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Vintage early Aquastar Benthos 500 Diver 500M Dive Watch rare

Estimated price for orientation: 2 500 $

Category: 1
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Description
Condition: Pre-owned: An item that has been used or worn previously. See the seller’s listing for full details and description of any imperfections. See all condition definitions- opens in a new window or tab ... Read moreabout the condition Brand: Aquastar
Case Size: 44mm Gender: Men's
Lug Width: 20mm Features: 12-Hour Dial
Style: Diver Movement: Mechanical (Automatic)
Age Group: Adult Water Resistance Rating: Diver's 300+ m for Mixed Gas (ISO 6425)
Model: Benthos 500 Display: Analog
Serial Number: 1090005 Watch Shape: Round
Year of Manufacture: 1960-1969 Case Material: Stainless Steel
Country/Region of Manufacture: Switzerland Band Material: Genuine Leather


Here's a highly sought Aquastar Benthos 500 with a ghost bezel and as much dive cred as a watch could ever have. It's massive, 44mm across and 46mm from lug to lug. Check out the deep dish dial with those cool markers and that 60 minute arrow counter and that amazing ghost bezel. Single Button Chronograph. Automatic movement. This is no safety-deposit box dweller; this one has the patina on the dial, the original polish on the case with some light scratches to prove that it has led an eventful life. This Benthos 500 is keeping excellent time. The chrono function works as it should. Push the button and the hand flies back to midnight (sometimes one minute more or less) then it counts off 60 minutes. You can't stop it. Once it reaches a full hour, it stops again. In order to reset, you press the chrono button, and it flies back again and restarts. The condition of the watch is excellent, given its age. The watch is all original and has a nice gray bezel, which has some marks from years of use. The watch case is in excellent shape, with some very small marks from 40-50 years of use. Glass is scratch free. Comes on a radically cool hand stitched snakeskin trap. Aquastar was formed in 1962 by Frédéric Robert. The company originally specialized in diving watches, as well as other equipment for diving such as compasses, temperature and pressure gauges. The first Aquastar diving watch, which this post will focus on, was called the “Benthos 500”. The source of the name of the watch was from the Greek word for the “bottom of the sea” and the depth rating for the watch, which was 500 meters. The depth rating for the Benthos 500 was quite significant at the time of its release, as it was the first diving watch to be pressure tested to a rating of 500 meters. This was accomplished through the utilization of rounded o-rings as opposed to the traditional flat o-rings that had been previously utilized. This was patented by Aquastar and helped to significantly improve the water resistance of the watch. The Benthos 500 model was produced between 1962 and 1972.