Squale x AWCo SUBINO & NO RADIOBINO Limited Editions

You know how they say “don’t shoot the messenger”? Well in this case the messenger is me and yeah, you should go right ahead and blimmin’ shoot me cos’ I’m as late to this party as a very late man who’s missed the boat heading to his own funeral – actually I should probably just shoot myself. 

But they also say that you shouldn’t cry over spilt milk either, so chin up and let’s see what the heck we just missed out on and remember there’s always the secondary market, and if you read on you might even discover some light at the end of the tunnel.

Introducing the Subino & No Radiobino, a pair of ultra-rare Squale x AWCo Special Editions watches steeped in dive watch lore. AWCo btw is the Amsterdam Watch Co. 

while Subino & No Radiobino sounding more like the names of the host and show-name of the Italian version of the Wiggles refers to these two very awesome Squale divers that are equipped with NOS Blancpain Fifty Fathoms cases from the 50s.

I’m not sure if Squale CEO Andrea Maggi (who btw I have met a couple of times and is a very nice chap) was having a bit of clear out or was rummaging through some of his old inventory from Squale but he struck upon gold when he uncovered 180x NOS (new old stock) FF case from the 1950s. 

One of Squale’s more interesting claims to fame is that once upon a time they supplied watch cases under the Von Büren name to other legendary Swiss dive watchmakers such as Doxa, Heuer and indeed Blancpain with whom the boutique dive watchmaker had a longstanding relationship with.

For instance Blancpain’s 1970s Fifty Fathoms Bund used the exact same case that Squale’s current 1521 is equipped with. 

There are even Blancpain models with the Squale logo at 6 o’clock on their dials as well as the Von Büren mark on their case-backs to signify who the case manufacturer was. 

The earliest Squale FF’s cases date back to the 1960s; this particular batch of cases came via a company that used to assemble watches for Blancpain. 

The cases which were apparently in mint condition were originally used for Blancpain’s MC4 diver’s watch as well as the Waltham-branded variant.

Squale even managed to track down the original patent filed for this case design, and it was signed by Jean-Jacques Fiechter, no less, the very same inventor of the diver’s bezel and water-tightness indicator as found on the (recently featured) FF MIL-SPEC who was co-manager of Blancpain from 1950 until 1980. 

The patent was filed in 1954/55 and granted in 1959, dating the case’s actual development to the early fifties. The patent shows a design for a waterproof dive watch case with a friction-based bidirectional rotating dive-time bezel and a rather special case-back.

It is made up of two separate components; the actual cover and a surrounding ring that holds it in place. 

The patent document itself is a charming piece of history, from a time when legal-jargon was not nearly as oversused as it is today. It is said to be very readable and perfectly understandable – yes, even for OceanicTime’s editor. 

Another interesting feature of the cases which were even equipped with the original acrylic bezel inlays with cream-colored triangular 12hr markers, is a tiny sign on the inside of their case-backs, reading Rayville SA.

When the company was sold outside of the Blancpain family in 1932, it had to change its name. At the time it was Swiss law that a family name could no longer be maintained when selling a business. 

The new owners took the name of the village where the brand came from, Villeret and rearranged the letters to create a name with a more international-appealing ring to it - Rayville. 

So that’ the history - now to the two new (now SOLD OUT) models that were lucky enough to have been bestowed with the honor of being based on such an historic diver’s watch case.

Limited to 60 pieces, the first model, nicknamed SUBINO, Italian for little sub (aww so cute) is a nod to the current Italian ownership of Squale and the modest, vintage-feeling case-size of the watch. 

It is powered by a reliable ETA 2671 movement. This smaller version of ETA’s well-known caliber allows for the implementation of a rotor. 

This means an automatic caliber could be fitted into a case that was originally designed for a flat hand-wound movement.

The dial features a 3-6-9-12 dial layout with clean painted stick markers in between. The indices are executed in modern Super-LumiNova C3, in a shade that balances with the original Blancpain bezel inlay. 

There is a closed seconds track around the matte black dial, optically divided into four sectors with subtle triangles at 3, 6, 9 and 12. The AWCO name can be seen in red.

The handset is another nod to the early dive watch era. The same pencil style hands you would find on a Blancpain diver from the time were chosen. 

The second model the NO RADIOBINO (also limited to 60 pieces) is another nod to early dive watch history. 

