The Palombari of Comsubin

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The long-running partnership with the Italian Navy dates back to the eighties when Squale twice won the contract to supply professional "diver" watches for the Diving Operations Group (G.O.S.) based in La Spezia.

Today, standards have been raised with a watch made of grade 5 titanium that allows the diver to reach a depth of 1200 meters.

The Palombari logo at 6 o'clock on the blue dial and bezel are a nod to the blue shades of the uniform, while the strap is made with the same fabric as the camouflage uniform worn by the Palombari.

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.

The Palombari belong to the legendary COMSUBIN unit, Divers and Raiders Group Command "Teseo Tesei", which is organized into two sections: the Operational Divers Group (G.O.S.) and the Operational Raiders Group (G.O.I.), two points of pride for the Italian Navy.

The Riders of the G.O.I. perform special military operations, including the liberation of hostages and maritime counter-terrorism. Meanwhile, the Palombari of the G.O.S. perform search and recovery operations of submerged artifacts, disposal of explosive ordnance and rescue of stricken submarines.

The Palombari of Comsubin, in addition to having all the military training to be able to operate underwater, also possess a military paratrooper certification. This gives them the ability to parachute to rescue submarines damaged in high seas, effectively making the G.O.S. capable of operating at 360° and making them world leaders in their field.

Thanks to continuous high-level training and decades-long experience, the Palombari are ready to intervene at any point both in purely military operations or in assisting other departments.

Being an internationally recognized elite body, the Palombai also train the divers of other Armed Forces and Police departments, as well as the operators of various foreign countries, in the use of cutting-edge diving equipment.

In Italy the Palombari operate daily in the disposal of unexploded devices found in the seas, lakes and rivers and can also be called in to deactivate improvised explosive devices.

These operators are also called upon to assist in exceptional situations, such as the sinking of the Costa Concordia, providing assistance to the Civil Protection, inspections of submarine pipelines for the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy and the recovery of sunken treasures in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture.

They are also present in various international arenas including the rescue of damaged submarines for NATO, securing oil platforms, checking gas pipelines, and supporting research missions in Antarctica for the National Agency for New Technologies (ENEA).

They posses extremely sophisticated vehicles and equipment, such as the SRV300 (Submarine Rescue Vehicle), a bathyscaphe for rescuing damaged submarines up to 300 meters deep; the ADS (Atmospheric Diving System), an underwater diving suit equipped with thrusters for interventions of various kinds with an operator up to 300 meters deep and several R.O.V. (Remotely Operated Vehicle) that reach 2,000 meters of depth.