1970's Aquastar Benthos 500 (2nd series)

There’s no doubt that the Benthos 500 is one of the most capable dive watches of its day. It was built to take a beating, and in most cases they did - which is why when they rarely emerge, they look as if they've been recovered from the bowels of a 50 year old sunken submarine. This leads me to why this specific example is so special…  

ABOUT AQUASTAR AND THE BENTHOS 500

Known in the collector community as one of the most iconic early dive watches to have hit the market, the Benthos 500 from Aquastar brings some serious bragging rights to the party.

Founded in 1962, this Swiss brand hit the ground running, with ambitious goals to “create professional grade instruments for divers and aquatic activities.”

It wasn’t soon after the brand’s launch that they applied for and were awarded several patents that would set them apart in a highly competitive time for tool watches.

One such patent was for the Benthos “minute creeper” chronograph - a unique bright orange central minute timer (or “Totalizer”), that would continuously creep around the dial until it either hit the 60 minute mark, or was reset by the mono-pusher button at 4 o’clock. This timer was intended as a timing tool for divers, to use in conjunction with the outer-rotating bezel.

On top of this unique feature, the Benthos 500 was the first dive watch to claim a 500m depth rating, a performance metric that was no doubt reinforced by its thick steel case, and an unusually robust crystal (measuring at approx. 4mm thick!). The watch certainly has some weight to it, making it impossible to forget that you’ve got something special on your wrist.

…To say that this was cutting-edge technology for the time, would be an understatement.

Sadly, the company had to close in 1983 due to the quartz crisis. But collectors were happy to see the re-launch of the brand in recent years with the production of their iconic Deepstar watches. Hopefully the Benthos 500 will be the next to be brought back from the dead, but there’s been no news on this yet.

IN SUMMARY…

There’s no doubt that the Benthos 500 is one of the most capable dive watches of its day. It was built to take a beating, and in most cases they did - which is why when they rarely emerge, they look as if they've been recovered from the bowels of a 50 year old sunken submarine. This leads me to why this specific example is so special…

CONDITION

In the Watchable Shop, I try to hold a pretty high standard for the watches that come in. This collector-grade Aquastar Benthos 500 is no exception.

The unpolished case shows minimal signs of wear - much better than what you would typically expect from a dive watch of 50 years. The case edges are sharp, and the brushed finish on the upper side of the case is still pronounced.

The dial is is flawless with no blemishes. The hands are in near-perfect condition. The original tritium lume is fully intact, and has faded into a consistent light creamy yellow. The lime on all 12 of the hour markers has faded in a way that is consistent with the hands. There is no visible signs of moisture damage on the hands or markers, which is very rare to find in these watches.

One of the highlights of the watch is the outer-rotating bezel. It is in remarkable condition, nearly unfaded, with limited surface scratches. The uni-directional bezel still has a solid click, and encounters no tough spots as it makes its way around a full rotation. To find this watch with a bezel in such solid condition is rare, to say the least.

The watch comes with the original stamped screw-down crown at 2 o’clock. The case-back is also in unusually excellent condition, free of any significant scratches you would usually find from watchmakers tools.

The thick mineral crystal is in good shape aside from a scratch across the centre (roughly 12mm in length). The scratch does not impact legibility.

The watch is running great after a recent service. The orange central minute counter “minute creeper” resets flawlessly with the push of flyback reset pusher at 4 o’clock.

SPECIFICATIONS