This is the best sports watch case of anything under £1000/ $ that i have come across. I just picked up the bead blasted one having owned the polished one for years and love it. A bit less formal and more tooley. Just a fantastic strap monster in contrast to the polished which doesn't work as well on natos the bead blasted works great. This case and the Sinn 104 are for me 2 of the best case designs of any watch for the sub 7.5 inch wrist.
I've had this watch for 5-6 years or so. The best thing about it is the case. I love the case size and shape. I love the high polish finish, too. I have the black variant. Wish I had bought the blue, but the black is still nice. Bezel scratches easily. Mine looks like it's been in a war, but I kind of like that. I never used the rubber strap -- though I still have it and it still smells like vanilla. Great starter watch. The blue is phenomenal. To be honest, the lighting in this video doesn't do it justice.
Long Island watch has ceramic with Lume bezel insert for this model. Great upgrade-put mine on a shark mesh and it looks like a tool watch now. Love mine-it runs well within COSC from the factory also.
There's no blue like Squale blue. I have one since december, about 700 euros new on a discount. Bought for the mediterranean blue. Not disappointed. This is my entire childhood spent there, by that sea, snorkling and swimming there. That saturated, shiny bright blue of that matvelous sea, is right there on my wrist, everytime I wear it.
anything newer is now 120 click I think since 2018. Also, the ONDA's don't have the Branding on the side. The blue/original models have the side. Squale is def. a well made watch. They don't deserve the hate from the people who think they sold out to the homage of Rolex on the 1545, they had to appease to that side of the market. Also, the little 4 screws on side of the bezel will control the tightness of it. All in all its a great piece! I will never sell my squale! Nice video on the Squale!!! : )
a great review rob and an awesome watch with that beautiful case design. surely one of the best divers around sub $1000. a rock solid eta 2824 movement with the significant squale brand history and know how. i have the matte blue version and just popped it onto a syncron navy blue tropic strap (those rock). a superb match. one of your best reviews in recent times. cheers.
Awesome watch, love mine so comfortable and easy to wear. I don't understand the B.S. a minority of people out there bang on with, it's like an illness for them. The watches are beautifully made, and the brands history as a product of the golden era of dive watches is what made me buy one. Sure it's changed hands, but why does that matter - swatch group own Omega ffs. And the current owners of squale are still close to the Von-Buren family today, they have even posted TH-cam videos of new watch releases where they present a watch to Monique Von-Buren, and on a boat in the ocean to boot! It doesn't get much more genuine than that in my opinion. Bottom line, the vocal minority out there need to get a life - go back to hating cyclists or better still, get help for your illness and give Squale a break... Just saying...
I have the white 1521. I love it! perfect size!. i also have the 60 atmos thats a blue dial with white and blue bezel. they are my two favorite watches so far.
It's weird that the pip completely covers the triangle. It's almost like the triangle isn't there. The early Squale divers had a small pip which makes more sense aesthetically.
There's also a reason why it has the double branding on the dial. Squale made watches for quite a few brands in the past and they'd put the brand in question's logo up top at 12 and the Squale shark logo at 6.
I've never understood why some people vehemently hated the brand. Maybe it's cause they make Submariner and GMT homages? Maybe it's cause they don't like TGV and dislike Squale by association? I've heard many people talk about how "overpriced" these watches are for the quality, but I mean I've always thought they looked pretty high quality, and used prices are not that much lower than MSRP. I'd really like someone to tell me what their problem is with the brand, because most complaints sound vague, or irrational to me most of the time.
Agree i can't see the issue the design and case on these are unique. I was drawn to them because they looked different to a Glycine, Steinhart, Oris, Longines.... the 1521 case is fantastic at any price point never mind a lot under 1k.
I don't like "Bling" Tool watches, but this one is an exception. The position of the crown may be unconventional, but I like that too, and that shade of blue is the icing on the cake. Phil.
