Squale Creates Deep Diver For DRASS Galeazzi

Italian diving equipment specialists DRASS Galeazzi have enlisted the help of Squale to manufacture a watch for their military and civilian Submarine clientele, and they’ve decided to produce a run of 500 samples available to the general public. As is fitting for this collaboration, the watch is a supremely capable deep diver inspired by the Squale Master. It’s a straightforward diver with classic good looks and a depth rating that tops 500 meters for good measure, all while paying respect to historic diving equipment produced by DRASS Galeazzi.

DRASS Galeazzi has been developing deep diving solutions since the ‘20s, including lightweight spherical structures and the Butoscopic turret that allowed for search and rescue operations at nearly 300 meters of depth. The most recognizable bit of historic diving equipment is arguably the famed Galeazzi diving helmet, the Modello Marina, which was supplied to the Italian Navy in the ‘40s. It’s a symbol that appears on the dial of the watch in recognition of the partnership. 

The watch itself is an impressive bit of kit as well, featuring a polished 42mm steel case that measures 16mm in thickness due to the 4mm thick sapphire crystal. There is a discreet helium escape valve fitted to the case at 9 o’clock, further bolstering the watch’s professional bona fides. All this adds up to an impressive 500 meters, or 1,640 feet depth rating. This is deeper than even most saturation diving done these days, and obviously well beyond anything in the recreational realm, but the extreme nature of such devices has its own appeal right here at surface level.

The black dial gets the aged radium look with yellowed hour makers and suitably thick hands. The bezel gets the same treatment with markings each ten minutes. The Galeazzi logo featuring the diving helmet appears at 6 o’clock, clearly separating the watch from their standard issue divers. An additional numbered engraving on the back makes each unique. 

The Squale X DRASS Galeazzi ships in special packing that includes a black leather strap as well as a microfiber fabric strap, which feels a bit more fitting on a diver like this. Just 500 examples will be produced, each priced at $1,285. Squale.