Don't miss the next drop
If you know, you know. Aquastar is one of those names that separates the casual vintage enthusiast from the true dive watch obsessive. Founded in Geneva, this small Swiss manufacture carved out an outsized reputation in the world of professional diving instruments throughout the 1960s and 1970s, producing watches that were actually used by divers, oceanographers, and military personnel who needed their equipment to perform when it mattered most. While the collector world has long fixated on Rolex Submariners and Omega Seamasters as the definitive vintage dive watches, the cognoscenti have always known that brands like Aquastar, Doxa, and Jenny Caribbean were producing equally capable, and in many cases more technically innovative, instruments for the same demanding underwater environments. The Aquastar name is perhaps best known for the legendary Deepstar chronograph, but the brand’s time-only dive models like this Ref. 1701 are where the real tool watch ethos shines through: purpose-built, no-nonsense, and designed to do one thing exceptionally well.
The Ref. 1701 is Aquastar’s quintessential skin diver, rated to a serious 200 meters and built with the kind of robust construction that justified that depth rating. The case is pure 1970s dive watch design, with angular, almost architectural lugs that integrate directly into the strap, creating a monobloc-like silhouette that was very much in vogue during the era. It’s a design language shared by contemporaries like the Omega Ploprof and certain Tissot divers, watches that prioritized function and water resistance above all else. The internal rotating bezel, operated via the crown, features a clean elapsed-time scale with hash marks and five-minute numerals, all protected beneath the crystal where salt water and debris can’t compromise its operation. The caseback confirms the watch’s professional credentials: “AUTOMATIC – STAINLESS STEEL BACK – 100% WATERPROOF – INCABLOC – ANTIMAGNETIC – SWISS MADE,” surrounding the Aquastar star logo and the Ref. 1701 designation. Inside, the automatic movement features an “Aquastar Genève” signed rotor, a lovely touch that reinforces the brand’s identity as a true manufacture rather than merely a case assembler.
This particular example is, without question, a survivor. The dial tells the story of a watch that has been somewhere. What was once a dark surface, likely black or deep grey, has undergone a profound and irreversible transformation, developing a dense, almost lunar landscape of white-grey mottling and speckling across its entire surface. The effect is striking: the applied block hour markers with their darkened lume slots stand in dramatic relief against this weathered backdrop, and the “Aquastar Genève” script along with the star emblem and “AUTOMATIC / 200 METRES / 600 FEET” text remain visible beneath the patina like archaeological inscriptions. The round luminous plots between the hour markers have aged to a warm amber tone. The sword hands retain their original luminous fill, now darkened. To be transparent, this is a dial with serious moisture exposure history, and the level of aging here goes well beyond what most would call a “gentle patina.” This is a watch that was used, likely in or around water, exactly as it was intended. And that, to us, is precisely what makes it so compelling.
The stainless steel case shows honest wear with surface scratches and tool marks around the caseback consistent with past servicing, and the angular lugs retain their sharp, defined geometry. The crown operates smoothly, and the internal bezel rotates as intended. The tropic-style rubber strap is a perfect period-correct pairing for a dive watch of this era, completing the utilitarian aesthetic.
This Aquastar is not for the faint of heart. It’s not a safe choice, and it’s not a watch you buy to impress people who only recognize crown logos. It’s a watch for the collector who gets genuinely excited by obscure dive watch provenance, who understands that a 200-meter Aquastar with this kind of honest battle damage carries a story that no safe queen ever could. In an era where vintage dive watches from the major Swiss houses command increasingly stratospheric prices, an Aquastar 1701 with this much character offers something almost impossible to find elsewhere: a genuine professional-grade vintage diver with real personality, at a price that lets you actually wear it.