I wish all companies would go with a sixty click bezel. They line up much more easily. The crown placement does look really awkward to me, but it looks not unreasonable. Nice review Rob! FWIW, Long Island Watch is the exclusive distributor of Squale Watches to the U S Market.
Cool, another person inspired by TGV in years past (even though I could be Dad to both of you and have been in to watches since the 70's)😏 The 1521 is very attractive but I'm more partial to the 44mm Squale Matic 600m Professional. However, after you putting it next to the SKX for comparison, it looks like it would wear well on my larger wrist.
@@RandomRobReviews Fluctuates between 7.75" and 7.875". I've actually purchased a few Seiko Marine Master bracelet clasps to put on some of my other Seiko divers to accommodate for these changes. Costly but, easier than finding a pin and moving to a different hole in the clasp.
Damn, since more than 3 years a certain person tried to sell me that thing without any success. But I think you just did.... certainly gonna blame you for breaking my bank....
I've got the polished mate and I really like it. They are blingy though, the curves of the case and polished chapter ring glint like crazy so you may want to consider that. Polished finish super easy to maintain which is one of the reason I went with it. I'd also go the tropic strap option, still made by bonetto cinturini but less bulky and will fit under shirt cuffs. I'm not a fan of the tropic 2, it's too fine for the watch in my view.
That Squale is sweet! Sadly, I'm one of those folks that doesn't love the branding on the side of the case, but for everything else that this piece had going for it, I could easily look past that. I'd always be staring at the beautiful blue dial anyway. Hahaha. Great vid!
@@malkinmalone that's interesting. My Squale 1521 50 atmos azzurro limited edition doesn't have it on the case either. I'd be way more inclined to get this blue one if the case wasn't branded. I may check in with Marc at Long Island Watch to see if there making these without it.
@@tobias_dahlberg that would be cool if they are. I don't know that I've ever heard someone say that they liked the brand on the case. Maybe Invicta ruined it for everyone. Hahahaha
So funny right around the time you posted this video I was buying the Tudor Pelagos. Its so interesting to see how similar they are both being 500M Divers. I was looking for a less expensive alternative to the Rolex Sea Dweller and looking at these two I have to say the Squale is a very attractive alternative to the Pelagos. Nice review.
This brand gets a lot of hate (and not all of it is undeserved). It’s probably best to buy on the secondary market, but I really like mines. The offset crown is tucked in nicely that it doesn’t dig into the back of your wrist/hand, and the downward angled lugs has it sitting on your wrist nicely. The orange minute hand also was a nice touch IMO.
I would like to purchase this watch from Long Island watch but I can’t justify spending the $$$ on it, I love my orient ray 2 that I’ve had since 2017 that keeps great time and lume for $145
Boy oh boy do I have a love hate relationship with the Skwaalee 1521. Part of me thinks it’s pure class, part of me wants to bash a certain TH-camr over the head with one and then flush it down the toilet.
You could mod one of those so that you have a bead blasted case with the sunburst blue dial instead of the matte blue that originally comes with the bead blasted case.
it looks pretty cool, but i don't know it's really worth the money they're asking without a bracelet. for 500 i'd get one as a fun summer watch. still, for something that's supposed to be a serious dive watch from a serious dive brand making serious dive instruments, that weak printed lume is seriously disappointing and i'd expect much much better at that price point. they should also consider experimenting with different non-Rolexish indices, to have a more distinctive look (or if they wanna stay homage-ish, go more decisively towards a Blancpain look considering they used to produce stuff for them decades ago)
Questo Squale 1521.E ' pieno di difetti. Elenco i problemi: Indici poco visibili al buio, stampati e' non applicati . Lunetta non in ceramica, budget troppo elevato. 750€ Sono troppi. Lunico degno di nota e' il "Matic".
I picked this one up and absolutely love it! The case design is amazing! It's become my Detroit Lions gameday watch as well!
