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FIRST MILESTONE - THE SQUALE MASTER
1 - Trademark Registration 'Squale-Master'
Our story was officially launched in 1959, when Charles Von Büren registered the Squale trademark in Neuchâtel. After a decade working on the design and construction of cases capable of withstanding high pressures for several well-known brands of the time, Von Büren was ready to carve out his own path. Alongside the Squale trademark, he also registered the logos for the Squale-Master and the Super-Squale with the intention to create dedicated product lines that would develop independently, with differentiated characteristics suitable for a specific audience's needs. The Super-Squale was a simpler diving watch, with basic technical features (20-30 ATM pressure resistance), while the Squale-Master positioned itself as a product with cutting-edge technical features, capable of withstanding the most extreme depths.
2 - The first Squale Master
The early 1960s were a pivotal period for diving – a watch was more than just an accessory but a crucial tool ensuring safe dives: divers relied on tables and timed ascents calculated solely with the help of a watch and depth gauge. Additionally, this was the golden age of freediving, with the sport gaining worldwide popularity, as Enzo Maiorca and Jacques Mayol competed to reach ever greater depths.
Charles Von Büren aimed to contribute to this challenge in a unique way: by creating an exceptionally technical yet user-friendly watch capable of withstanding any depth. The Squale-Master line was born, with the ambitious goal of achieving a pressure resistance of 100 ATM (atmospheres).
The first Squale Master models featured the trademark exactly as it had been registered, with the word "Master" positioned directly below the "Squale" logo at 12 o'clock. Unlike the current models, the crown was positioned at 3 o'clock, a common design choice in watches of that era.
The main features of the first Squale Master were innovations at that time and are still considered cutting-edge for diving watches today: the screw-down crown and caseback. The screw-down system of the crown and caseback provided superior waterproofing compared to the more traditional pressure system used in almost all other watches.
Another feature, which has changed over the years, is the bezel. The bezels of the early Squale Master watches were bidirectional and without any internal friction. The bezel insert was made of Bakelite, a scratchable but nevertheless resilient material.
As for the watch crystal, the early Squale Master watches had an extremely sophisticated construction: made of plexiglass, the crystal was armed and domed. The use of plexiglass shouldn't come as a surprise as it was a very common material in watches of that era. The doming wasn't merely an aesthetic choice but allowed for better distribution of pressure across the crystal, resulting in superior resistance.
The "armed" structure was the most important characteristic: it functioned by fitting into the case, and, thanks to a rubber gasket, was sealed from above with the placement of a screw-down bezel and then the moveable bezel, thus completing the total waterproofing of the watch.
Later, mineral glass was used, a much more resistant material. It wasn't a simple transition because to maintain the same pressure resistance, the case thickness had to be increased. Only after some studies, by changing the case construction, was it possible to reduce the thickness.
The dial is also noteworthy: over the years, many different versions of the Squale Master have been created, many of which would be impossible to recreate today. Von Büren's work was about continuously experimenting in the name of progress. However, the Squale Master models from the 1960s have a characteristic that disappeared over the years and is worth mentioning: the luminescence provided by the use of Tritium.
All models were equipped with applied indexes coated with luminescent material, allowing for maximum visibility underwater where it is extremely dark. Tritium was the most common material for watches in those years.
3 - The first tests: La Maison du Plongée at Neuchâtel
As the years went by, it became increasingly important to test timepieces to understand their actual reliability during dives,
especially as much of the machinery we use today did not yet exist. In 1968, Von Büren, along with other watchmaking brands facing the same need, decided to establish the "Maison du Plongée" in Neuchâtel, a diving center that still exists today. Here, diving enthusiasts could experiment with watches and test various parameters, including actual water and/or pressure resistance, readability, and wear. Von Büren was not only a promoter of this project but also a key figure, serving as president of the center for several years.
