Aquastar Benthos 500 II Founder’s Edition

Aquastar unveils its most prestigious dive watch to date, built around a newly developed center-mounted 60-minute chronograph calibre exclusive to Aquastar

For over fifty years, the Aquastar Benthos chronograph has remained the paragon of capability and dive watch collectability — a rarity in watchmaking both for its unique design and functionality, and its actual rarity as surviving examples remain scarce and highly collectable. However, since the brand’s triumphant re-launch in 2020, the modern Aquastar catalog has been without this revered, and sought-after vintage icon, but it’s not without good reason: there have been no modern center-mounted chronograph movements commercially available for watchmakers to utilize. So in collaboration with La Joux-Perret, Aquastar rebuilt this key functionality, exclusively for its debut in the Benthos 500 Founder’s Edition.

Technical SPECIFICATIONS:

– Case: Aesthetics and dimensions of the original Benthos 500 from 1970, Height reduced to 15.4mm
– Dimensions: 42mm 316L Stainless steel (47mm lug-to-lug), 22mm lugs, Pusher at 2:00, Crown at 4:00
– Movement: Aquastar Calibre 1MPS Swiss-made Top grade, 60 Hour Power Reserve

– Functions: hours, minutes, seconds and center 60 minute counter
– Water resistance: 200 meters, 660 feet
– Crystal: Flat, triple-coated AR sapphire
– Dial: Semi-gloss Black, applied hour markers with high density SuperLuminova filling
– Bezel: Unidirectional 120 click rotating elapsed time ceramic bezel with SuperLuminova filled application
– Strap: Includes genuine 22mm ISOfrane Rubber

– Bracelet: BOR stainless steel, integrated endlinks will be available at special price for owners in July 2024

– Pre-Order Price: $2,790, Retail price: $3,790
– Limited Edition: Founder’s Edition limited to 300 pieces worldwide
– Delivery: First batch of 150 pcs. to ship May 2024, 2nd batch of 150 to ship in June 2024
– Bonus: First 150 orders receive a signed copy of Jason Heaton’s Novel Sweetwater.