Squale
Squale Super-Squale 42 mm Black Grade
Photography on request
Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Squale · Super-Squale
Squale Super-Squale 42 mm Black Grade
Reference 16994OR.42
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Squale
- Collection
- Super-Squale
- Model
- Squale Super-Squale 42 mm Black Grade
- Reference number
- 16994OR.42
- Year / era
- 1996 · 1990s — mechanical revival
- Complication
- Perpetual calendar
- Movement
- Automatic COSC chronometer
- Case material
- Grade 5 titanium
- Dial type
- Black lacquer
- Strap / bracelet
- Jubilee bracelet
- Water resistance
- 150 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 42 mm
- Case thickness
- 10.2 mm
- Case material
- Grade 5 titanium
- Bezel
- Baguette diamond rainbow
- Crystal
- Box sapphire with AR coating
- Dial
- Black lacquer
- Hands
- Blued steel Breguet-style hands
- Indexes
- Applied Arabic numerals with luminous coating
- Bracelet / strap
- Jubilee bracelet
- Clasp / buckle
- Triple-folding clasp with safety catch
- Water resistance
- 150 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 14F — Automatic COSC chronometer
- Movement type
- High-frequency automatic
- Frequency
- 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 38 hours
- Number of jewels
- 21 jewels
- Complications
- Perpetual calendar
- Functions
- Hours, minutes, small seconds
- Watchmaker
- Assembled and regulated by a single watchmaker, who signs off the piece before casing.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1996 – 2012
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Trades close to retail on the secondary market, with steady demand for full-set examples.
Designer
Jörg Hysek
Jörg Hysek left Rolex and Seiko's European studios to build a design practice in Geneva, giving houses such as Vacheron Constantin, Breguet, Seiko and TAG Heuer their sculptural, architecture-led cases before founding his own brand, HD3.
Historical significance
Squale Super-Squale 42 mm Black Grade sits within Squale's Super-Squale line, introduced in 1996. It carries the house codes established since 1946 — grade 5 titanium case, black lacquer dial and automatic cosc chronometer — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
- The bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
The House
Squale
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1946
- Founder
- Charles von Büren
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Affordable & Tool Watches
- Major collections
- 1521, Super-Squale, Matic, Sub-39, 2002
- Signature technologies
- Anti-magnetic silicon escapement · Composite and ceramic case materials
- Famous movements
- Quartz · Automatic COSC chronometer · Automatic Powermatic 80 · Automatic, 38-hour reserve
- Notable watches
- Squale 1521 43 mm Slate Platinum (1954) · Squale 1521 44 mm Black 18k (1955) · Squale 1521 41 mm Black 18k (1984) · Squale 1521 36 mm Black Platinum (1966)
Brand history
Squale has spent more than 80 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's 1521, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Charles von Büren established Squale in 1946, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Squale calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1946
Charles von Büren founds Squale in Switzerland.
1969
The quartz era forces Squale to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Squale enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Squale continues to produce 1521, Super-Squale, Matic and other icons in limited numbers.
More Super-Squale
Squale Super-Squale 36 mm Black Stainless
Ref. 66544ST.79
Squale Super-Squale 41 mm Black Grade
Ref. 80262OR.36
Squale Super-Squale 43 mm Black 18k
Ref. 42289OR.93
Squale Super-Squale 44 mm Slate Sapphire
Ref. 73393OR.57
Squale Super-Squale 43 mm Blue Quartz
Ref. 81428OR.64
Squale Super-Squale
Ref. COLL-SUPERSQUALE