The original Fifty Fathoms was adopted by the French Navy as a tool for their Special Forces frogmen. These watches featured large amounts of radio-active Radium lume for optimal under-water visibility.

When a civilian version of these watches was introduced, it featured this distinctive yellow and red NO RADIATIONS symbol on its dial, indicating the absence of harmful Radium. 

Its matte black dial features diamond, stick and dot indices, characteristic of dive watches of the day. The same pencil-style hands are once again used as well as the same automatic ETA movement as the Subino.

The No Radiobino comes on another piece of dive watch history: a NOS steel flat-link Squale bracelet from the 1980s.

Thoughts? 

Measuring a mere 34.8mm in diameter these truly remarkable diver's watches are not only cute of name but are cute in stature however in terms of the sheer amount of history and provenance that they come with surly allow them stand head and shoulders above many of their contemporaries. 

Btw you don’t need to be a mathematician to have realized that there are still x60 FF cases from the 180, that are an accounted for – stay tuned!

OLLECH & WAJS Navichron RESERVE YOURS NOW

Ollech & Wajs has just announced the release of their highly anticipated diving chronograph model, the Navichron, named so after a long line of OW specialty chronographs. 

The new Navichron has been designed as the consummate sports chronograph; well suited to the elements and more than capable handling the rigors of daily life as seen by aquatic sportsmen. 

It boasts a Valjoux based two counter chronograph with a 12-hour sliding bezel, enabling travelers to determine time across different zones.

However at its core it is a professional diver’s watch equipped with a specially reinforced Stainless steel case, an extra-thick Sapphire crystal, and unique quadruple-gasket pushers capable of withstanding over 50 atm of pressure, as well as a diver’s bezel. 

Its dial is with baton style markers and hands featuring SuperLumiva to ensure maximum visibility in all lighting conditions.

Historically, the Navichron's movements follow a long tradition of Valjoux chronographs, with historic references such as the V72, V92, V7730, V7733, and V7750. 

OW has devised its own PRECISION quality rating, where they start with a Valjoux 7753 with top quality "perlé" finish, which they then dismantle, after which they engrave the main-plate with the OW mark marque, before removing the hour counter. They then reassemble, regulate and test its precision in 5 positions as well as its duration - only after which can their movement be installed in an OW Navichron

OW will be producing a limited production series of 56 numbered OW Navichron and 56 numbered OW Navichron S in 2021. 

They are opening a reservation list for anyone who intends to purchase an OW Navichron on its official release day. 

To get on the reserve list, you need only send OW an email at shop@ow-watch.ch along with your full name, postal address, phone number and email address. Once the OW Navichron is available, they will send you a link to complete your purchase from their website. 

The Navichron from Ollech & Wajs has a list price in Switzerland of 1’956CHF.

Dimensions: 39.56 mm X 16.8mm 

Case: brushed 316L stainless steel, screwed back, screw-down crown, twin pushers with 4 gaskets, 12H/20 mn rotating bezel, manufactured in Jura, Switzerland. 

Glass: semi-domed sapphire with anti-glare treatment 

Dial: hands and indexes in Super-LumiNova® 

Water-resistance: 500m/ 50atm 

Movement: modified automatic Valjoux 7753 OW PRECISION 5 position adjusted, 27 Jewels. 28,800 bph, with a power reserve of +/- 54 h. Mainplate engraved Ollech & Wajs Zurich 1956, and OW machined rotor. 

Straps: - 20mm natural leather and linen / 20mm 316L stainless steel beads of rice S-Type Mark II

 

BLANCPAIN Fifty Fathoms MIL-SPEC Limited Edition for HODINKEE

The Fifty Fathoms MIL-SPEC 1 is back as a Limited Edition with no date (just like the OG model) for Hodinkee! Blancpain has released a new Fifty Fathoms MIL-SPEC model in a limited edition produced in collaboration with Hodinkee.

Much like the 500-pice Tribute to the MIL-SPEC 1 and one-off piece for ONLY WATCH from 2017, this watch draws inspiration from early Fifty Fathoms MIL-SPEC diver’s watches that were created in the late 50s. 

As a Fifty Fathoms the watch is characterized by its minimalist dial design, as favored now by collectors as it was back in the day by divers who relied on its legibility for their very lives.

