2023 marks the opening of the latest chapter in the last great story in dive watches, as venerable Swiss dive instrument maker Aquastar returns with a new Model 60, a fully modernised tribute to the brand’s inaugural 1957 dive watch of the same name, which introduced a crucial safety measure for dive watches of that era: a friction ring in the rotating bezel to prevent accidental rotations. Devised and originally patented by Aquastar, this simple but critical feature would later become a standard feature echoed by legions of dive watches in the following years.

The 2023 Model 60 continues Aquastar’s earliest traditions of capability, adventure and exploration, which began in earnest on 23 January 1960 when US Navy Lieutenant Don Walsh, wearing an original Model 60 and co-pilot Jacques Piccard made a pioneering journey to the bottom of the Challenger Deep aboard the bathyscaphe Trieste to a record-breaking depth of 10,916 meters (35,814 feet).

Walsh’s Model 60 is recognised as Aquastar’s inaugural tool watch. It would set an early precedent for the then-nascent maker. Aquastar’s innovative and ultra-reliable watches would quickly earn a reputation as the foremost timekeeping choice for mariners, professional divers, and ocean conservationists.

DIAL:

• Black glossy dial design
• High-density filling old light Radium super Luminova application
• Re-edition of the Aquastar model 60 from 1957

CASE:

• Bidirectional rotating bezel on a ceramic bearing
• 316L Stainless Steel case with highly domed, AR triple-coated sapphire crystal
• Case Diameter: 37mm
• Bezel Diameter: 37mm
• Length from lug to lug: 47mm
• Case height: 11mm

MOVEMENT:

• High-end Swiss Made Manufacture caliber by La Joux Perret
• Physical Dimensions Ø26 mm x 4.50 mm
• Frequency 4 Hz
• Power reserve 68 h
• Lift Angle: 51 degrees
• Reassembly Clockwise (uni-directional) Automatic
• Number of rubies 28
• Rotor: 100% Tungsten, Ball Bearing
• Anti-Shock Device: KIF
• Country of Manufacture: Switzerland, Swiss-made

FUNCTIONS:

• Hour, minute and seconds indicators
• Bi-directional Rotating 60-minute elapsed time bezel on ceramic ball bearing

STRAP:

• Stainless steel bor bracelet with fitted endlinks
• Optional Seatbelt Nylon Strap or Genuine Tropic strap