Squale Galeazzi Artiglio: A Century of Deep-Sea Ingenuity

The new Squale Galeazzi Artiglio tells a story that began long before dive watches became collectors’ favourites. Created with Italian subsea engineering company DRASS Galeazzi, the limited edition marks 100 years since naval engineer Roberto Galeazzi patented a spherical structure designed to withstand the immense pressure of the deep sea. It is the second chapter in a partnership built around a shared fascination with underwater exploration.

Born in Livorno in 1882, Galeazzi devoted his career to making work beneath the surface safer and more capable. His 1926 patent opened the way for lighter pressure-resistant structures and a range of specialist equipment. Among his best-known creations was the Butoscopic Turret, which reached 275 metres in 1930 and enabled deep-sea search and recovery without requiring its operator to decompress after a dive. Galeazzi’s work also extended to diving helmets and an atmospheric diving suit.

The Artiglio name recalls one of the most dramatic applications of that engineering. A bathyscaphic tower based on Galeazzi’s spherical design was deployed from the salvage ship Artiglio during the recovery of cargo from the wreck of the SS Egypt, around 130 metres below the English Channel. It was the kind of undertaking that made Galeazzi’s inventions valuable: equipment had to perform where ordinary diving methods faced severe limits.

For Squale, that history is a natural fit. The watchmaker has long centred its identity on instruments made for diving, while DRASS Galeazzi carries Galeazzi’s subsea engineering legacy forward. Their first Galeazzi watch drew on the Squale Master and paired professional dive-watch construction with the historic Galeazzi diver’s-helmet emblem. The Artiglio returns to the collaboration five years later with a more specific tribute to Roberto Galeazzi’s pioneering work.

Limited to 500 pieces, the new watch brings back Squale’s historic Wet Indicator feature. The DRASS Galeazzi logo is printed on the sapphire crystal rather than directly on the dial, giving it the appearance of floating above the blue surface beneath. That small visual decision suits the theme: there is a sense of depth before the watch ever enters the water.

The specifications support the story. The Artiglio has a 39.5 mm stainless-steel case, a rotating bezel and 600 metres of water resistance. Inside is an automatic ETA 2824-2 movement with a stated 42-hour power reserve. Those figures give the watch the substance expected of a serious Squale diver, while its compact proportions keep the historical references wearable today.

What makes the Galeazzi Artiglio compelling is the connection between its namesake and its purpose. Galeazzi developed tools to help people explore and work at extraordinary depths. Squale has translated that spirit into a watch: a modern diving instrument that gives one of underwater engineering’s pioneers a place on the wrist.