This is the best sports watch case of anything under £1000/ $ that i have come across. I just picked up the bead blasted one having owned the polished one for years and love it. A bit less formal and more tooley. Just a fantastic strap monster in contrast to the polished which doesn't work as well on natos the bead blasted works great. This case and the Sinn 104 are for me 2 of the best case designs of any watch for the sub 7.5 inch wrist.
I've had this watch for 5-6 years or so. The best thing about it is the case. I love the case size and shape. I love the high polish finish, too. I have the black variant. Wish I had bought the blue, but the black is still nice. Bezel scratches easily. Mine looks like it's been in a war, but I kind of like that. I never used the rubber strap -- though I still have it and it still smells like vanilla. Great starter watch. The blue is phenomenal. To be honest, the lighting in this video doesn't do it justice.
Long Island watch has ceramic with Lume bezel insert for this model. Great upgrade-put mine on a shark mesh and it looks like a tool watch now. Love mine-it runs well within COSC from the factory also.
There's no blue like Squale blue.
I have one since december, about 700 euros new on a discount.
Bought for the mediterranean blue. Not disappointed. This is my entire childhood spent there, by that sea, snorkling and swimming there. That saturated, shiny bright blue of that matvelous sea, is right there on my wrist, everytime I wear it.
Have that watch, by far the favorite in my small collection. That blue really is something else!
anything newer is now 120 click I think since 2018. Also, the ONDA's don't have the Branding on the side. The blue/original models have the side. Squale is def. a well made watch. They don't deserve the hate from the people who think they sold out to the homage of Rolex on the 1545, they had to appease to that side of the market.
Also, the little 4 screws on side of the bezel will control the tightness of it.
All in all its a great piece! I will never sell my squale!
Nice video on the Squale!!! : )
Oh wow Rob great video of a beautiful watch. ❤️
I have a matic and a 1545. Love them both and wear them regularly.
That’s a beautiful watch! I do love the orange hand too. Great review as always Rob!!!
Love that blue dial! I think that the Draken Tugela 2.0 comes very close. So much so that I added one to my collection!
Great blue!! Wanted that watch, but when I found a "Red Passion" 1521, I couldn't resist. One of my favorite dials.
a great review rob and an awesome watch with that beautiful case design. surely one of the best divers around sub $1000. a rock solid eta 2824 movement with the significant squale brand history and know how. i have the matte blue version and just popped it onto a syncron navy blue tropic strap (those rock). a superb match. one of your best reviews in recent times. cheers.
Awesome watch, love mine so comfortable and easy to wear. I don't understand the B.S. a minority of people out there bang on with, it's like an illness for them. The watches are beautifully made, and the brands history as a product of the golden era of dive watches is what made me buy one. Sure it's changed hands, but why does that matter - swatch group own Omega ffs. And the current owners of squale are still close to the Von-Buren family today, they have even posted TH-cam videos of new watch releases where they present a watch to Monique Von-Buren, and on a boat in the ocean to boot! It doesn't get much more genuine than that in my opinion. Bottom line, the vocal minority out there need to get a life - go back to hating cyclists or better still, get help for your illness and give Squale a break... Just saying...
One of the best 500m value for money divers out there!
Absolutely love these watches and the side case engraving, am a huge fan!
That’s a nice blue!
I have the white 1521. I love it! perfect size!. i also have the 60 atmos thats a blue dial with white and blue bezel. they are my two favorite watches so far.
I've liked this squale so long I feel like I already owned it and flipped it!
It's weird that the pip completely covers the triangle. It's almost like the triangle isn't there. The early Squale divers had a small pip which makes more sense aesthetically.
There's also a reason why it has the double branding on the dial. Squale made watches for quite a few brands in the past and they'd put the brand in question's logo up top at 12 and the Squale shark logo at 6.
