Vintage Dive Watches
Vintage dive watches. Not inspired by the originals. Reissued from them.
Most vintage inspired dive watches are inspired by somebody else's watch.
Aquastar has been building dive watches in Bienne since 1962. The designs on this page were drawn here, patented here, and are built here today. The vintage watch being referenced is our own.
A reissue, not a reinterpretation.
The distinction that matters
Homage, or reissue?
A homage borrows a famous case shape from a brand that built dive watches in the 1960s and 1970s. It is a new watch wearing an old idea that belongs to someone else. Nothing wrong with it, but it is worth knowing which one you are buying. If you are still comparing across makers, our buyer's guide to vintage inspired dive watches under $2,000 covers the field.
A reissue comes from the archive of the house that drew the design. The case on a modern Benthos, Deepstar or Model 60 traces to a specific watch in the Bienne archive, from the same factory and the same patents. When the dial geometry looks period correct, it is because it was copied from the period drawing rather than from a photograph of another maker's watch.
The eleven Aquastar patents1957, 1962, 1970
Three dates the modern watches come from.
In 1957 the Model 60 established the cushion case skin diver, slim enough to wear and legible enough to time a dive. In 1962 the Deepstar added the column wheel chronograph and the no decompression bezel, the calibrated bezel that lets a diver read remaining bottom time straight off the watch. Frédéric Robert patented that bezel in Switzerland in 1964, and most modern dive watches borrow from it.
In 1970 the Benthos reached 500 meters without resorting to a monobloc case, the first dive watch case to manage it, which meant a watch that could be opened and serviced rather than sealed shut. French Navy combat divers were issued the third generation from 1979 to 1984.
The full dive watch collection
The reissues
Three watches, three decades.
Since 1957
Model 60
The earliest reference point
The 1957 cushion case, reconstructed from the original Bienne drawings. The smallest and quietest watch in the family, and the one the whole archive starts from. Don Walsh wore one on the bathyscaphe Trieste in 1960.
- 1957 original case
- Three hand automatic
- 200 meter depth rated
Since 1962
Deepstar
The chronograph, and the bezel
The 1962 Deepstar carried the no decompression bezel that became the brand signature. The Deepstar III revives the column wheel chronograph for divers who want the instrument rather than a tribute to one.
- Column wheel chronograph
- No decompression bezel
- 200 meter depth rated
Since 1970
Benthos
The 500 meter tool diver
The Benthos case reached 500 meters without resorting to a monobloc construction, the first dive watch case to do so. French Navy combat divers were issued the third generation from 1979 to 1984. The modern line uses the same case design.
- 500 meter depth rated
- Combat diver heritage
- Swiss automatic movement
A note for the buyer
Old design. New watch.
The part that is vintage is the drawing. Everything that keeps water out is current: a sapphire crystal instead of acrylic, modern gaskets, a Swiss automatic movement, and depth ratings of 200 or 500 meters depending on the family. These are watches you can dive, not display pieces built to look like ones you cannot.
Servicing is ordinary too. A full service every five to ten years is enough, even for a watch that dives regularly. Rinse it in fresh water after salt water and have the gaskets checked whenever the case is opened.
More on the skin diver caseFrequently asked
Common questions about vintage dive watches.
What is a vintage inspired dive watch?
A vintage inspired dive watch is a modern watch built to look like a dive watch from the 1950s, 1960s or 1970s: a domed crystal, aged-tone lume, a slimmer case, a period dial layout. Most of them are homages, meaning the design belongs to a different brand and the maker is reinterpreting it. The Aquastar watches on this page are a different case. The designs are Aquastar designs, drawn in Bienne between 1957 and 1977, and the modern watches are reissues of the house archive rather than interpretations of somebody else.
What is the difference between a vintage inspired dive watch and a homage?
A homage borrows a famous case shape from a brand that built dive watches in the 1960s and 1970s. It is a new watch wearing an old idea that belongs to someone else. A reissue comes from the archive of the brand that drew the design in the first place. The case shape on a modern Aquastar Benthos, Deepstar or Model 60 traces directly to a watch in the Bienne archive, from the same factory, the same patents and the same dial geometry.
Are Aquastar watches vintage, or new?
New. Every watch sold here is built now, in Switzerland, with a Swiss automatic movement, a sapphire crystal and modern water resistance. What is vintage is the design. Period Aquastar watches from the 1950s to the 1970s do surface on the collector market from time to time, but they are not sold by Aquastar and carry no factory warranty.
Which Aquastar is closest to the vintage original?
The Model 60. It reconstructs the 1957 cushion case from the original drawings and holds the mid-century proportions, so it wears like the watch it comes from. The Deepstar is closest for anyone who wants the 1962 column wheel chronograph and the no decompression bezel. The Benthos is the later professional tool, and the one with the French Navy service history.
Can you dive with a vintage inspired dive watch?
With these, yes. The Benthos line is depth rated to 500 meters and the Deepstar and Model 60 are rated to 200 meters, which covers recreational and technical diving. That is worth checking before you buy any vintage inspired watch, because a good number of them are styled as divers without being built as one. Period watches from the 1950s and 1960s are a separate matter and should not be dived without a professional pressure test.
How often does a vintage inspired dive watch need servicing?
An Aquastar needs a full service roughly every five to ten years, depending on how it is used. There is no annual service requirement, even for a watch that dives regularly. Rinse it in fresh water after salt water, and have the gaskets checked when the watch is opened.
From the archive
The originals, still in production.
Built in Switzerland, from the drawings they were first built from.
See the collection
