SUB-39 GROUP PROJECT
If you are here it is because you have learned about the new SUB39 PROJECT.
We start from afar to slowly arrive at our project that sees us as protagonists with a watch dedicated to the past ...
It was 1959 c.a. and Squale had already established itself on the market as a reliable manufacturer (perhaps the most important Swiss), already producing specific cases for diving and supplying Blancpain for its Fifty Fathoms Rotomatic Incabloc line. These cases were branded on the inside "Rayville" (a temporary name used by Blancpain) and presented with a plexy glass, crown and screw back.
PROJECT INFO
As you can see on the back from the inside, the writing Rayville SA Swiss was engraved and the bidirectional bezel with bakelite insert was without ratchet but with clutch. The dimensions were proportionate for the period, in fact this beautiful case was just 34.8 mm in diameter, obviously thanks to the protruding crown at 3 o'clock, the size at sight increased overall, making the case gain a few more mm.
Although diving activities were at the beginning in the 1950s, this case had all the main technical characteristics to guarantee underwater safety. The crown at 3 o'clock had good teeth and above all it was large, we add the use of a convex plexy glass that guaranteed flexibility, screw back and bezel with quarter numbering ... Believe me, at the time it was really a case professional so much so that for Blancpain it was a period of really strong rise in the world of diving watches, gaining the trust of many professionals who made the diving watch a diving instrument. In the same period Charles Von Büren gave life to the Squale brand, a Swiss Made brand specialized in the production of automatic sub-timers, real "work tools" useful for calculating immersion and compensation times. With the arrival of the Squale watches, Charles Von Büren was paving the way for what we know today as a professional diving watch.
Finding a watch that is accurate, reliable, waterproof and resistant to certain depths in the 1960s was a difficult task; in those years there was no diving watch as we know today. Charles Von Büren himself, together with the watchmakers of Squale, began a continuous search for perfection and reliability that the expert diver wanted to find in a wrist instrument also equipped with details that are now discounted, but at that time innovative, such as the orange and the hand. of fluorescent minutes. After numerous functional tests carried out by professional divers, the Squale brand immediately established itself as a true sub-watch. The Professional Diving Watch was born and Squale was one of its creators. To think that in order to test Squale watches in the water and with professional divers, Charles Von Buren was a frequent visitor to "La maison du Plongeur" in Neuchatel where the lake allowed diving to depths almost equal to the recreational ones of the sea, and when they did the tests, they did them even in winter as you can see from the following photo (C. Von Buren was also a diver, and often he himself tested some prototypes).
THE DISCOVERY AND THE IDEA ...
THE ORIGIN OF SUBINO
It was 2018 and putting it back in place to catalog the vintage components left in Squale's dressers, a watch dating back to the late 1950s and its respective cases were found. The cases found were about 40, but the components for making the watches were sufficient for only two others. Obviously we are talking about the cases well described above and the watch called Subino, a prototype never made by Squale and remained stationary in a drawer for over 60 years ...
The anniversary of the 60th year of activity of the Squale brand was approaching (the year after), the desire to make a new model never produced, and above all that recalled the style of the 60s, was there, ready in a hidden drawer in the Squale house ... And yes, the model that gave the inspiration to the new SUB39 version is called "SUBINO", it is a Von Buren / Blancpain-derived watch, that is, it was made when Squale supplied the watches to Blancpain, a case revised by Squale who took the styles of the cases made in those years, but which was never produced, because it was considered unprofessional due to the reputation of Squale, who designed the MASTER, and we all know the technology that had that watch compared to to all the others on the market.
HERITAGE FIFTYNINE PROJECT
A limited edition of 150 pcs was created for the occasion, I was an accomplice in different phases of the realization of this model and I had the honor of following the evolution of the whole project step by step. Operation very successful and appreciated by all lovers of the brand so much so that shortly after, given the small number of units produced, Squale decided to put the Sub39 model in the catalog but reserving the configuration you have seen only for the lucky 150.
DECEMBER 2021
Realization of the Heritage Fifty-Nine model ...
On the basis of the Sub39 a special model will be created by OrologiSwp for true lovers of the Squale brand.
But why the name "Fifty Nine Heritage"? This is the name I gave to identify the year in which the Subino was presumably produced and above all because I want to dedicate this Heritage to the year of birth of Squale who was born in 1959. The accomplices for the creation of this model are a group of "WATCH COLLECTOR" enthusiasts who immediately joined the idea and who eagerly clawed to have this exclusive model on their wrists, obviously they are not the only ones to have this fortune because we are extending the opportunity to all fans of this magnificent Brands.Let's start immediately by reiterating that the starting point is the Sub39 model whose measurements and technical data are reported below:
- Case diameter: 39.00 mm
-Diameter at the crown: 40.80 mm
-Case thickness: 8.15 mm
-Total thickness of the watch: 12.45 mm
-Lug to Lug: 48.50 mm
-Lug: 22.00 mm
-Dial diameter: 29.50 mm
-Diameter of the sapphire crystal: 31.50 mm
-Glass thickness: 4.60 mm
-Diameter of the crown: 7.00 mm
-Water resistant: 30 ATM - 300 mt
-Unidirectional ring 120 shots
Here are the pluses of this edition for OrologiSwp:
-VERSION HERITAGE59 BRACELET: Steel bracelet for Sub39 Squale + Squale technical fabric strap
-VERSION HERITAGE59 STRAP: Squale technical fabric strap
-Swiss Sellita SW200 movement modified without click date given the absence of the date window
-Dial with exclusive design, printed indexes with multilayer filling of SUPERLUMINOVA luminescent paste applied by hand
-Packaging by Squale with cardboard box, leather case, instruction booklet
-Small surprise for all buyers
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DO NOT MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY THEY WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE FOREVER !!!