
The Illumination
The SuperLuminova C3 paint shines bright even with minimal exposure to sunlight. Below is the photographic proof that there is no illumination on the bezel despite the promotional write-up given.
The photo above also shows why it is better to place the date window away from the location of the illuminated markers. The dark area makes it feel that the dial is non-symmetrical.
The Wearing Experience
The dimensions of the watch is appropriate for a 6.45 inch wrist. The flexibility of the Jubilee bracelet is very much appreciated as it follows the contours of the wrist instead of the other way around. Below are some photos as well as a video of the watch on the wrist.
Visually the watch is stunning. The dual tone bezel and the polished Jubilee bracelet capture the eyes of observers with the liquid shine that is mesmerizing. The design was close to perfect and tasteful. Nevertheless, there are a number of design recommendations that I would make to make it a even perfect design.
Final Thoughts
If given the chance, I will do changes in three areas. The first is the design, the second is the manufacturing process and the third is the marketing strategy.
On the design, I would change the following. The first is replacing the flat sapphire crystal with a dome sapphire crystal. The second is replacing the friction lock clasp with a push-button lock clasp. The third and final recommendation is to have drill lug holes to facilitate the ease of disengaging the lug-bars to make bracelet replacement quicker and simpler.
On the manufacturing process, I would improve on the quality control aspects. The few problems I've encountered with my model should not have been allowed to go on sale.
On the marketing strategy, I would get good copywriters to write about the offering more factually instead of what is available at the moment. Also, I would ensure that complete information about the watch and specification gets transmitted to the customers instead of being vague.
The watch is handicapped by the problems highlighted. Nevertheless, the problems can be resolve easily. It would be a pity if the brand does not recognised the problems and put effort to eradicate them quickly.
The Packaging
The watch was purchased by Gnomon Watches of Singapore. Courierd to KL via DHL in record time. As this is the first Squale watch in the collection, I will spend a bit more time describing the packaging.
The packaging by Squale is in three parts. The first is a white cardboard sleeve (left). There are no markings on this sleeve. Taking the sleeve off, you will find a dark blue cardboard box with the logo and brand embossed on the top (right).
Elegantly tucked inside the box is a leather pouch also in dark blue. The pouch has been stamped with the brand logo. After closely looking at the grain of the pouch, I believe this is faux leather.
Once opened, the pouch revealed three slots for storing stuff; the first (left) is a small slit to keep approximately credit size items. In this case it is the the guarantee card. The second (middle) is a large open sleeve sufficient for a small booklet. In this case it is the manual. The third and final (right) is a covered sleeve large enough for sunglasses. In this case it is the watch.
It is a good thing that the watch was fully wrapped in plastic. This kind of storage works well with strap watches and not so much with bracelet watches.
The warranty provided is two years plus an additional six months by Gnomon Watches. The manual is generally typical of the booklet form. It does have a hard plastic brand tab as a mark of exclusivity.
Apart from the standard package, Gnomon Watches also gave me a colourful NATO strap as a gift.
Specifications
Maker: Squale
Movement: Swiss automatic ETA 2893-2/Sellita SW330-1 with quick-set GMT and date function
Dial: Matte black
Luminous: SuperLuminova C3
Date: 3 O'clock
Case: 316L stainless steel with satin brushed top and polished sides
Bezel: Scratch resistant two-tone blue and red ceramic 24 hour bezel inlay with 120 clicks; unidirectional
Crystal: Flat sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on the inside
Crown: Screw-down crown at 3 O'clock with the Squale brand signed in blue
Lug: 20 mm
Strap: 20 mm Squale signed steel bracelet with screw links
Dimensions: 40 mm in diameter, 47 mm lugs to lugs, 12.5 mm thick
Weight: ~145 gm
Power Reserve: ~42 hours
Water Resistance: 30 ATMOS/300 meters
Manufacturing Date: 2019
Purchase Date: 29 August 2019
Purchase Price: USD799 / RM3,488.77
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