The Italian Navy has a long-standing tradition of partnering with a select group of watchmakers to create dedicated military timepieces. Among them is Squale, which last year produced a version of its professional diving watch, the Squale 2001, reserved exclusively for Navy personnel. Now, roughly one year later, that reference, previously unavailable to the public, is finally being released for civilian collectors in the form of the Squale 2001 Marina Militare. However, only 500 examples will be produced.
In this article, we take a closer look at the Squale 2001 Marina Militare, its defining features and the reasons why it perfectly embodies the spirit and heritage of the Swiss brand, particularly when it comes to its expertise in creating professional diving watches.
THE LEGACY OF THE 2001 COLLECTION
The Squale 2001 Marina Militare belongs to the 2001 collection, inspired by the original Reference 2001 created by the brand during the 1960s. As diving enthusiasts and watch collectors know well, that decade marked a pioneering era in which technological advancements transformed diving watches into reliable instruments for professional underwater use.
The original Squale 2001 stood out thanks to its hidden-lug case and became the first watch to feature the innovative “push to release” system, which allowed the bezel to be locked after setting dive times. The 2001 Heritage, a limited edition introduced in 2024 to celebrate Squale’s 65th anniversary, brought this historic design back to life. The watch drew inspiration from the timepiece that Jacques-Yves Cousteau presented to Michel Laval, first officer aboard Calypso, during an Antarctic expedition in 1972. Rich in symbolic value, the original watch became even more special thanks to a caseback engraving featuring Cousteau’s initials and Laval’s full name.
SQUALE 2001 MARINA MILITARE: TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Building on this legacy, the Squale 2001 Marina Militare retains the technical and aesthetic characteristics of the 2001 collection while incorporating a number of modifications requested directly by military personnel. The Italian Navyrequired a series of adjustments to the standard reference in order to meet its operational needs, including specific case dimensions, more refined finishing, enhanced dial legibility and distinctive colours. Every detail was developed in response to specific operational requirements.
More specifically, the elements that make this watch unique within the 2001 collection are all derived from Italian Navyspecifications: the blue colour of the bezel and dial, the applied domed indexes filled with Super-LumiNova, and the geometry and dimensions of the case. Crafted from a stainless steel case, it measures 41.5 mm in diameter, compared to the 43.6 mm found across the regular collection, while thickness remains unchanged at 13 mm. The caseback features the official Italian Navy emblem alongside the watch’s individual limited-edition number.
The case combines polished and satin-brushed surfaces and retains the collection’s hallmark 600-metre (60-bar) water resistance. The Squale 2001 Marina Militare also preserves several iconic details from the 2001 family, including a flat sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment, the bidirectional bezel with “push to release” mechanism, the crown positioned at 4:30, and the distinctive 14-sided internal bezel structure that lends a welcome sense of dynamism to the cushion-shaped case and blue bezel design.
THE MOVEMENT OF THE SQUALE 2001 MARINA MILITARE
From a mechanical perspective, the Squale 2001 Marina Militare remains focused on reliability. Inside the case beats the proven Sellita SW200-1 Elaboré, operating at 28,800 vibrations per hour. This automatic movement fully meets the reliability standards required by the Italian Navy and is also appreciated for its ease of maintenance.
The watch is completed by a technical blue rubber strap bearing the Italian Navy logo, as well as an additional stainless steel ladder bracelet inspired by designs from the 1960s. It is yet another tribute to the heritage of the Reference 2001. The retail price of the Squale 2001 Marina Militare is € 1,990.
SQUALE AND THE ITALIAN NAVY: PREVIOUS COLLABORATIONS
The partnership between Squale and the Italian Navy dates back to the 1980s, when the Swiss manufacturer secured two contracts to supply watches to the Navy’s elite diving unit based in La Spezia. For those projects, the Navy defined the specifications and Squale developed bespoke timepieces designed to meet genuine operational requirements, much like the current reference. Most of those watches no longer exist, as military protocol required them to be withdrawn and destroyed at the end of their service life.
Forty years later, the Italian Navy and Squale renewed their partnership with a limited edition of the Master collection, produced in 300 numbered pieces. Featuring a 4 mm sapphire crystal, a helium escape valve, certified 120-bar water resistance and testing carried out at the facilities of Drass Galeazzi, the watch carried the Navy emblem and individual edition number on the caseback.
This was followed by another Master model, this time crafted entirely from Grade 5 titanium and dedicated specifically to the divers of COMSUBIN, the Italian Navy’s Diving and Commando Group. The first 80 pieces were reserved for military personnel, while the remaining 420 were offered to the public. The distinction between military and civilian allocations would become a defining feature of future collaborations between Squale and the Italian Navy.
Finally, before the arrival of the current reference, Squale’s 65th anniversary was celebrated with a special edition based on the 1521. Featuring the Navy logo on the dial, the official emblem on the caseback and orange details inspired by the historic version, the watch was produced in a limited run of 500 pieces.
CONCLUSIONS
As we have seen, the Squale 2001 Marina Militare is far more than what is commonly referred to today as a simple “collab”. It is a genuine professional instrument born from the operational requirements of the Italian Navy, yet perfectly suited to those who will never face deep-sea missions or military diving operations, but simply the challenges of everyday life.
As Squale CEO Andrea Maggi explained, “making it available to the public is not merely a commercial operation, but a recognition that certain objects carry a meaning that goes beyond their original purpose.” Bringing this heritage and expertise into a professional diving watch only strengthens the appeal of an already convincing timepiece.
By Davide Passoni