Five years after its first collaboration with DRASS Galeazzi, Squale introduces the Galeazzi Artiglio, a dive watch limited to 500 pieces marking 100 years since Roberto Galeazzi patented his spherical diving structure. With a 39.5 mm case water-resistant to 600 metres, an automatic ETA 2824-2 movement and a Pantone 295U blue dial, the watch brings back a feature rarely found in contemporary dive watches: the wet indicator, a device historically used in professional diving instruments to signal possible water ingress into the case.
Can a detail from the past become the defining feature of a modern diver? For the Squale Galeazzi Artiglio, that distinction comes from a technical feature with roots in professional diving history. It also sets the direction for the second chapter of the partnership with DRASS Galeazzi, bringing together Squale’s experience in making professional divers and Roberto Galeazzi’s engineering legacy: two histories shaped by the pursuit of reliable instruments, even in the harshest conditions. The connection makes this more than a conventional anniversary release.
FROM GALEAZZI’S PATENT TO THE NEW ARTIGLIO
To understand why 1926 is more than a date to commemorate, it is worth revisiting the work of Roberto Galeazzi, who patented a spherical structure designed to withstand the immense pressures encountered when exploring the ocean depths. The engineering principle was later applied to the Torre Butoscopica, an underwater observation chamber, and in 1932 brought Galeazzi into one of maritime history’s best-known salvage operations. Deployed from the vessel Artiglio, the chamber was used in the operation to reach the wreck of the SS Egypt, which lay at a depth of approximately 130 metres in the English Channel, with a cargo of gold bars. It was an extraordinarily complex undertaking for its time, earning Galeazzi international press coverage and the nickname “the wizard of the depths”.
The new watch takes its name from the vessel, connecting the patent’s centenary to a much broader history. Squale has explored that history through archival research into Galeazzi’s inventions, working with Fabio Vitale, chairman of the Scientific Committee of the Fondazione Artiglio. This research lends greater substance to the project, establishing a tangible link between the instruments developed a century ago to explore the depths and a contemporary diver designed for the same environment.
THE WET INDICATOR RETURNS TO THE DIAL
One of the Squale Galeazzi Artiglio’s most interesting features occupies just a few millimetres of the dial, reviving a solution rooted in the history of professional dive watches. Positioned at 6 o’clock against the Pantone 295U blue surface, the wet indicator is a small disc that changes colour when moisture is present inside the case, visibly signalling possible water ingress. Before modern water-resistance testing systems made checks more accurate and immediate, devices of this kind were fitted to professional watches to give divers a visual warning about the condition of their watch. Bringing a wet indicator back to a watch rated to 600 metres inevitably carries historical significance, but making it fully functional again, rather than merely reproducing it as a graphic detail, makes the design choice far more meaningful.
The result avoids turning the dial into an overt exercise in retro styling. Its deep blue is paired with applied, domed hour markers filled with Super-LumiNova BGW9, the same luminous material used for the bezel markings. The absence of a date window keeps the layout clean, allowing the wet indicator to sit discreetly within the composition. Another detail directly linked to the DRASS Galeazzi partnership appears above the dial. The distinctive diving-helmet logo is not printed on the dial itself but screen-printed on the inner surface of the flat sapphire crystal. This makes it appear to float slightly above the elements below, adding depth without interfering with the information needed for legibility.
39.5 MM AND 600 METRES OF WATER RESISTANCE
The case dimensions are particularly compelling in light of its capabilities. Despite a stated water-resistance rating of 600 metres, Squale has kept the Galeazzi Artiglio well proportioned. The diameter measured at the bezel is 39.5 mm, the lug-to-lug distance is 47 mm, and the case measures 12.6 mm thick, increasing to 13.2 mm when the sapphire crystal is included.
Especially among highly water-resistant divers, these figures should not make for an excessively bulky watch on the wrist. The 316L stainless steel case combines brushed surfaces with polished bevels, avoiding an entirely satin finish that might have made the watch look more overtly utilitarian. The 19 mm lug width is equally consistent with the overall proportions. To achieve its water-resistance rating, Squale uses a screw-down crown and a screw-in caseback engraved with the Galeazzi logo. This is not a diver trying to impress through an extreme depth rating alone. What stands out is how that performance has been accommodated in a case under 40 mm, without assuming that a robust dive watch must also be oversized.
ETA 2824-2 AND A K1 GLASS BEZEL
The Galeazzi Artiglio is powered by an ETA 2824-2 automatic movement in the no-date, Elaboré-grade configuration, a choice consistent with the character of the watch and the mechanical reliability on which Squale has built much of its reputation. The specified power reserve is 42 hours. Omitting the date display also preserves the dial’s symmetry, an important detail on a watch where the wet indicator, floating logo and bezel scale already introduce several layers of information.
For the unidirectional rotating bezel, Squale has chosen a flat K1 glass insert in the same Pantone 295U blue as the dial. Its markings also feature Super-LumiNova BGW9, creating both visual and functional continuity with the hour markers while keeping the scale legible during a dive. The use of K1 deserves attention, particularly compared with more familiar aluminium or ceramic alternatives. The glass surface gives the bezel a distinctive sheen, emphasising the depth of the blue and creating a contrast with the brushed surfaces and polished bevels of the case. The combination brings out the finishing details and gives the watch a distinctive character.
DUE CINTURINI E UN COFANETTO DEDICATO
The primary strap introduces a deliberate contrast with the blue that dominates the watch. Squale pairs the Galeazzi Artiglio with a sand-coloured microfibre strap whose texture and tone recall diving equipment of the past. The set also includes a second strap in Pantone 295U blue rubber with a Mosaic texture, matching the dial and bezel and better suited to the intended use of a 600-metre diver.
The presentation also moves away from the conventional glossy commemorative box in favour of a presentation that fits the story behind the watch. The retro-inspired box features the historic Squale and DRASS Galeazzi logos, while inside are a canvas-and-microfibre travel pouch and a commemorative bronze medal bearing an image of the Galeazzi deep-sea diver and the Squale logo.
SQUALE GALEAZZI ARTIGLIO: PRICE AND AVAILABILITY
The Squale Galeazzi Artiglio, reference is limited to 500 individually numbered pieces. Priced at € 1,890, it is available through authorised retailers and the brand’s online boutique.
Anniversary collaborations are common in watchmaking. What is less common is a watch that uses the occasion to revive a historical technology and integrate it into the watch once again, rather than simply adding a logo to the dial or a date to the caseback. In that sense, the wet indicator is the detail that gives this project substance. In 2026, it is no longer essential for assessing the integrity of a modern watch case, which is precisely why it could so easily have become a purely nostalgic reference.
The answer to the opening question can therefore be found at 6 o’clock: the wet indicator shows how a detail from the past can still define a contemporary dive watch. One hundred years after Roberto Galeazzi’s patent, Squale has chosen to celebrate history through the qualities that have always driven progress: ingenuity, technical expertise and the determination to push beyond known limits.
By Elisa Copeta