As a Fifty Fathoms MIL-SPEC the watch is further characterized by the how to say . . . ah, yes, big-f#ck-off yellow and white orb in the center of its dial just above the 6 o’clock index. 

But don’t worry that’s supposed be there, in fact it’s what this very unusual watch is all about. 

If you knew the OG model or discovered it decades later as a re-edition as I did, you’ll know exactly what the bizarre beach ball looking thingamabob is all about.

If not, well it’s actually a water-tightness indicator. Back in the day when watches weren’t nearly as high-tech as they are these days or indeed as well-sealed with Teflon-coated O-rings etc. 

You might say that they were far from immune from the odd leak or two and in some instances catastrophic case breaches.

This was obviously a problem when your life depended on your watch being able to reliably indicate to you exactly how much time you had remaining underwater. 

This safety feature and in fact another - an indispensable one that has literally defined diver’s watches as such for decades, the diver’s bezel are owed to a chap called, Jean-Jacques Fiechter, a sport diving pioneer who also happened to be head of Blancpain in the late 1950s.

Obsessed by diver safety, Jean-Jacques Fiechter decided to incorporate an additional feature for his dive watches: a circular water-tightness indicator. 

If, per chance, water was to leak into the watch case, a disk at 6 o’clock would signal the problem by changing its color from white to red. 

This water-tightness indicator was present on the dial of the Fifty Fathoms model called the MIL-SPEC 1, which was introduced in 1957-58 to meet the strict requirements of the military.

In the late 1950s, the US Navy tested a selection of different watches with the aim of drawing up specifications for a divers watch to be used in their underwater missions. 

Following those tests, the Fifty Fathoms became the standard-issue watch on the wrists of US combat swimmers, as well as the reference point for future production to take place in the US.

Meanwhile, Blancpain obtained contracts to equip members of the elite UDT and the Navy Seals with MIL-SPEC 1 watches. 

Later on, in the early 1960s, those evolved into the MIL-SPEC 2 and, under the Tornek-Rayville name, the TR-900. The water-tightness indicator became a requirement of the US Navy, and was incorporated in all these models.

With its water-tightness indicator this new LE for Hodinkee nods – nay salutes the OG MIL SPEC 1 and its subsequent successors. 

Its 40.3mm in diameter satin-brushed steel case is distinguished by the absence of the Blancpain signature traditionally engraved on the mid-case at 9 o'clock.

In addition the notching generally adorning the bezel is also more discreet on this version of the MIL SPEC while the matt black no longer has the date display usually found between 4 and 5 o'clock. 

Like any modern Fifty Fathoms the diver’s bezel has a Super-LumiNova-enhanced graduated dive-time scale protected by a Blancpain or was it Omega - nevertheless a Swatch Group innovation, a sapphire inlay.

Water-resistant to 300 meters and offering all the technical guarantees of a diving instrument, the watch is powered by a self-winding in-house caliber 1154, a no-date version of caliber 1150. 

Resistant to magnetic fields thanks to the use of an Si (silicon) balance-spring, the 1154 mechanism boasts a four-day power-reserve. It can be seen beneath the watch’s sapphire crystal case-back.

The 250-piece special series is available from Blancpain Boutiques in the United States as well as online via the HODINKEE online shop.

Thoughts? I wonder if Ben requested a no crown-guard variant; I guess that would have meant a whole new case. This is definitely one of the more desirable FFs to own. Nice work.

RALF TECH Académie PIRATES SHADOW

Ralf Tech’s Académie field watch goes gangster - 18th Century gangster!

The ACADÉMIE (or Academy in English) is Ralf Tech’s military field watch; it first went into service last year – 

for 2020 Ralf Tech has given the Académie their famous “pirates shadow” treatment which sees the humble field watch taking on a whole new marauder’s motif thanks to some cosmetic enhancements. Following in the footsteps of the WRX and the WRV, it’s now the Académie’s turn to fly the iconic Jolly Roger, emblem of the original seafaring gangsters and adventurers which first dates back to the 1720s. The new Académie consists of a matte black case and an anthracite grey dial proudly displaying the symbol of pirates, a skull and crossbones with two swords, the Jolly Roger. 

And what could more apt given the number of real world skippers actually wear Ralf Tech when at sea!

