Behind The Dial

Behind the Dial — Episode 2: Reading a Movement Spec SheetAlmost every mechanical watch listing ends with the same line of fine print: jewels, vibrations per hour, power reserve, automatic or manual winding, hacking seconds. Most people skim right past it. But every one of those specs is the answer to a problem watchmakers spent decades, sometimes centuries, trying to solve.In this episode, we take that line apart: where each spec came from, what it actually tells you, and where the marketing gets ahead of the truth.In this episode:• Why watches have jewels, and the 1704 ruby patent that started it• The "jewel wars" of the 1950s and '60s, and why 100 jewels didn't mean a better watch• What 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz) means, and the 1960s race to 36,000• Power reserve, and why so many automatics are stopped by Monday morning• Adrien Philippe's crown, John Harwood's self-winding wristwatch, and the Rolex rotor• Hacking seconds, the WWII A-11, and where the phrase "time hack" comes fromCHAPTERS0:00 Introduction0:30 The Spec Sheet1:05 Jewels2:45 Vibrations Per Hour4:00 Power Reserve5:00 Automatic and Manual Winding6:40 Hacking Seconds7:45 Reading the Line8:30 ClosingABOUT BEHIND THE DIALEvery watch has a story most people never see. The company that built it. The people who wore it. The history that almost disappeared. Each episode, we look past the name on the dial to the story behind it.Behind the Dial is presented by Blackland Watch Co.Shop online: https://blacklandwatchco.comInstagram: @blackland_watchGot a brand, a watch, or a piece of history you want us to cover next? Leave it in the comments.SOURCESWikipedia, "Jewel bearing"David Boettcher, "Watch Jewels," Vintage WatchstrapsTeddy Baldassarre, "Watch Jewels"Coronet, "A Look at 1960s and '70s Hi-Beat Swiss Watches"Worn & Wound, "Sellita Introduces the SW200-2"SJX, "Insight: The Keyless Works"Monochrome, "History of the Automatic Watch"Europa Star, "Fortis marks the centenary of the Harwood"Gear Patrol, "Hacking Seconds Explained"#WatchMovements #MechanicalWatch #WatchHistory #Horology #AutomaticWatch #WatchCollector #BehindTheDial #BlacklandWatchCo

In 1959, a diver named Charles von Büren registered a small trademark in Neuchâtel, Switzerland: Squale, Italian for shark. He built watch cases for divers, and for decades his best work carried other brands' names. One of his most famous cases is known to many collectors through a Blancpain.

In this first episode of Behind the Dial, we tell the story of the case maker behind the dive watch: how Squale earned the trust of professional divers, the Italian family who knew its watches from the water, the models that defined it, including the 1521, 50 Atmos, and 101 Atmos, and how the quartz crisis nearly made the brand disappear before most people knew it existed.

More than sixty-five years later, the small shark is still on the dial.

Behind the Dial looks past the name on the dial to the story behind it. Each episode covers one brand, one watch, or one piece of history most people never hear.

Have a brand or watch you want us to cover next? Leave a comment and let us know.

Presented by Blackland Watch Co., an authorized Squale retailer.blacklandwatchco.com | Instagram: @blackland_watch