2023 Aquastar Model 60 Re-Edition 37mm Black Dial
Ref: M60
Specification
Lugs :Â 20mm
Condition :Â Pre-Owned
Box & Papers :Â Box & Card
Case Material :Â Stainless Steel
Warranty : 12-Months Warranty
Points of Mention
This watch is sold with its original Aquastar box and paperwork. The watch comes paired with its 19mm Aquastar seatbelt NATO strap with a signed pin buckle. The watch is from June 2023 and is sold in worn condition, but overall is in very fair condition, as you can see and comes with its Manufacturer's Warranty.
For more photos see here -Â https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1KGzZWHH6oc3p_jDGT4ecZtncutZcBtHG?usp=drive_link
4K YouTube video, skip to 16:18Â -Â https://youtu.be/umDC096ToZY
The Watch
Here we have a 2023 Aquastar Model 60 Re-Edition Black Dial, a modern tribute to their original 1957 dive watch which included their patented and clever safety friction ring inside the rotating bezel which helped to prevent it from accidentally rotating. Lieutenant Don Walsh of the US Navy and co-pilot Jacques Piccard achieved an unprecedented accomplishment on January 23rd, 1960. They successfully reached the bottom of the Challenger Deep, setting a new record with a depth of 10,916 metres (35,814 feet). This feat was accomplished while wearing an original Model 60 and aboard the bathyscaphe Trieste, this journey was made famous due to the Rolex Deep Sea Special being attached to the outside of the bathyscaphe. The 37mm brushed stainless steel case curves over your wrist with flat-ended tapered lugs, and a lug-to-lug length of 47mm and a case thickness of 12mm give the watch an impressive wrist presence. On the right side is a large screw-down signed crown. The bidirectional 120-click bezel has a 60-minute scale and a ceramic bearing holding a high-domed sapphire crystal AR triple-coated above a black dial. An outer minute track surrounds disc and baton indexes coated in “old light Radium” SuperLumiNova for that vintage aesthetic, at 3 o’clock a date window, baton and sword hands filled with the same “old light Radium” SuperLumiNova are complemented by a lollipop counterweighted second hand, at 12 o’clock we have the Aquastar Suisse motif and at 6 o’clock “Automatic 200m/600ft complete this faithful re-edition of a classic dive watch. On the reverse is a screw-down case back with the details of the watch around its edge and the Aquastar Deepstar in the middle, inside an automatic La Joux-Perret G100, 28 jewels, beating at 28,800 beats per hour, this quality movement is designed and manufactured by La Joux-Perret in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. The watch comes paired with its 19mm Aquastar seatbelt NATO strap with a signed pin buckle, and this watch is sold with its original Aquastar box and paperwork.
Personal Note
As a lover of vintage skin divers, it will come as no surprise I am a massive fan of this release by Aquastar! Very true to the original, even down to the wonderful proportions at 37mm and the stainless steel bezel. If I owned this, I'd rotate between the NATO and a nice brown suede strap, it would look incredible!
The Brand
In 1962, Aquastar was founded in Geneva, Switzerland by Mr. Frédéric Robert. With his expertise as a diver, sailor, pilot, mathematician, and watchmaker, he took over his father's brand JeanRichard® and changed the name to Aquastar to reflect his vision of producing professional-grade instruments for divers and aquatic activities. Thanks to the brilliant Marc Jasinski, Aquastar received numerous patents within a decade of its establishment. Each patent served as a catalyst for the creation of a new member of the Aquastar family, such as the multiple dive decompression bezel in the Deepstar, and the inner rotating bezel in the model 63. Additionally, the new crown sealing system and friction bezel ring were integrated into every Aquastar, as well as the regatta counter watches. In 1974, Frédéric Robert retired from Aquastar, and the following year, the Eren Group of Geneva acquired the company. Under the new ownership, Aquastar adopted a fresh perspective and began manufacturing dive and sports watches for the mass market. These timepieces were made available through retail channels until 1982. In 1982, Mr Marc Seinet, a third-generation watchmaker and an avid sailor acquired Aquastar and began to collaborate with Hollywood stars to put their name on a watch, the first was Alain Delon, but unfortunately, this was not a commercial success. In 1983 Mr. Seinet soon realised traditional mechanical Swiss watches that were passed down through generations no longer appealed to the young who had become used to the convenience, and accuracy but also the throwaway nature of a quartz watch. Rick Marei, the mastermind behind the resurrection of several Swiss brands, which included the return of the Doxa© SUB©, approached Aquastar and suggested a new online sales business model. Unable to come to a satisfactory agreement at that time, however, Mr Marei was able to successfully apply his new business model to the rebirth of the Doxa SUB© in 2001 to make Doxa© the first Swiss brand to offer its collection to a new online public. Marei successfully resurrected the famous Aquadive brand as well as two legendary names in diver’s straps, ISOfrane & Tropic. In 2019, Seinet and Marei agreed to reboot the Aquastar brand and start a new chapter in the brand’s history; unfortunately, Mr. Seinet parted ways taking his brand and funding with him. The Synchron group then stepped in and acquired the company lock-stock and barrel from Mr. Seinet including all of its blueprints and documentation relaunching the brand in 2020.