Aquastar Model 60 Re-Edition Dive Watch Combo Package #AS-835778

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 modernized 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 years that followed.

The 2023 Model 60 continues Aquastar’s earliest traditions of capability, adventure and exploration, which began in earnest on January 23rd in 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 recognized as Aquastar’s inaugural tool watch, and would set an early precedent for the then-nascent maker, as Aquastar’s innovative and ultra-reliable watches would quickly earn a reputation as the foremost timekeeping choice for mariners, professional divers, and ocean conservationists alike.

Thoughtfully sized in a 37mm stainless steel case the Model 60 is a somewhat unique reference in the deep Aquastar archive, as it follows a more traditional dive watch execution, using bold hour markers and lume-filled paddle hands, a 60 minute rotating bezel, and a center-mounted seconds hand, eschewing the bold asymmetrical dial elements that would characterize later Aquastar watches, like the iconic Deepstar Chronograph. In keeping with Aquastar’s modern traditions, the new Model 60 maintains a robust 200 meters of water resistance, and is powered by a top-grade, 100% Swiss Made La Joux-Perret G100 automatic movement with 68 hours of power reserve, a solid Tungsten ball bearing rotor and the sophisticatedly engineered KIF shock protection system. The Aquastar model 60 comes on a choice of straps and bracelets. A seatbelt NATO, a genuine or a beads of rice stainless steel bracelet.

The G100 is manufacture calibre, developed and made in Switzerland, it is compatible in dimensions to the commonly used ETA caliber, yet it goes much further by featuring 68 hours of power reserve, KIF shock protection and heavy ball bearing rotor made of 100% solid tungsten. All features found in high grade Swiss calibers.

The G100 movement powering the Model 60 is the Top of the line G100 version. It is adjusted in 4 positions by LJP.