Great looking watch! Thanks for showing it,
I've never understood why some people vehemently hated the brand. Maybe it's cause they make Submariner and GMT homages? Maybe it's cause they don't like TGV and dislike Squale by association? I've heard many people talk about how "overpriced" these watches are for the quality, but I mean I've always thought they looked pretty high quality, and used prices are not that much lower than MSRP.
I'd really like someone to tell me what their problem is with the brand, because most complaints sound vague, or irrational to me most of the time.
Totally agree mate! And build quality of the 1521 is superb
Agree i can't see the issue the design and case on these are unique. I was drawn to them because they looked different to a Glycine, Steinhart, Oris, Longines.... the 1521 case is fantastic at any price point never mind a lot under 1k.
I put mine on a full polished staib mesh and it looks the business
I don't like "Bling" Tool watches, but this one is an exception. The position of the crown may be unconventional, but I like that too, and that shade of blue is the icing on the cake. Phil.
Regret I sold it. Had this model, loved it so much. Now I probably go with the PVD version soon.
Always love the watch that is right in front on you.
Pretty much. Tudor on wrist though.
I wish all companies would go with a sixty click bezel. They line up much more easily. The crown placement does look really awkward to me, but it looks not unreasonable. Nice review Rob! FWIW, Long Island Watch is the exclusive distributor of Squale Watches to the U S Market.
I have a rare one from the Japanese distributor BEAMS. Mine has a orange hour hand instead of the minute hand and much better loom
Definitely a watch I would like to experience one day, but definitely not my first choice at this price point though....
What would be your first choice at this price point if I may ask?
Cool, another person inspired by TGV in years past (even though I could be Dad to both of you and have been in to watches since the 70's)😏
The 1521 is very attractive but I'm more partial to the 44mm Squale Matic 600m Professional.
However, after you putting it next to the SKX for comparison, it looks like it would wear well on my larger wrist.
OG bro, true old school. I think the 1521 does well on most wrist. If you are close to 8”, the larger watch is gonna be much better I think.
@@RandomRobReviews Fluctuates between 7.75" and 7.875". I've actually purchased a few Seiko Marine Master bracelet clasps to put on some of my other Seiko divers to accommodate for these changes. Costly but, easier than finding a pin and moving to a different hole in the clasp.
I'm good with the blue dial on my Orient Ray 2 for about $700 less but the Squale is a beauty, though.
Late comment but the little screws on the bezel I think are to adjust the tension of the rotation.
I love these. Thanks for the vid buddy!
BEST blue diver? Now I'm really curious to get one on my channel! good vid bro!
Have you seen the new king samurai with the manta rays? 😍
Great video
I think I like that blue nicer than the blue on your Tudor. And I really like the Tudor blue.
Damn, since more than 3 years a certain person tried to sell me that thing without any success. But I think you just did.... certainly gonna blame you for breaking my bank....
Hey, it’s ok to want and not buy too. But yeah check one out. Buy used, hold value good.
So Pretty...
Ughhh I see this pop up from time to time and I want it haha
I like this one. Maybe in the cards
Choosing between the polished and the blasted/matte is one of the hardest decisions to make. I still can't decide. Any inputs?
I've got the polished mate and I really like it. They are blingy though, the curves of the case and polished chapter ring glint like crazy so you may want to consider that. Polished finish super easy to maintain which is one of the reason I went with it. I'd also go the tropic strap option, still made by bonetto cinturini but less bulky and will fit under shirt cuffs. I'm not a fan of the tropic 2, it's too fine for the watch in my view.
Sqaleeeeee ...Archie loves it...
That Squale is sweet! Sadly, I'm one of those folks that doesn't love the branding on the side of the case, but for everything else that this piece had going for it, I could easily look past that. I'd always be staring at the beautiful blue dial anyway. Hahaha. Great vid!
My 1521 doesn’t say squale on the case. neither does my 60 atmos either. They still have it on the dial though.
Seems like they've stopped with that on some of the watches.
