Aquastar: history, models and value

Founded

1962

Founder(s)

Frédéric Robert

Headquarters

Biel/Bienne

Owner / group

Synchron Group (since 2019)

Aquastar: origins and founding

Aquastar was created in Geneva in 1962. Frédéric Robert, a watchmaker who was also a diver and sailor, took over the JeanRichard company that his father had managed and renamed it Aquastar S.A. The company focused on tool watches for divers and later for sailors.

Founders and family

Frédéric Robert led the workshop and is named as inventor on several of the company's patents, for example a dial depth gauge (1963) and a crown seal (1965) that made the 500 m Benthos possible. He retired in the mid-1970s.

Aquastar history and milestones

• 1959: the predecessor company files a patent for a wrist instrument combining watch, depth gauge, compass and thermometer.
• 1962: the company is renamed Aquastar S.A.; the Deepstar dive watch line starts.
• 1964: patent for a bezel that helps divers plan several dives without decompression stops.
• 1965: the Airstar pilot's watch.
• 1970: the Benthos, tested to 500 m.
• 1974/1975: patent for a yacht-race timer (the later Regate); after Robert retires, the Eren Group buys Aquastar.
• 1982: the Seinet brothers buy the company. Aquastar focuses on quartz regatta timers, such as the Regatta 2000 (1984).
• 2019: the Synchron Group, led by Rick Marei, takes over and moves the company to Biel/Bienne.
• 2020 onward: re-editions of dive watches, starting with the Deepstar chronograph.

Famous Aquastar models

• Deepstar: 1960s dive watches, including a dive chronograph with a decompression bezel.
• Benthos: robust 500 m dive watch from 1970.
• Regate / Regatta: countdown timers for sailing races, mechanical and later quartz.
• Airstar and Model 60.

Movements and technique

Aquastar's strength was case and bezel technology rather than its own movements: inner rotating bezels, dive-planning bezels and improved crown seals. Modern models use Swiss automatic movements, for example the La Joux-Perret G100 in the Model 60.

Aquastar today

Aquastar SA is based in Biel/Bienne and belongs to the Synchron Group. It sells mechanical dive and sailing watches in the mid-price segment, many inspired by its own 1960s and 1970s designs and often in limited series.

Aquastar prices on the pre-owned market

Vintage Aquastar dive watches, especially Deepstar chronographs and Benthos models with original bezels and dials, are sought after by dive-watch collectors. Original bezel inserts are key, because they carry the decompression tables. Replaced parts and heavy polishing lower the value. Quartz regatta watches from the 1980s and later are more modest. Modern re-editions trade around or below retail, depending on edition size and completeness.

How to recognise a genuine Aquastar

On vintage pieces, check that dial, bezel insert, hands and case belong together and match documented examples of the same model. Bezels with printed decompression scales are often replaced, so compare carefully. Ask for papers and service history where possible. See our guide how to spot a fake watch.

What is your Aquastar worth?

Upload photos of the dial, bezel and caseback for a free watch value estimate. If you need a formal document for an estate or insurance, a written watch appraisal is available.

← All Swiss watch brands A–Z