Squale was founded in 1946 and initially manufactured watch cases and parts for other watch brands. Some of the relatively more notable brands using watch cases from Squale included Blancpain, Tag Heuer, Doxa, Sinn, and Zeno. Squale later went into its own manufacturing of dive watches and supplied its models to the Italian Airforce and Italian Navy. Think of it as the Panerai equivalent before Panerai was established, if you will ;p
I have always wanted to try and gauge a Squale, but didn't quite get to do so. Many watches came into and exited my collection; but there continued to be a vacuum in Squale. Last year, a reader asked if I could do a review for the Swiss-made Squale 1545 Classic, which was the best-seller in the brand's range. Seeing that I had meant to review the brand some day anyway, I put 2 and 2 together and here we were today.
Take 1 look at the 1545 Classic and there's no mistaking that it had the classic looks of the previous Submariner model no. 16610. This was the time before Rolex went on its maxi- everything and we then have the maxi-dial, maxi-lugs, etc. In a way, you could said that the 1545 Classic was like the gentleman's sports watch, more Sean Connery's Bond than Daniel Craig's Bond.
The measurements were spot-on to the Submariner, and I have quite a few of these from various periods. I have always felt that the Submariner was a nicely-proportioned diver watch- better than my SD4k on the wrist due to the better weight distribution; and wearing the 1545 Classic evoked the same feel as that of the Submariner.
Readers would noticed that I liked to pair my watches with rubber straps, especially vulcanised premium ones; and I tried fitting an OEM Rubber B on the 1545 Classic and it was a perfect fit. No ugly holes anywhere- just a snug, comfortable fit.
Squale fitted an ETA 2824-2 Elabo (meaning that this was a higher grade version compared to 2824-2 Standard fitted in most micro brands) in the 1545 Classic. Since this was a work horse that was known for its dependability, owners would inevitably find that they might not need to use the 2-year warranty that Squale gave for its watches. However, it's good to know that the warranty was there if one ever needed it.
These were the other specs for the watch :
The watch sold for USD570 and factored in the 5% tax, you could expect to fork out RM2.5k with some change, to have this piece delivered to your very doorstep. For its price, you get a classic design and a elaborated movement. Those would have been worth the monies already; but wait, it had a great bracelet that would put many Seiko watches worth much more than its asking price, to shame. (NB : I'm looking at you, MM300.)
While many Seiko bracelets felt flimsy and cheap, which was also the reason that Seikoholics tend to invest in aftermarket bracelets and Isofranes, the one on Squale felt solid and premium. It had solid end links, which added to the reassuring feel of the watch when worn on one's wrist. I sized the bracelet easily given that it used screws instead of pin-and-collars; and it was but a 1-min affair.
At the end of the day, was this Squale 1545 Classic worth the RM2.5k one would pay for the watch? Absolutely! Swiss-made, Checked. Handsome looks, Checked. Great movement, Checked! Solid bracelet, Checked! 2-year warranty, Checked!
If I do not already owned several reiterations of the Submariner, the 1545 Classic could well go on to become my daily-beater of a watch. After all, you would feel less pained if you were to hit this RM2.5k watch against the car door; as opposed to doing the same on the RM38k Submariner. Ouch!
Side-by-side with the RRP : RM15k MM300, the 1545 Classic cost 1/6 of the MM300's price; but it definitely had as much wrist presence as Seiko's infamous piece.
And if you were interested to pick up the 1545 Classic on the cheap, you could have this piece at just RM2k since I have now done the review. It came with a full 2-year warranty, no dings/dents/scratches, and looked as good as new. And I would further include the OEM Rubber B and a black Nato strap, to sweeten up the deal further!
Grab this Swiss-made piece fast, if you were in the market for one!
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I want to buy for my hantaran tunang. How to buy from you?
ReplyDeleteThere's a gmail at the top of the web u can contact him directly.
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