@@malkinmalone that's interesting. My Squale 1521 50 atmos azzurro limited edition doesn't have it on the case either. I'd be way more inclined to get this blue one if the case wasn't branded. I may check in with Marc at Long Island Watch to see if there making these without it.
@@tobias_dahlberg that would be cool if they are. I don't know that I've ever heard someone say that they liked the brand on the case. Maybe Invicta ruined it for everyone. Hahahaha
Horology in Sanity I don’t mind it actually.
I dig the orange minute hand. I have seen one though where the hour hand was orange instead
Yeah strange that, I've seen it too
So funny right around the time you posted this video I was buying the Tudor Pelagos. Its so interesting to see how similar they are both being 500M Divers. I was looking for a less expensive alternative to the Rolex Sea Dweller and looking at these two I have to say the Squale is a very attractive alternative to the Pelagos. Nice review.
The older 1521s had a 60 click bezel. Now they are 120 click.
Oh really? So this is older one then. I may need to see a new one.
@@RandomRobReviews My brand new release was 60 click
My Red 1521 is 120
My white 1521 is 120.
Here's the $1M question. If you modify an ISL-09 with orange hands...which do you go for on an orange nato in July?
No ETA anymore. Now it is Swiss Sellita SW200-1 Automatic
This brand gets a lot of hate (and not all of it is undeserved). It’s probably best to buy on the secondary market, but I really like mines. The offset crown is tucked in nicely that it doesn’t dig into the back of your wrist/hand, and the downward angled lugs has it sitting on your wrist nicely. The orange minute hand also was a nice touch IMO.
It's the perfect size but I can just barely use the small crown.
Hi in regards to the lume is it legible throughout the night?
It’s good for a few hours. I’ve had one for about 3 years. My Sinn 104 and my Islander diver last through the night. The Squale is good not great
How's this compared to seiko blue hole?
If you had to chose between the Squale 1521 and the Zodiac Sea Wolf. Which would be your choice and why? I really enjoy all your videos.
Certina PH500
I would like to purchase this watch from Long Island watch but I can’t justify spending the $$$ on it, I love my orient ray 2 that I’ve had since 2017 that keeps great time and lume for $145
Got it for 509 bucks used with the metal strap. Don't buy new. Great watch
Boy oh boy do I have a love hate relationship with the Skwaalee 1521. Part of me thinks it’s pure class, part of me wants to bash a certain TH-camr over the head with one and then flush it down the toilet.
Why no real bracelet option I wonder?
They do a mesh for it
Whenever I say squale I bring up a little sick in my mouth, lol.
I know many that feel the same way. I really like them.
If you looking for a blue watch it's a top contender. Compared to all watches not so much.
Try growing up
The problem with the squale watches the lume is very poor after 3 minutes it’s completely dark it’s not super luminova squale should improve the lume
Better blue in a Pelagos? Discuss.
Different
You could mod one of those so that you have a bead blasted case with the sunburst blue dial instead of the matte blue that originally comes with the bead blasted case.
That orange hand is a deal breaker for me
The Seiko king turtle mantra ray is a much better watch than that.
I really like that watch super sexy
Certina PH500 is better overall.
Meh I can't get over the fact that it's got a horrible sounding name and TGV keeps shilling the company
it looks pretty cool, but i don't know it's really worth the money they're asking without a bracelet. for 500 i'd get one as a fun summer watch.
still, for something that's supposed to be a serious dive watch from a serious dive brand making serious dive instruments, that weak printed lume is seriously disappointing and i'd expect much much better at that price point. they should also consider experimenting with different non-Rolexish indices, to have a more distinctive look (or if they wanna stay homage-ish, go more decisively towards a Blancpain look considering they used to produce stuff for them decades ago)
Questo Squale 1521.E ' pieno di difetti. Elenco i problemi: Indici poco visibili al buio, stampati e' non applicati . Lunetta non in ceramica, budget troppo elevato. 750€ Sono troppi. Lunico degno di nota e' il "Matic".