The Squale 2001 origins reach back to the 1960s, when it earned the confidence of professional free divers and introduced what would become one of the brand’s most recognizable technical signatures: the crown positioned at 4 o’clock. In 1972, Jacques-Yves Cousteau selected a 2001 as a personal gift for Michel Laval, first officer of the Calypso, engraving the caseback with his own initials during an Antarctic expedition. That history is the foundation on which the 2001 Marina Militare was built, and it is the reason this particular reference carries a weight that goes beyond its specifications. The watch itself was developed at the direct request of the Italian Navy, whose operational requirements shaped every decision made during its production. The case dimensions and proportions were created exclusively for this commission and exist nowhere else in the Squale catalog. The blue dial and matching bezel were selected not for design reasons but to meet specific legibility standards, while the domed applied indexes were designed to remain readable at depth, in low-visibility underwater conditions. Under an agreement with the Italian Navy, this precise combination of geometry and color will never be reproduced in any future commercial variant. Until now, the 2001 Marina Militare had been distributed exclusively through military channels, available only to personnel of the Italian Navy. In 2026, for the first time, it is being made available to the public in a limited edition of 500 individually numbered pieces, each retaining the original technical specifications and the case back engraved with the Italian Navy emblem. The watch has not changed. The opportunity to own one simply has.