Squale Debuts the 30 Atmos Arancia-Zurro, a Gnomon Exclusive LE

Squale celebrated their 60th anniversary in 2019 and they marked the occasion with a limited edition of their 30 Atmos dive watch that we covered here last year. That watch, naturally, was something of a tough ticket, limited to only 150 examples and bearing a striking resemblance to the vintage Blancpain divers for which Squale famously provided the cases. Now, with a watch that’s exclusive to retailer Gnomon Watches, Squale is giving fans another bite at the apple, with a vintage inspired diver that keeps the same case as last year’s 30 Atmos but is presented in a dramatically different colorway.

Squale 30 Atmos Arancia-Zurro

• Case Material: Stainless steel 
• Dial: Blue
• Dimensions: 40.8 x 12mm
• Crystal: Sapphire        
• Water Resistance: 300 meters  
• Crown: Screw down                        
• Movement: Sellita SW 200 
• Strap/bracelet: Leather 
• Price: $1,140
• Reference Number: n/a
• Expected Release: Available now

The new watch, dubbed the 30 Atmos Arancia-Zurro, features a striking orange and blue bezel that’s as playful as last year’s model was sober. In fact, you could think of the Arancia-Zurro as the other side of the coin that they played last year with the 60th Anniversary 30 Atmos. If that watch was all about the brand’s proud history of being one of the foremost case suppliers during the peak of the recreational diving era, this one is rooted in a playful Italian style. Squale is one of only a small handful of brands that can stake a claim to both of these traditions. 

The Arancia-Zurro is packed with vintage cues, some subtle and some not. Radium colored lume on a watch like this is an obvious choice – it wouldn’t look quite right with stark white luminescent material. Squale has also given the blue dial a matte finish, and implemented “maxi” style hour markers around the perimeter. The case is 40.8mm across inclusive of the bezel, with long lugs that retain the gentle curves of the elegant and stylish dive watches of the 60s.  

And style is really what this watch is all about. While its specs are nothing to sneer at (it has 300 meters of water resistance, a high grade Sellita SW-200 movement, and the requisite sapphire crystal and screw-down crown) the Arancia-Zurro doesn’t present as a true tool watch. For one, that bi-color bezel, while incredibly attractive, doesn’t offer a ton of functionality on a dive watch. The Arancia-Zurro is also presented on a rather luxurious looking brown leather strap, certainly more suited to sipping drinks in Milan than SCUBA diving off the Amalfi coast. And I think that’s completely fine. Not every watch has to be ready for anything that comes for it – some are perfectly well suited to simply being attractive objects. 

The 30 Atmos Arancia-Zurro is being made in limited quantities and is available exclusively from Gnomon. The retail price is $1,140, and it’s available to purchase now. Squale