The Squale 1521 Marina Militare celebrates a duo of anniversaries

Buffy Acacia

It’s Squale’s 65th anniversary, and if you’re unfamiliar with the name, you’ve been missing out. Squale was best-known in the 1960s and ‘70s for supplying watch cases to companies as lofty as Blancpain, TAG Heuer, and Doxa. The cases had a reputation for being incredibly tough and water resistant up to 1,000 metres, which was something very few dive watches were capable of in those days. The Swiss brand’s most popular model, the 1521, is a modern recreation of a 500 metre-resistant watch from the ‘70s, and the Squale 1521 Marina Militare signifies its 40-year partnership with the Italian Navy.

The case

Sometimes referred to as the “von Büren” case after its designer and Squale’s founder, Charles von Büren, the 1521 has remained almost unchanged since its debut. It started out as a way to slim down the chunky case of the 1,000-metre Squale-Master, but it evolved much further. You can see the basic resemblance to many skin divers of the ‘60s, however its gently sloping and harshly clipped lugs go up into a robust, asymmetrical case. The blockiness on the right-hand side acts as protection for the recessed 4 o’clock crown, itself a tactic for both durability and comfort against the hand.

The new, limited edition Squale 1521 Marina Militare retains its legendary 500 metres of water resistance without any need of a helium escape valve, sealed with a signed, screw-down crown and caseback. The 120-click unidirectional bezel is pretty tall, with a coin edge for easy grip, and the aluminium insert is easy to read with an orange section for the first 15 minutes. It’s a full-size watch at 42mm in diameter, but the 48mm lug-to-lug length and the 12.5mm thickness make it super easy to wear for slightly smaller wrists too. Overall, the brushed finish is quite muted, however sections of polish around the bezel and chamfered edges help supply some hints of sophistication.

The dial

Dials have come a long way since the ‘70s, and this latest reference shows it. The first batch of Squale 1521s supplied to the Marina Militare had matte black dials with printed hour markers, but now there has been much more emphasis put into details. Applied indices hold pockets of Super-LumiNova for after-dark legibility, and add a greater sense of depth. The black dial has been given a silky soft sunburst brushing for subtle plays of light across its surface. Lastly, the Marina Militare logo appears quite modern in tall, sans-serif font. The Squale logo is classic, and if you look closely at the crown/flipper motif on the left side, you can make out the letters “VON” as an ode to its founder.

Although the 1521 is missing just a couple of luminous features to conform to the ISO dive watch standards, there’s no real doubt about its legibility underwater. The baton hands are clearly distinguishable thanks to the bright orange lume of the minutes hand, which corresponds to the orange section of the bezel. Orange markers have also been used to segment the longer minute markers into fifths, distinguishing them and cleaning up the look. A date display at 3 o’clock has been given a neat white border and a white background, contrasting with the black dial completely.

The movement

As much as Squale has held quite an elevated status among dive watch enthusiasts, it’s never been a brand of high luxury. As long as the quality is high and the watches are Swiss, Squale tries not to inflate its prices and to keep its watches accessible. The use of an off-the-shelf Sellita SW200-1 comes as no surprise, being an incredibly abundant movement of great reputation for reliability and accuracy. This 1521 Marina Militare uses the Elaboré grade specifically, which is adjusted in three positions for accuracy between ±7 and ±20 seconds per day. It’s also good to see that Squale is completely open about using Sellita movements on its website, and doesn’t try to pass them off as its own. The 4Hz beat rate provides a smooth sweep of the seconds hand, and the 38-hour power reserve is plenty for a daily wearer which winds automatically.

The strap

Paired with the limited edition Squale 1521 Marina Militare is a somewhat puzzling strap that is described as microfibre in a carbon weave pattern. It’s backed with calf leather, and stitched with bright orange thread to match the pops of orange on the dial. If you’re going to be taking it swimming or diving regularly, you’ll probably be using the accompanying chevron-pattern rubber strap that also comes in the watch’s flight case. Should you wish to experiment with third-party straps such as NATOs, the 20mm lug width will make that exceptionally easy. Minimally-coloured dive watches like these are always strap monsters.

The verdict

Considering the immense history behind both Squale as a brand and the Italian Navy, a limited edition of 500 pieces celebrating the two is certainly going to find its audience pretty quickly. The balance between no-nonsense specification and tasteful styling is pretty much perfect, as is the balance between wrist presence and wearability. There are no crazy colour combinations or obnoxious logos to be put off by, as the Marina Militare logo is quite unobtrusive. I can admit I’m biased against leather-backed straps on dive watches, but that problem is solved by Squale supplying a rubber strap too. All of that, plus the price, and it’s a great choice if you’re still looking for a vintage-inspired diver with contemporary execution.

Squale 1521 Marina Militare pricing and availability

The Squale 1521 Marina Militare is a limited edition of 500 pieces, and is currently available from Squale’s website. Price: US$1,430

Brand	Squale
Model	1521 Marina Militare
Reference	1521MARINA.MIBK
Case Dimensions	42mm (D) x 12.5mm (T) x 48mm (LTL)
Case Material	Stainless steel
Water Resistance	500 metres
Crystal(s)	Sapphire
Dial	Black sunburst
Strap	Microfibre weave and rubber strap
Movement	Sellita SW200-1
Power Reserve	38 hours
Functions	Hours, minutes, seconds, date
Availability	Limited to 500 pieces
Price	US$1,430