Andreas Gregoriades and the
Thalassa Matics...
Andreas Gregoriades is probably most well known for his activity on Facebook. Back in 2011 he started five watch-focused chat groups on Meta's platform where like-minded folks could chat and share pictures of their watches. The largest of which by far (and the most popular watch group on Facebook) is 'Divers Watches', packing well over 72,000 members!
But Andreas also runs a 'bricks and mortar' watch store, LocalTime, in Cyprus. His business, originally selling vintage watches, has been running since 2006. Many of the pieces he sold back then were rare early Squale divers... a fact he somewhat regrets.
He now sells modern watches and is a Squale authorised dealer - and having personally purchased from him in the past, I can confirm he is a good one. Here is his story...
"I had known Squale for a very long time due to my past experience with vintage watches, but I first made contact with the company in 2013 when I was restoring a very nice Squale cased diver that required a new crystal. Thankfully Squale had a super-dome Plexiglas in stock, and my Agena was complete."
"My Divers Watches Facebook group releases many special limited edition pieces with other dive watch brands, like the Prometheus 'Zenobia' (named after a famous shipwreck) and Crepas 'Caretta Caretta' (referring to the turtles that nest around the island). And after I became a Squale AD... it was only a mater of time before we collaborated on a Limited Edition watch together."
"I knew that my Squale collaboration watches would have no date; it's a personal preference of mine... less is more! And after I visited the Thalassa Museum with my family, I knew just what I was going to call my Limited Edition pieces."
"I produced 100 date-less Thalassa pieces with Squale; 50 classic polished case versions with blue sunburst dials; and 50 more tool watch inspired versions with brushed case and matte black dial."
"Both versions feature the logo of my Divers Watches Facebook group on the dial above 6, an FKM rubber strap, and have their LE number engraved on the case-back. This engraving was important to me; it not only confirms the LE number, but is preceded by unique Thalassa model numbers including the letter designation 'MATIC' for the watch 'DW' for the Facebook group and 'BK' or 'BL' for the colour variant - thus confirming for the future that these were official Squale variants."
"In Greek mythology, Thalassa was the Goddess of the Sea; quite apt for such beautiful and capable dive watches I thought. In the picture above, you can see me presenting the Thalassa with Andrea Maggi at World Time, an annual watch show in London.
Would I collaborate again with Squale? Absolutely... I just need to find the right story; a theme that inspires a new special watch. It's not just a commercial decision."
Stefano Mazzariol and the
Essemme 300...
Stefano Mazzariol is probably most renowned in the wider-world for his unbelievably deep knowledge of vintage Rolex. His watch store, Vintage Watches SRL, in Livorno, Italy, is a literal gold mine for collectors around the world.
Stefano's character shines through in his daily Instagram video posts, where he answers questions from Rolex collectors in need of his knowledge.
We here, though, are not interested in that huge chunk of Stefano's working life (or the Rolex watches that fill it). We want to know about a creation he made for those of us who dwell in the waters of Squale; the Essemme 300 Super. Here is his story...
"My first contact with Squale, and the good people of the Maggi family, was when a very special series of 1521 were produced in dedication to Watch Insanity, the leading web magazine founded in Italy in 2015, specialising in 'insane' or, rather, incredible 'haute horlogerie' watches."
"I already knew of the Squale brand and its deep history. And I have always appreciated the watches they produce; all created with a vintage flavour while remaining contemporary."
"So the idea was born to create a watch entirely designed by me, and the name given to it is made up of my initials... ESSEMME.
I wanted a practical, robust watch, but one that gave the unique warm character and flavour that can normally only be found in vintage pieces."
"The first critical design factor for me was a case that could utilise a plexi-glass crystal; the domed plexi gives the watch reflections and colors that the cold flat sapphire glass does not.
Squale found me a convex Hesalite crystal, a plastic some seven times more resistant to stress than the standard Plexi crystals. So the first step was done."
"Second step was the dial, and my choice fell on a classic matt black finish, but with the Squale logo placed at 12 o'clock (as has been done on a few other historic Squale) and the typography 'Essemme 300' in yellow at 6.
Unusually for Squale the Essemme 300 features an arrow hand for the hours. The sword minutes hand is more expected, but unusually it's not orange, as all hands, including the lollypop seconds, are yellow.
The luminous material on the dial was applied in 3d, so not flat as on the 1521, but raised, and in a colour that I wanted to look aged; yellowed by time exposed to the sun, and defined as old radium."
"The bezel is unidirectional, with a luminous sapphire insert that glows the same colour as the dial. The case is similar to the 40mm Super Polipetto, but with a large 7mm crown, and finished with a brushed top surface and polished sides. The case back is engraved Squale Essemme and carried the LE number of the watch. 30 Essemme watches were produced, and all sold out before production.
Here is the exciting bit... in 2023 the MK2 ESSEMME is being prepared, but only in 30 numbered pieces."
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