Aquastar (watch brand)

Aquastar was founded in 1962 in the city of Geneva in Switzerland by Mr. Frédéric Robert.[10] Mr. Robert, a diver, a sailor, a pilot, a mathematician and a watchmaker took over the brand JeanRichard® from his father and soon changed the name JeanRichard® to Aquastar to reflect the idea behind his venture, that is to create professional grade instruments for divers and aquatic activities.[11][12][13]

Within ten years of its foundation and with the help of the genius Marc Jasinski, Aquastar had been awarded numerous patents, based on each patent a new Aquastar family member was born.[14] The inner rotating bezel in the model 63, the multiple dive decompression bezel in the Deepstar, the Benthos and the Regate counter.[15][16] The new crown sealing system and the friction bezel ring, both were incorporated in every Aquastar and finally the regatta counter watches.[17]

Being envisaged as strictly professional instruments, Aquastar watches were only available through professional diving equipment outlets and were never offered on a large scale to retail distributors. While Aquastar timepieces set milestones in the development of dive and regatta watches, the lack of mainstream distribution channels could have been the reason why the brand’s success was the best kept secret among professional divers of that era.

Also, the formidable advance of the new quartz technology made it even more difficult for Aquastar and Frédéric Robert to continue innovating and developing new watches. As a consequence, Frédéric Robert moved to Bienne where he was hired as a consultant to design some of the world’s most recognizable, purposeful dive watches for the region’s most prominent watch manufacturer. At his capacity as a consultant, F. Robert was able to continue implementing his vision of the perfect tool watch.

In 1974 Frédéric Robert retired and in 1975 Aquastar was acquired by the Eren Group, also established in Geneva. The Eren group implemented a new strategy and created mainstream dive and sports watches which were then made available to the general public through retail outlets until 1982.

After the Frederic Robert era, Aquastar was acquired by the Geneva based EREN Group, which then sold it to the Seinet Brothers in 1982. Mr. Seinet, an avid sailor and 3rd generation watchmaker wanted to acquire a watch brand with its facilities and resources in order to start a new era of watch marketing in collaboration with Hollywood stars. Mr. Seinet acquired Aquastar and created the Alain Delon wrist watch.[18] In 1983 Mr. Seinet also realized that the traditional mechanical Swiss watches that were passed down through generations no longer appealed to the young population that had become used to the convenience and disposability of the quartz watch. He saw that the need for a new type of fashion watch was imminent and a change was needed from the traditional swiss watch to a new type of affordable timepiece made of plastic and housing robust quartz movements. Aquastar filed a patent for this new type of watch, which marked a new era of commercial success for the brand.

After achieving the necessary commercial success, Mr. Seinet decided to focus on his passion, which is sailing and continued the tradition of Frédéric Robert and created multiple generations of quartz regatta watches between 1983 until 2018.

Since its inception, the company has launched a number of product lines.[19][20] The model 63 was considered a great commercial success for the company and it was for many years the mainstay in Aquastars offerings. It was followed by the creation of the iconic Deepstar and the first Regatta. From that point onward, Aquastar elevated and became a cult company establishing itself as one of the most important specialized watch making companies. The Deepstar was first chronograph of the brand, and probably the most famous Aquastar model.[21][22] The Deepstar is highly sought after by collectors and it is considered one of the most iconic diver chronographs of all time.[23] The Deepstar demonstrated the design ethos of F. Robert since it was elegant and functional at the same time.[24][25] Below are the major watches of company:

• Model 60
• Aquastar Atoll
• Aquastar Seatime
• The Deepstar[26]
• Aquastar Regate[27]
• Aquastar Benthos 500[28]
• Aquastar Ethos