Squale

Charles von Büren founded Squale in 1959 in Switzerland as a specialist dive-case manufacturer. The original business was not a brand at all, but an OEM supplier of pressure-tested cases to the era's leading dive-watch names, including Blancpain for the early Fifty Fathoms, Heuer, Doxa for the original Sub 300, and many smaller European makers. The shark-logo brand mark and the case-back signature 'Squale' became a known quality indicator within the dive industry even when the OEM client's name appeared on the dial.

Through the 1960s and 1970s Squale also produced its own dive watches sold under the Squale name, alongside the OEM contracts. The reference range introduced in this period included the Master, Professional, and 50 Atmos divers, the latter rated to 500 m water resistance and built around the same case Squale supplied to other brands. The 50 Atmos numerical reference 1521 would later become the brand's modern signature.

The original company contracted significantly during the quartz era. Production scaled down through the 1980s and 1990s; Squale-branded watches became scarce. The modern revival began in the 2010s under the Maggi family, an Italian distribution and retail group. The reborn Squale was repositioned as a focused dive-watch specialist with the 1521 50 Atmos as flagship, joined by the Sub-39 (a cushion-cased compact diver), the Tropic, and the 20 Atmos GMT.

Today's Squale is independently owned, Swiss Made, and runs annual production in the low thousands. Movements are predominantly Sellita SW200 and SW300 with occasional ETA references; cases continue to use the same domed-crystal, oversized-bezel architecture rooted in the original OEM heritage. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through Squale's own website and through specialist dive-watch retailers globally. Retail runs from approximately CHF 800 for the Sub-39 entry references to CHF 2,200 for the 1521 GMT and limited-edition variants. The brand's enthusiast appeal rests on its OEM heritage and on the 1521 50 Atmos as a continuous, century-spanning dive-watch reference.