Finally, on the technical side, the Pirates Shadow Académie is equipped with the RTA003 automatic movement and offers optimal readability. Add to this the fact that it’s waterproof up to 200 meters, and you have the perfect tool to accompany you on land and at sea.

The new RALF TECH L Académie « Pirates Shadow » ref. ACY 1201 is a Limited Edition of 100 pieces. It has an MSRP in France where it was made of 1’900€. 

Follow the link HERE or the one embedded, below for more info. Like Ralf Tech? Check out their new WRX ELECTRIC.

 

TITONI Seascoper 600 with T10 IN-HOUSE Movement

Same old name – very new diver – somewhat familiar design – this is the new 2020 Seascoper from Titoni. Tbh my experience with the Titoni brand is limited – 

it’s one of these brands that I come across from time to time (usually gathering dust in smaller family run jewelers); I didn’t know that they are one of the rare few, still family-run Swiss brands.

In my two decades or more of dive watch obsession, Titoni haven’t produced anything noteworthy or at least nothing that has come up on my radar but for 2020, they seem to have really pushed the boat out – at least in terms of spec.

While I appreciate both contemporary and vintage styled divers; I find it a bit of a shame that Titoni continued with their current formula of modernizing the Seascoper rather than revisiting some of its more historic designs – 

because if you Google ‘Titoni vintage Seascoper’ you’ll find more than a couple of missed opportunities that would have gone a long way to creating a bit of buzz around this otherwise uncelebrated brand and their new diver – which btw on paper is worthy of a celebration or two.

Among the brand’s vintage Seascopers are one or two not so proud moments (mostly from the last two decades but overall there was plenty of diver heritage to work with. Still this 2020 model is certainly a considerable step up from the 2014 Seascoper with it’s at best Tissot vibe.

Btw, the earliest Seascoper dates back to 1963 and was released under the Felca brand name, Titoni’s parent company. 

It was considered one of their most popular models at the time. Much of the 1960s Seascoper’s appeal came from its practical design as well as the high legibility of its dial which had a huge harpoon-head hour hand.

The latest model, the Seascoper 600, is a COSC-certified chronometer that marks an historic turning point as it is equipped with Titoni’s in-house T10 manufacture movement; it also has a guaranteed water-resistance to a depth of 600 meters. 

Titoni say of the watch that it was specifically developed for professional divers and sets new standards in its segment.

Its winding crown is fitted with a special gasket system (not sure how many used but Rolex use 3) to ensure the watch remains absolutely waterproof while its tough case ensures that the high-quality, in-house T10 manufacture movement is protected against not only water but also pressure, impacts and dust.

The ceramic bezel can be rotated anti-clockwise and is characterized by its striking dive-time scale. The outer edge of the bezel is serrated to make it easy to grasp when setting and adjusting dive-time. 

The triangular zero mark has a luminous dot so that dive-time can be read perfectly, even in dark and murky water.

The folding clasp, designed specifically for this model, is another eye-catcher. With a clever diver’s extension, it not only guarantees the highest degree of wearing comfort and safety but also bears the quality seal of approval of every Titoni watch on its push-button, their plum blossom logo.

The indices, hours and hands are all coated with luminous material and glow brightly in the dark so that you can safely check how long you have been underwater at any time. 

A final striking design feature of the Seascoper 600 is its transparent sapphire case-back. Shaped like a porthole and screwed into place, it affords a view of Titoni’s new T10 manufacture movement.

Finally the Swiss watchmaker TITONI has begun a new cooperation with the renowned research diver and internationally famous maritime biologist, Uli Kunz to launch the Seascoper 600. 

The new 2020 Titoni Seascoper has an MSRP in Switzerland 1,870CHF.

Thoughts? This appears to be a capable and most likely very nicely made diver and it comes with a manufacture movement at a fairly reasonable price, too. 

Unfortunately Titoni doesn’t exactly have a very strong brand name and rather than revisiting their heritage they’ve taken a safe, boring generic Rolex-esque route that imho has done them a disservice.

If they’d worked from one of their lovely 60s or better still awesome 70s Seascoper models with this spec. in a trendy 40 or sub 40mm (42mm for me personally is the sweet spot) with the new in-house movement and at this price – 

they would have been on to a real winner causing a Kleenex shortage and en masse steamed up reading glasses in the collectors market. Opportunity missed imho but there’s still hope for a heritage model one day. What do you think?