SPECIFICATIONS
Rare Aquastar “Deepstar” chronograph with a stainless steel case and a Valjoux 23 manual-winding chronograph movement, from the mid-1960s.
37.5mm stainless steel case
Original rotating bezel
Original luminescent coating
Black Tropic strap
Original buckle
Valjoux 23 chronograph movement inside
ANALYSIS
This professional diving watch has become a fixture in the collective imagination of enthusiasts as a milestone in deep-sea exploration, having been worn by the great Jacques Cousteau since 1965, who never left it behind.
This extraordinary chronograph – lovingly nicknamed “Big Hey” due to the large, single subdial that fills a large portion of the dial – is made by Aquastar Geneve, a Maison founded in 1962 by Frédéric Robert, son of Yvan Robert, the youngest of the three brothers who continued the great Minerva manufacturing company in Villeret. Frédéric first registered the name “Aquastar” in 1957 (registration no. 168166) on behalf of the company Jeanichard S.A., which he co-founded in 1945. He later registered the five-pointed starfish logo that appears on the dials and casebacks of Aquastar watches (registration no. 193062 from 1962). He was a great diving enthusiast, as well as a great watchmaker and designer (he would later design the “Flightmaster” and “Ploprof” models for Omega); Indeed, he was a sailor and a professional diver, and he focused all his energies on developing his Aquastar brand from its founding until 1975, when the company was acquired by the Eren Group.
The “Deepstar” was one of the most successful and iconic watches launched by F. Robert. It combined the sportiness of an innovative design with the technical and professional use of a diving chronograph.
The dial of this “Deepstar” is the typical light slate gray color with white graphics. Offset to the left and superimposed are the “Acquastar Geneve” and “Deepstar 10 ATM” signatures with the marine stable logo. Between these signatures are the running seconds without the characteristic subdial. The entire right section of the dial is occupied by the large white minute counter subdial. At 12, 6, and 9 o’clock are large, truncated-triangular indexes with the original luminescent paste in their centers, the same as the round dots at the hours. The hands are also very typical of the model: the hour hand is truncated at the tip; the minute hand is pencil-shaped. Both hands are filled with the original luminescent paste.
The steel case with screw-down caseback also has its own instantly recognizable design, drawing inspiration from the large production of Skin Diver watches of those years. Above it, framing the dial, is the bidirectional rotating bezel for tracking dive and decompression times. A large lume dot is positioned for ease of use and visibility while diving.
Powering this iconic and rare watch is the solid and precise Valjoux 23 hand-wound chronograph movement. It is 13″ lignes (29.5mm) wide, has 17 jewels, oscillates at 18,000 vph, and has a 46-hour power reserve.
