Why Aquastar

Questions we get,
answered plainly.

The short version of the long version. If you arrived at Aquastar by way of the other high-end Swiss dive watches or a vintage-chronograph rabbit-hole, this is the page that tells you whether the rest of the site is for you.

Who is Aquastar?

Aquastar is a Swiss dive-watch manufacturer registered in Geneva in 1962 as Aquastar S.A. (ci-devant JeanRichard® S.A.), though the workshop, under its earlier JeanRichard® S.A. name, was already filing dive-instrument patents from 1959. Between 1957 and 1977 the brand filed eleven patents that became the technical foundation of the modern dive watch, including the no-decompression dive bezel (1964) and the dual-gasket waterproof crown that made the 500 m Benthos possible (1965). After thirty-six years specialising in digital regatta timers, the Regatta 2000 line, mechanical dive watch production resumed in 2020. The workshop today is in Bienne, Switzerland.

Read the 1962 story →

What did Aquastar invent?

Eleven patents filed between 1957 and 1977 by JeanRichard® S.A. / Aquastar S.A. of Geneva under the direction of Frédéric Robert. Robert himself is the inventor of record on four, the 1959 combined wrist instrument (watch + bathymeter + compass + thermometer, CH 351 225), the 1963 dial bathymeter (CH 394 658), the 1965 dual-gasket waterproof crown (CH 15 601/65) that made the 500-meter Benthos possible, and the 1966 improved bathymeter (CH 436 746) built for the Cousteau-era saturation dives. The other seven were filed by the team Robert assembled at the Geneva workshop: the bezel friction ring that made the 1957 Model 60 a dive instrument (Fred Byrde, 1957), the inside-the-case rotating bezel (Ochsenbein + Erard, 1962), the no-decompression dive bezel (Marc Jasinski, 1964), the patent that became the modern Swiss dive-watch standard once it lapsed, an improved inside-case bezel (Robert Borne, 1968), a diver’s slide-rule (Hannes Keller, 1973), the yacht-race timer that became the Regate (Albert Piguet, 1974), and an early electronic depth-measuring apparatus (Ulf Tamm, 1974). One brand. One workshop. Eleven inventions that built the modern dive watch.

See all eleven patents →

Is Aquastar a microbrand?

No. Aquastar is a Swiss manufacturer with sixty-four years of continuous operation, ten foundational patents in the dive-watch field, three Marine Nationale procurement contracts (the French Navy issued the third-generation Benthos to combat divers throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s), and inclusion in the U.S. Navy diving manual. Production has been continuous since 1962, mechanical dive watches until 1984, the Regatta 2000 digital line from 1984 to 2020, and a return to mechanical dive watches from 2020 onward.

Why haven’t I heard of Aquastar?

Between 1984 and 2020 Aquastar made digital regatta timers for competitive sailors, a niche the wider watch media doesn’t typically cover. Mechanical dive watch production only resumed in 2020. Most collectors who arrive at Aquastar today are coming from other high-end Swiss dive-watch brands or a vintage-chronograph rabbit hole, and looking for something older, smaller, and more specifically built for diving. The watch press has been catching up since 2020.

See the press coverage →

What is a skindiver watch?

A "skindiver" is a watch-collector term for a compact, no-frills dive watch from the late 1950s and early 1960s, typically 36 to 38 mm in diameter, with a rotating dive bezel, a hand-wound or simple automatic movement, and a hairline-detail dial. The name comes from skin diving, the sport of diving with mask, fins and a snorkel that predated SCUBA. Aquastar’s Model 60 traces directly to a 1957 reference and is one of the few skindivers still produced by an original manufacturer.

See the Model 60 →

What dive watches does Aquastar make?

Four families, all traced directly to specific Aquastar watches from the 1957 to 1970 archive: the Deepstar (the dive chronograph, since 1962), the Benthos (the 500 m diver, since 1970), the Model 60 (the cushion-case skindiver, since 1957), and the Airstar (the pilot’s chronograph, since 1965). All four use modern Swiss mechanical movements and the original case geometry.

See the collection →

Who has worn an Aquastar?

Don Walsh, the first human, with Jacques Piccard, to reach the bottom of the Mariana Trench in 1960, wore an Aquastar Model 60 on that dive, a fact he personally verified to the brand. Jacques Mayol rotated three Aquastars through the 1970s, the Deepstar chronograph, the Benthos 500, and the Regate yacht-timer, and the watch on his wrist for his 1976 descent past 100 m on a single breath, off Elba, was the Benthos 500. Philippe Cousteau wore both the Deepstar and the Benthos throughout the Calypso years. The Marine Nationale issued the third-generation Benthos to its combat divers from 1979 to 1984. Today, the writer Jason Heaton owns and wears Aquastars across his work as co-host of The Grey NATO and as author of Depth Charge.

See all the people →

How much does an Aquastar cost?

Live pricing and stock for every reference are on aquastar.ch, that is the single source of truth and the only place to order. New mechanical Aquastars cover four families (Model 60, Deepstar II, Deepstar 39 mm Chronograph, Deepstar III, Benthos, Airstar) at price points appropriate to each. Limited editions occasionally sit higher than standard production.

See pricing →

Where is Aquastar made?

Bienne, Switzerland. Every modern Aquastar is assembled, regulated, and tested in our Bienne workshop. The Geneva workshop (1962 to 2020) is closed; the Bienne workshop accepts appointments for collectors visiting Switzerland.

How is an Aquastar serviced?

In Bienne, by a master watchmaker, in-house. We service every Aquastar we have ever made, including vintage Deepstars from 1962, Benthos divers from 1970, and the Regatta 2000 digital line, for the life of the watch. We hold parts for 1962-era movements. There is no "discontinued" in our catalogue.

Book a service →

What’s the difference between a vintage Aquastar and a modern one?

The case geometry is unchanged. The bezel pattern is identical, the original 1962 blueprints, kept by the Robert family, were used to specify the modern bezel-cutting tooling. The dial typography, the crown, the case-back gasket pattern, the hand shapes are all the same. What’s changed: modern Swiss movements (La Joux-Perret hand-wound column-wheels in the chronographs, ETA-derived automatics in the divers) where the originals used the discontinued Valjoux 23. Lume is now Super-LumiNova rather than tritium. Sapphire crystals rather than acrylic. Modern gaskets that hold their seal across service intervals.

Are Aquastar watches limited editions?

Most are. Total annual production is under 2,500 pieces across all four families. Limited editions are numbered and engraved on the case-back. Standard production runs are not numbered but are made in small batches, with allocation released on a rolling basis. The Founder’s Editions of the Deepstar and Benthos are limited to a few hundred pieces each and are usually allocated within weeks of release.

Is the Regatta 2000 still made?

No. The Regatta 2000 line ended in 2020 when the workshop moved to Bienne and mechanical dive watch production resumed. Existing Regatta 2000 watches remain serviceable at the Bienne workshop, we keep parts. Vintage Regatta 2000 examples turn up regularly on the second-hand market and are quietly collectible among competitive sailors.

Three doors

Pick one and start.

Further reading: heritage reissue versus homage, and the best Swiss tool watches.