The Airstar story
A departure from the dive watch, built like one anyway.
The original 1965 Airstar was a purpose-built tool watch, a chronograph for pilots and aquanauts, Jacques Mayol and Philippe Cousteau both owned one. It departed from the dive tradition but kept the dive ethos: 200 meters of water resistance, a screw-down crown, a hardened crystal. The 60th anniversary Re-Edition uses a soigné-grade La Joux-Perret L113 column-wheel calibre made exclusively for the Airstar, the same family of caliber that powers the Deepstar III.
Further reading: the best Swiss tool watches by job.
In the Airstar line
Every Airstar we make today.
200 m water resistant. La Joux-Perret column wheel. Same case across both variants.
Frequently asked
Airstar questions, answered.
What is the Aquastar Airstar?
The Aquastar Airstar is a Swiss pilot's chronograph first released in 1965, the aviation-oriented complement to the Deepstar dive chronograph in the same era. Rated 200 m water resistant, unusually deep for a pilot chronograph, so it doubled as a dive instrument for aviators who dived. The 60th-anniversary Re-Edition released in 2025 runs an exclusive Soigne-grade La Joux-Perret L113 column-wheel calibre built specifically for Aquastar.
Who wore the Aquastar Airstar historically?
The Airstar was worn by Jacques Mayol, the pioneering French free diver whose record-breaking constant-weight descents in the 1970s and 1980s were partly logged on his personal Airstar. It was also worn by Philippe Cousteau, son of the Aquastar Deepstar-wearing Jacques-Yves Cousteau, on his own diving expeditions. Both connections trace to the original 1965 to 1975 production run.
What movement is inside the Airstar chronograph?
The 60th anniversary Airstar Re-Edition and the Airstar SS both run the La Joux-Perret L113 column-wheel chronograph movement in Soigne grade, adjusted in five positions with certificate. It is a mono-compax chronograph with 30-minute counter at 3 o'clock, running seconds at 9 o'clock, and central chronograph seconds hand. 55-hour power reserve, 28,800 vph. The soigne-grade specification is Aquastar-exclusive within the LJP range.
How is the Airstar different from the Deepstar?
Both are column-wheel chronographs from the same 1960s design era, both built in Bienne today. The Deepstar carries the patented no-decompression bezel for reading dive-time decompression limits; the Airstar carries a tachymeter-style scale for measuring speed or aviation time-in-motion calculations. The Airstar is 200 m water resistant so it can double as a dive watch. Both are 39 mm cases with the same L113 movement architecture.
Is the Aquastar Airstar a limited edition?
Yes. The Airstar Chronograph 60th Anniversary and the Airstar SS variant are both limited to 300 pieces per year. Each carries a serial engraving and ships with the LJP L113 column-wheel movement in Soigne-grade five-position adjustment. Production runs each year until the annual allocation is reached.
Other Aquastar families
