I’ve gone back and forth on Squale way too often. Every few months, something on Gnomon Watches catches my eye, I start configuring one in my head, and then I move on. I got close to pulling the trigger on one of the brand’s GMT models once, like Kaz did but it never happened. So when the Squale Sub-37 Legend showed up this week, I’ll admit the timing felt right. A compact, no-date diver at 37mm with a strong vintage design language? Hard to ignore.
Squale has been building dive watches since the 1960s and earned a quiet but dedicated following among serious dive watch collectors who appreciate function and heritage over flashy marketing. In 2019, to mark its 60th anniversary, the brand introduced the Sub-39, a limited edition that pulled its proportions from an original 1960s prototype. The Sub-39 eventually transitioned into a permanent collection piece and grew to include COSC-certified variants and even a GMT. The Sub-37 Legend is the latest step in that lineage, and it does exactly what you’d expect from the name: it gets smaller.
At 37mm, this is firmly in vintage territory. The case is 316L stainless steel with a screw-down crown and 300 meters of water resistance. The dial is matte black with SuperLumiNova Old Radium on both the hands and markers, and Squale has gone with a sapphire box crystal meant to echo the look of old plexiglass. I like that. It tells you the brand is thinking about the overall character of the watch rather than just ticking boxes. The unidirectional bezel also gets lumed markers, which should help with actual underwater legibility.
Inside the Squale SUB-37 Legend, you get a Sellita SW200 with no date complication. Hours, minutes, central seconds. That’s it. Squale is calling this “time only” and leaning into the simplicity, which I appreciate. You’re looking at roughly 38 to 41 hours of power reserve, standard for the caliber. The watch ships on a Bonetto Cinturini strap in black vulcanized rubber, a solid pairing for the overall vibe.
Now, the Squale Sub-37 Legend is a regular production model, but each piece will be individually numbered. Make of that what you will. It gives the watch a limited feel without actually being limited.
At $1,750, the pricing makes sense for what Squale is offering. You’re getting a Swiss automatic diver with thoughtful vintage design cues, solid water resistance, and a size that a lot of enthusiasts have been asking for across the market. I keep coming back to the sizing. A 37mm diver with this kind of restraint feels like something that’s been missing for a while. Whether this is the Squale that finally gets me to buy in… I’m still not sure. But it’s closer than anything else has been. Not bad, Squale.
Co-Founder & Senior Editor
Michael Peñate is an American writer, photographer, and podcaster based in Seattle, Washington. His work typically focuses on the passage of time and the tools we use to connect with that very journey. From aviation to music and travel, his interests span a multitude of disciplines that often intersect with the world of watches – and the obsessive culture behind collecting them.