SQUALE Professional 101 ATM (new)

By TLex The name ‘Squale’, which in Italian means shark is a name that has not only been synonymous with quality, as it was once stamped on the cases of Swiss watches from various different makers as a seal of quality, but has become esteemed among collectors of vintage dive watches from the 70s and 80s. Squale in past years produced dive watches for many other brands and at one point had been suppliers to Italy’s Folgore Brigade and the Italian Navy’s Diving Corps.



Squale have produced many great dive watches over the decades and despite their Italian roots very much pride themselves on being Swiss made.Today the Squale name is reestablishing itself, they are still producing favorites like the TIGER but are also focused on creating new and exciting dive watch designs like that of their latest, the Squale Professional 101 ATM, which thanks to a balanced aesthetic of both contemporary and vintage styling should appeal to both new and old generations.



The NEW Squale Professional 101 ATM as indicted by its name boasts 1'000 meters of water-resistance. Its 316-L stainless steel case measures 43x53mm (lug to lug), is fitted with 3.5mm thick sapphire crystal and has both screwdown crown and caseback. Its rotating divers bezel is of the type that remains safely locked unless pressed down, which will release it allowing for rotation only when required. Its case, which is also available with a PVD coating houses the ubiquitous Swiss selfwinding movement, the ETA 2824-2 .



To be honest I'm not a man of color when it comes to my dive watches, I don't own a single watch with a colored dial, but Squale's tasteful use of color on the bezels, lacquered dials and their caoutchouc rubber straps is very appealing to me . . .

The new Squale 1'000 meter watch will be available from November 2010; it will later be joined by a numbered limited-edition version with a helium escape valve. Stay tuned for more . . .




TECHNICAL DATA:
Sub 1000 m.
Eta Swiss 2824-2 self-winding movement
Case in 316L stainless steel
Diameter 43 x 53 mm
Screw-on back and winder
Press-to-release revolving bezel which unscrews from above
Sapphire glass 3.50 mm thick
Lacquered dial with luminescent markers