After being under the ice for a while regarding the watches, the mood is starting to find it's way back. I've always been looking for objects out of the ordinary.. Watches that goes under the radar but has some sort of uniqueness. Thanks to my grandfather this is my seventh Aquastar and the Aquastar this time is the 63. Why its named 63 i don't know actually, maybe it was introduced 1963? If you would compare the Aquastar 63 with it's siblings this is one of the smaller models (37,5mm). Although it has the features that you would expect of a dive watch from the 60's. Decent WR with 20ATM, inner rotating bezel and a nice domed plexi that gives the watch at least another 3mm of height. When you open the caseback you find an automatic A. Shild cal. 1713. Personally I don't have a lot of experience with this movement but I've had a couple from A. Shild before and they've been great so I'm feeling comfy with this movement. As we all can see, the bezel is inside the plexi which in my opinion is a quite nice feature. Don't really know why but the raised numbers in the bezel gives some sort of nice depth to the dial compilation. The bezel adjusts with the crown, unfortunately the crown isn't a screw down, which would have been a nice thing. The dial is probably the most interesting thing with the watch. It's some sort of sunburst effect which contributes to a life in the dial that not even Rolex can achieve on their watches. With obscure lightning it can be perceived as matte but when just a little light hits the dial it shines up like something you don't see very often on watches. If you look on the dial from an angel you can't see any logo or text on the dial, it disappears, I would almost liken it with a mirror. Very effect full! And the lumedots is like my biggest crush, like small "golden" soufflés raising to the sky. And believe it or not, the hands is original and supposed to look like this, all because they believed that it would be easier to read the time if the lume was in another color, some people hate it, I love it! The watch was from the beginning delivered with a tropic strap and I've been trying that on the watch but in my opinion the nato works better on this, black, brown and navy blue is the favorites. Although this 63 is one of the simplest models to get your hand on, you'll never find them in this condition so for now, I'm quite stoked If you made it this far, I'm happy to tell you that you've reached the end. And guys, sorry for some of the grammatical issues in the text And the pictures:
Lovely. The prices of vintage Aquastar models have really come up over the past few years. I seem to recall seeing some go between 3-4 grand recently.
They're pretty cool watches. I have that one plus a benthos 500. Made the mistake of missing out on a deepstar chrono when they were still cheap . It's amazing to think that these watches were once critical to scuba diving safety. Funny how times have changed. Ps- what did you use to open up the caseback?
Lovely watch, great photos. My interest was piqued when I saw 'La Spirotechnique' at the top image, but it wasn't about them specifically. I wonder what their involvement, if any, was with the Aquastar range? I see their brand on the 'dive computer'/depth meter, if that's what it was.
Hi all , have dug up the discussion as i m going to purchase an Aquastar 63 ,in very nice condition , both case and movement , serviced three months ago , "patinated" dial Aquastar signed , not as nice as the one posted but it Worth ..will post pictures as i can . Anyway , talking over the watch , seller told me the inner bezel rotates even with crown pulled out , in hour /date set position ; and that put me in doubt as i had read in a couple of website that the bezel should rotate just when crown is pressed to the case , while pulling it out the bezel can 't move due to a spring and steam shape . Could anybody help me understanding? Thanks and many congrats to the opener for his Aquastar .
It's such a fantastic design, with the beauty of the case and the thick domed acrylic...like a whales eye...the serene depth....er. Sorry. Get it! Post lots of pics!
perfectly agree ,and think a reasonable measure for a professional tool that make it pleasantly wearable .May be i m wrong with i have said about the bezel...waiting adv from well informed
Hello guys, This is an awesome watch that I'm just discovering now. I have been offered one for sale and would like to ask for your opinion whether it's genuine. The case back has a serial number (maybe?) however it's engraved with 1713 not 1701. Thanks for your help.
Holy thread revival! Does anyone have a serial chart for Aquastar brand? I’ve scoured the inter webs but came up empty. Thanks