2026-05-31
Best Watch Straps for the Squale Sub-39
Best Watch Straps for the Squale Sub-39
The Squale Sub-39 is the watch that made Squale a serious proposition for contemporary collectors. Where the brand's earlier models were primarily known to specialists and Italian Navy diving corps enthusiasts, the Sub-39 brought Squale into the broader collector conversation — a 39mm Swiss Made automatic diver at a price that made the specification genuinely compelling without compromise.
The Sub-39 family is Squale's most extensive range. The standard diver comes in multiple dial and bezel colours — black, blue, green, red, orange, and more. The GMT Vintage introduces a bi-directional 24-hour bezel and a vintage-inflected aesthetic with K1 glass bezel insert. The COSC certified variant uses a Sellita SW200-1 certified to COSC chronometer standards — an unusual specification at this price point. All share the same 39mm case architecture, the same 300m water resistance, the same box-shaped sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating, and the same 22mm lug width.
The case is polished 316L stainless steel with gently curved lugs and a 48.5mm lug-to-lug that wears proportionally across a wide range of wrist sizes. The screw-down crown and caseback provide genuine professional dive watch water resistance. Squale ships the Sub-39 on rubber or leather depending on the variant — both confirming the primary aftermarket materials for this watch.
Squale Sub-39 Strap Size
The Squale Sub-39 uses 22mm watch straps lugs — confirmed directly by Squale's own official website across all Sub-39 variants ("Lug width - 22 mm"), Gnomon Watches OEM bracelet page ("matches all Squale Sub-39 models or watches with a lug width of 22 mm"), and Long Island Watch authorised dealer specification ("22mm lug width").
Sub-39 standard diver (all dial/bezel colours) — 22mm watch straps. 39mm case, 12-13mm thick, 48.5mm lug-to-lug. Sub-39 GMT Vintage (blue, green, black variants) — 22mm watch straps. Sub-39 COSC Certified (green and other variants) — 22mm watch straps. All Sub-39 variants — 22mm watch straps.
The Sub-39 Colour Range — Strap Logic by Variant
The Sub-39 standard diver comes in a wide range of dial and bezel colours. Each creates different strap priorities.
Black dial, black bezel: The most neutral Sub-39. Any strap colour works. Warm brown leather creates maximum contrast. Black rubber creates a unified dark vintage combination.
Blue dial, blue bezel: Cool maritime palette. Navy nylon creates tonal coherence. Brown rubber or leather creates warm-cool contrast.
Green dial, green bezel: The most striking Sub-39. Olive or khaki nylon follows the green palette. Brown leather creates the most characterful warm contrast. Black rubber creates maximum tonal contrast.
Red/orange dial variants: Bold warm dial. Black rubber or nylon creates maximum contrast. Brown leather creates a warm, unified palette.
GMT Vintage variants (blue/green bezel, vintage aesthetic): The K1 glass insert and vintage character specifically suit rubber and leather over synthetic nylon. Brown leather on a GMT Vintage reads as a traveller's watch rather than a dive tool.
Best Rubber Straps for the Squale Sub-39
Squale ships several Sub-39 variants on rubber as standard — the brand's own validation of rubber as the primary material.
Tropical style FKM in black at 22mm watch straps — the most celebrated Sub-39 rubber combination. The vintage basket-weave and honeycomb patterns reference the professional dive watch culture Squale's heritage embodies. Black tropical FKM on the black dial Sub-39 creates a unified dark vintage combination with depth and texture that plain black rubber cannot replicate.
Brown tropical FKM at 22mm watch straps — particularly effective on the blue and green variants. Warm brown tropical rubber against a cool blue or green dial creates a striking temperature contrast — aged rubber on a modern professional diver.
Classic FKM rubber in black at 22mm watch straps — the most practical active upgrade. Premium FKM is waterproof, sweat-resistant, UV-stable, and odourless in a way that standard rubber cannot guarantee over time.
Blue FKM rubber at 22mm watch straps — for the blue dial and GMT Vintage blue variants. Blue rubber on blue bezel creates a tonal coherence that references Squale's own factory blue rubber strap on the GMT Vintage.
Green FKM rubber at 22mm watch straps — for the green dial variants and COSC green. Follows Squale's own factory green rubber on the GMT Vintage Green.
Best Nylon Straps for the Squale Sub-39
Single-pass nylon — Original at 22mm watch straps with the CNS solid buckle. Most appropriate Sub-39 colourways by variant:
Black dial variants: Black, olive, navy, Admiralty Grey, black and grey.
Blue dial/bezel variants: Navy — for tonal coherence. Black — for maximum contrast.
Green dial/bezel variants: Olive — the most coherent colour choice for the green palette. Canvas in olive for expedition character.
GMT Vintage: Navy or black — suits the vintage character without clashing with the K1 glass bezel's warm tones.
