Matic S Gajah Mada - Mosaic Rubber - Ltd Ed 80pcs

A New Flag, New Name, New Chapter

Created exclusively for Indonesia, the Squale Matic S Gajah Mada marks a special meeting between Squale’s longstanding naval heritage and a new chapter in Indonesian maritime history. This is not simply a global Squale release allocated to the Indonesian market. The Gajah Mada was conceived specifically for Indonesia, inspired by the soon-to-be commissioned KRI Gajah Mada and the historical figure whose name it proudly carries.

More than commemorating a vessel, the watch celebrates what it is about to become. A ship beginning a second life beneath a new flag, carrying a new name and taking on a distinctly Indonesian identity. Available exclusively through Gnomon Watches, the Matic S Gajah Mada is made for die-hard Squale enthusiasts, military watch lovers and collectors across the Indonesian archipelago.

There is also something rather unusual about the story behind it. This is not a military-inspired watch built around an imagined narrative. It is connected to an actual moment in contemporary Indonesian naval history.

Squale’s relationship with the Italian Navy stretches back to the 1980s, when the brand was awarded contracts to supply watches to a specialised naval unit. That genuine connection with military and professional diving forms the foundation of the Gajah Mada project. Yet this time, that Italian naval watchmaking heritage travels east, meeting Indonesia’s own maritime history through the transition of the former Italian aircraft carrier ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi into Indonesian service as KRI Gajah Mada.

Squale Matic S Gajah Mada - Mosaic Rubber - Ltd Ed 80pcs

From Italy, A New Chapter in Indonesia

Built by Fincantieri and commissioned in 1985, Giuseppe Garibaldi was a pioneering vessel for the Italian Navy, becoming its first through-deck aviation ship and serving at the forefront of Italian naval aviation for nearly four decades. Following its retirement in 2024 and succession by the larger Trieste, however, its story did not end.

Instead, another chapter began.

Transferred to Indonesia, the vessel will receive a new identity as KRI Gajah Mada, a name carrying particular significance throughout the Indonesian archipelago.

Gajah Mada was one of the most influential figures of the 14th-century Majapahit Empire, serving as its Mahapatih and playing a fundamental role in expanding its influence across much of the archipelago. He is perhaps most closely remembered for the Sumpah Palapa, or Palapa Oath, traditionally associated with his ambition to bring the territories of the archipelago together under Majapahit influence.

For a vessel beginning its new life in Indonesia, the name carries considerably more meaning than a simple change of designation. It connects a modern naval asset with a figure whose legacy has remained intertwined with ideas of unity, resolve and the archipelago itself.

As it prepares to enter Indonesian service, KRI Gajah Mada begins its second life far from the waters where its story first began. Adapted to serve as an operational platform for helicopters, unmanned aerial systems and humanitarian relief, the vessel represents an important addition to Indonesia’s maritime capabilities.

The dial captures a journey with Indonesia as its destination

Its journey from Italy to Indonesia therefore represents more than the transfer of a warship. It brings together two nations with deep relationships to the sea, connecting Italian naval engineering and experience with Indonesia’s own evolving maritime story.

The formal change of flag and commissioning ceremony is scheduled for September 25, 2026, marking the moment when this transition becomes official. During the ceremony, the Italian flag aboard the former Giuseppe Garibaldi will be lowered and Indonesia’s red-and-white flag raised in its place. The vessel will formally take the name KRI Gajah Mada, becoming the first aircraft carrier in the history of the Indonesian Navy.

Perhaps no moment better captures the meaning behind this project. One flag comes down, another rises, and Giuseppe Garibaldi becomes KRI Gajah Mada. It is a simple ceremony, but one carrying enormous significance. A ship with nearly four decades of history begins again, this time as an Indonesian vessel and beneath the Merah Putih.

It is this moment that gives the Squale Matic S Gajah Mada its reason for being.

A special series of commemorative Garibaldi timepieces has been created as official gifts for Italian and Indonesian dignitaries and key representatives involved in the historic cooperation. Alongside these ceremonial pieces comes something specifically for the Indonesian collecting community: the Squale Matic S Gajah Mada.

Made for Indonesia. Available exclusively through Gnomon Watches.

For us at Gnomon, that distinction is particularly important. We are not simply bringing another Squale model into Indonesia. We have the privilege of presenting a watch whose story now belongs much closer to home, one rooted in Squale’s genuine Italian naval history but created around an unfolding chapter of Indonesian maritime history.