3 - The first tests: La Maison du Plongée at Neuchâtel
As the years went by, it became increasingly important to test timepieces to understand their actual reliability during dives, especially as much of the machinery we use today did not yet exist. In 1968, Von Büren, along with other watchmaking brands facing the same need, decided to establish the "Maison du Plongée" in Neuchâtel, a diving center that still exists today. Here, diving enthusiasts could experiment with watches and test various parameters, including actual water and/or pressure resistance, readability, and wear. Von Büren was not only a promoter of this project but also a key figure, serving as president of the center for several years.
4 - A Turning Point: The Crown Moves to 4 O'Clock
Charles Von Büren's practical approach to work led his passion to evolve into a genuine quest for perfection. He soon realized that the positioning of the crown at 3 o'clock could be inconvenient underwater. This led to the decision to move it to 4 o'clock.
He also introduced another innovation: the "crown guard." The greatest risk faced underwater is the possibility of the crown suffering accidental knocks and becoming unscrewed, allowing water to enter and potentially damaging movement irreparably. With the square-shaped case on the 3 o'clock side, the crown is "protected," thus reducing the likelihood of impact.
These insights gave rise to the "Von Büren Case," universally recognized today as an iconic Squale design.
5 - Other innovations of the 1970s
During the 1970s, Von Büren introduced numerous changes to the Squale Master. One of his key innovations, still considered crucial for diving timepieces today, is the unidirectional bezel.
This bezel differs from the bidirectional one in that it is equipped with a spring that allows it to rotate in only one direction, ensuring that the diver does not accidentally rotate the bezel clockwise. Such rotation could cause serious issues by falsifying dive times, leaving the diver underwater longer than the oxygen supply in the tanks would allow.
Another innovation is the transition to the use of a flat sapphire crystal, which provided the same pressure resistance but with a much more durable product, resistant to impacts and scratches.
It’s during this period that the Squale Master logo on the dial disappears, leaving only "Squale." Many models produced during this period feature the inscription "Master" only on the caseback.
The decision to remove the line and its name reflects the desire to give more importance to the Squale brand, which was increasingly becoming the key reference point in the world of diving watches.
The "Master" inscription was relegated to the caseback until it disappeared altogether, making way for new models inspired by the Squale Master but with different technical characteristics.
6 - The most recent Master models
While the Master model is no longer part of Squale's collection, a few limited edition watches have been produced in recent years.
In 2013, the limited edition Master with a power - reserve movement was released.
In 2015, in collaboration with a British retailer, three models with NOS bezels from the 1960s were created.
In 2022, Squale reintroduced one of Von Büren's most iconic models, the Master Marina Militare, a watch with a stainless steel case resistant up to 120 ATM, produced in collaboration with the Italian Navy in a limited edition of only 300 pieces.
In 2023, a second Master model was introduced, also in a limited edition and dedicated to the Palombari del Comsubin, the elite diving unit of the Italian Navy. In this case, the watch differed from the 2022 edition as it was made of grade 5 titanium, an extremely lightweight material that is also more resistant than steel.
The first "Palombari School" was founded in Genoa in 1849 by the Navy of the Kingdom of Sardinia. By the time the Kingdom of Italy was formed in 1861, the Regia Marina already had first-rate professionals. In 1910 the school was transferred to its current location in the striking Fortezza del Varignano alle Grazie, in the Gulf of La Spezia.
Their performance during the two world wars and subsequent decades of involvement in military and civilian operations have made the Palombari a benchmark in world diving.
7 - 2024: The new Squale Master model
The history of the Squale Master continues to develop in 2024 with the unveiling of a new model destined to remain in the collection.
The new Squale Master features a case and bracelet made entirely of grade 5 titanium. Like its predecessors, it boasts exceptional technical characteristics such as resistance to pressure of 120 atmospheres guaranteed by a helium release valve and a 4mm thick sapphire glass.
DISCOVER ALL THE TECHNICAL FEATURES OF THE NEW SQUALE MASTER.