Marine Nationale elastic at 22mm watch straps — the most comfortable Sub-39 daily wear option. The French Navy professional dive heritage connects directly to Squale's own Italian Navy diving corps lineage. Navy for the blue variants. Black for the standard and green variants.
RAF single-pass nylon at 22mm watch straps — for the most specifically European military dive heritage combination.
Canvas at 22mm watch straps in olive — suits the green variants and GMT Vintage for a vintage expedition diver character.
Paratrooper elastic at 22mm watch straps — the most comfortable daily option.
Best Leather Straps for the Squale Sub-39
Squale ships the COSC variant on Italian-made leather as standard — the brand's own validation of leather as a primary Sub-39 material. Leather transforms the Sub-39 into a compelling sport-dress piece — the 48.5mm lug-to-lug and 12mm thickness make it proportionally well-suited to leather in a way that many larger dive watches are not.
Leather watch straps in dark brown at 22mm watch straps — the most celebrated Sub-39 leather combination. Warm brown against the polished steel case creates the warm-cool temperature contrast that reveals the Sub-39's character as a versatile sport-dress piece. On the blue GMT Vintage, warm brown leather creates a specifically traveller's watch combination — the same aesthetic as a GMT on a worn leather strap.
Leather watch straps in black at 22mm watch straps — the most formally correct combination. Following Squale's own leather strap choice on certain Sub-39 variants.
Leather watch straps in tan suede at 22mm watch straps — the most relaxed leather option. Particularly suits the GMT Vintage's vintage character.
Leather watch straps in navy at 22mm watch straps — for the blue GMT Vintage. Navy leather creates tonal coherence between strap and bezel in a formal register.
Leather watch straps in dark brown suede at 22mm watch straps — for smart-casual contexts.
Sub-39 vs Sub-37 Legend — The Strap Perspective
Both are Squale Swiss Made divers but they serve different purposes and suit different strap approaches:
Sub-37 Legend — 19mm watch straps. 37mm case, 11.2mm thick. Vintage-focused, no date, compact. Suits flat leather and vintage rubber most naturally.
Sub-39 — 22mm watch straps. 39mm case, 12-13mm thick. More contemporary, date display, broader colour range. Suits a wider range of strap materials and constructions.
The Sub-39 at 22mm has access to the largest aftermarket strap selection of any size. The Sub-37 at 19mm requires CNS's speciality odd size stocking.
The Squale Cluster
Squale Sub-37 Legend — 19mm watch straps. The vintage compact diver.
Squale Sub-39 — 22mm watch straps. The contemporary Swiss diver.
Recommended Combinations
Most celebrated — black tropical FKM at 22mm watch straps — vintage rubber on the Swiss professional diver.
Blue/GMT Vintage most striking — brown tropical FKM at 22mm watch straps — warm rubber on cool blue.
GMT Vintage most characterful leather — leather watch straps in dark brown at 22mm watch straps — traveller's watch on worn leather.
Green most coherent nylon — olive single-pass nylon at 22mm watch straps.
Blue most coherent — navy Marine Nationale elastic at 22mm watch straps.
Most comfortable daily — Marine Nationale elastic at 22mm watch straps.
Most practical active — classic FKM rubber in black at 22mm watch straps.
Frequently Asked Questions
What size strap does the Squale Sub-39 take? 22mm watch straps — confirmed directly by Squale's own official website across all Sub-39 variants and by Gnomon Watches' OEM bracelet specification ("matches all Squale Sub-39 models or watches with a lug width of 22mm").
What is the best strap for the Squale Sub-39? Black tropical style FKM at 22mm watch straps for the most characterful active combination — vintage rubber on a professional Swiss diver. Dark brown leather for the most celebrated dress-sport transformation, particularly on the GMT Vintage variants.
What is the difference between the Sub-39 standard diver and the GMT Vintage? The standard Sub-39 has a unidirectional diving bezel and Sellita SW200-1 automatic movement. The GMT Vintage adds a bi-directional 24-hour bezel for tracking a second time zone and uses the Sellita SW330-1 GMT movement. The GMT Vintage also features a K1 glass bezel insert and a vintage-inflected aesthetic with old radium-toned lume. Both use the same 22mm lug width and 22mm watch straps.
What is the COSC certified Sub-39? The Sub-39 COSC variant uses a Sellita SW200-1 movement certified to COSC (Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres) chronometer standards — meaning the movement has been tested and certified to run within -4/+6 seconds per day accuracy. This is an unusual specification at the Sub-39's price point. The COSC variant uses the same case and 22mm watch straps as all other Sub-39 references.
Does the Squale Sub-39 have curved lug ends? Yes — the Sub-39 has gently curved lugs. Most standard flat-end straps sit correctly on the Sub-39 without significant gap. Squale's own OEM bracelet has curved end links specifically designed for the Sub-39 case.
All CNS straps for the Squale Sub-39 are available at 22mm watch straps. Standard delivery worldwide. 30-day returns.