The 37.8mm case balances function and everyday wear

The Matic S

The foundation for this special edition is equally significant. The Squale Matic S is a contemporary reinterpretation of the brand’s celebrated dive-watch designs of the 1970s, carrying forward the uncompromising functionality for which Squale became known among professional and recreational divers.

The Matic collection has long occupied an important place within Squale’s catalogue, but the Matic S takes its familiar character and condenses it into something noticeably more wearable.

Crafted from 316L stainless steel, its case combines purposeful brushing with carefully placed polished surfaces. The proportions have been reduced considerably from the larger Matic, measuring just 39.5mm in diameter, 47mm from lug to lug and 12.6mm thick. It gives the watch the wrist presence of a proper Squale diver without the bulk traditionally associated with professional dive watches.

The screw-down crown is positioned conventionally at three o’clock, while a solid screw-in caseback helps provide an impressive 600 metres of water resistance. Surrounding the crystal is a unidirectional steel bezel, generously treated with Super-LumiNova for dependable visibility when light begins to disappear.

Above it sits a domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment, but beneath that crystal is where the Gajah Mada begins to separate itself from the regular Matic S.

Super-LumiNova glows in the dark

A Journey Across the Dial

The dial captures a journey with Indonesia as its destination. Set against a deep black backdrop, the map is rendered in warm gold, with a fine route tracing the vessel’s passage from Taranto towards Surabaya. Yet the significance lies not simply in where that journey began, but where it ends. Upon reaching Indonesian waters, the vessel begins its second life as KRI Gajah Mada, giving the line across the dial a meaning beyond geography. It traces the passage from one naval identity to another, and the beginning of a new chapter beneath the Indonesian flag.

Running across that map is a specially executed route tracing the vessel’s journey from the Taranto Naval Base in Italy towards Surabaya, Indonesia. It is perhaps the clearest expression of what this watch represents. One line across two continents, documenting the physical journey between the vessel’s former life and the beginning of its Indonesian one.

Rather than allowing conventional hour plots to interrupt the artwork, the white hour markers have been moved onto the inner rehaut, leaving the map largely unobstructed. The result allows the dial to tell its story while retaining the legibility expected from a serious Squale diver.

The hands, markers and bezel receive generous applications of Super-LumiNova, while a discreet date display at three o’clock keeps the watch practical enough for everyday wear. The new Matic S signature completes the dial, subtly identifying the latest evolution of one of Squale’s most recognisable professional dive-watch families.

The 19mm steel bracelet continues the same interplay between utility and the dial’s warmer details. Predominantly brushed for a purposeful appearance, the intermediate links are finished with polished gold-plated accents that quietly echo the gold elements of the dial. A black mosaic rubber strap is also available for selection for a sportier outlook, giving the Gajah Mada a more utilitarian character when desired.

Inside beats the Sellita SW200-1 Elaboré Grade automatic calibre. Running at 28,800 vibrations per hour and equipped with 26 jewels, it provides approximately 42 hours of power reserve. It is a proven Swiss mechanical workhorse and an appropriate choice for a watch whose identity remains, above everything else, that of a proper professional diver.

Limited to only 80 pieces

Made for Indonesia

Limited to only 80 pieces, the Squale Matic S Gajah Mada occupies an unusual place within the brand’s story.

It brings together Squale’s decades of Italian naval and professional diving heritage with a moment that belongs distinctly to Indonesia. It honours the historical legacy of Gajah Mada, while at the same time marking the beginning of KRI Gajah Mada’s own story beneath the Indonesian flag.

And perhaps that is what makes this edition particularly meaningful. The map, the route and the naval connection are not simply decorative references added to create another military-themed dive watch. They document something actually taking place: the passage of a historic vessel across the seas and its transformation into KRI Gajah Mada.

For Gnomon Watches, this makes the project particularly close to our hearts. As long-time admirers of military watches and Squale’s uncompromising approach to professional divers, we wanted this edition to feel relevant not only to those who have followed Squale for years, but also to collectors throughout the Indonesian archipelago who understand the significance carried by the name on its dial.

Italian naval watchmaking forms its foundation. Indonesian maritime history gives it its identity. Created for Indonesia, available exclusively through Gnomon Watches, the Matic S Gajah Mada allows collectors to wear a small part of that unfolding history on the wrist.

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