Aquastar Benthos 500 II Founder's Edition

The Flagship of the Aquastar watch family

Benthos 500 II 60-minute Chronograph

Benthos chronograph from 1970

“Like many of the innovations pioneered by Aquastar founder Frederic Robert, the Benthos chronograph from 1970 was light years ahead of its time,” says the Marketing Director of Aquastar. “Its utility was unique in that it was built around a central-mounted chronograph which could present dive time information in a clear and highly legible way. Sadly, the most commonly used modern automatic chronograph movements have not kept up with the ability to present information in such a way, which is why we are so proud to work with our partners at La Joux-Perret to not only revive the Benthos 500, but preserve its unique and incredible chronograph functionality with a new movement that is exclusive to Aquastar,” he continues.

Benthos 500 II Chronograph

“With every Aquastar release, we try to look at the product cycles introduced by the brand’s original founder, Frederic Robert, and look ahead to what he might still be producing, had the brand never been paused during the quartz crisis,” says Marei. “We are proud to be both historians and custodians of this rich brand, using the new BENTHOS H1 to pay tribute to Aquastar’s influence and innovations in the world of undersea exploration,” he continues.

UNMISTAKABLY a Benthos 500

The chronograph pusher has been relocated to 2:00, a more natural position for easy actuation (start/stop/reset) by the index finger when the watch is worn over the left wrist, even with neoprene diving gloves on. Of course, true to Aquastar’s form and function, this pusher may be activated even underwater, a signature utility of Aquastar’s modern dive chronographs

What is the Benthos 500 II Founder's Edition? +

It is Aquastar's most prestigious and technically advanced modern watch. It directly revives the 1970 Benthos 500, the world's first dive watch with a center-mounted 60-minute chronograph, in a faithful and modern re-edition built around an exclusive movement developed in partnership with Swiss manufacture La Joux-Perret. It is a limited edition of only 300 pieces worldwide.

Why was there no Benthos chronograph in the modern lineup until now? +

No commercially available modern automatic chronograph movement could replicate the center-mounted chronograph display of the original 1970 Benthos. Aquastar and La Joux-Perret had to develop the Calibre 1MPS exclusively for this model, a rare and significant undertaking that took years to complete.

What makes the center-mounted chronograph so special? +

Unlike standard chronographs that display elapsed time on a small sub-dial, the Benthos 500 shows the chronograph minute hand at the center of the dial, making dive time instantly readable at a glance, a critical safety advantage underwater. The original 1970 design was, as Aquastar describes, 'light years ahead of its time.'

What happened to the pusher location and why? +

The chronograph pusher has been moved to 2:00, a more ergonomic position that allows natural index-finger actuation when worn on the left wrist, even while wearing thick neoprene diving gloves. The pusher can be operated even while submerged.

Is this watch limited? +

Yes. The Benthos 500 II Founder's Edition is strictly limited to 300 pieces worldwide, each individually numbered and engraved on the caseback.

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Aquastar Benthos 500 II Founder's Edition

Reserve and check out securely on aquastar.ch. Every piece built, tested, and engraved with its serial number in our Bienne workshop.