Skip to content
Aquadive 20 Atm Dive Watch, 1970 — view 1 of 6
View 1 of 6 · Image: Craft & Tailored · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Aquadive 20 Atm Dive Watch, 1970

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Aquadive (maker)
Date
1970
Country of origin
Unrecorded in source
Object type
Wristwatch
Dimensions
Case 38 mm
Stock no.
AD70AM
Credit line
Dealer listing, Craft & Tailored (AD70AM)
Catalogue title (original)
1970's AQUADIVE 20 Atm Dive Watch (English)

View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction

Record summary

Catalogued by Craft & Tailored (dealer), Los Angeles (stock number AD70AM), this is a wristwatch by Aquadive, dated 1970. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. Recorded dimensions: Case 38 mm. The record is illustrated with 6 photographs.

Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.

Catalogue description

Dealer description — Craft & Tailored

In the 60s and 70s, divers the world over knew AQUADIVE. Aquadive's professional dive watches were highly sought after for both their toughness and their reliability under extreme conditions. Handcrafted form followed functional beauty, reinforced by Aquadive's close attention to detail. These were the hallmarks of AQUADIVE, making it the go-to watch of professional divers around the world. This specific AQUADIVE 20 ATM diver features the key elements of the "Golden Era" The two-tone dial and the colorful dial accents paired with the handset including the large orange lollipop sweep seconds hand are downright cool and eye catching.This full-size retro diver features a screw down crown and the redoubtable ETA 2873 full rotor automatic movement, which has just been fully serviced. This full-size retro diver features a screw down crown and the redoubtable ETA 2873 full rotor automatic movement, which has just been fully serviced. This would make a unique addition to any collection and is sure to stand out from the crowd! Stock # AD70AM Brand Aqua Dive Style Diver Model 20 ATM Serial 4544 Size Men's Material Stainless Steel Dial 2 Tone Grey Millimeters 38mm Strap NATO Strap CASE & BRACELET The Case of this AQUADIVE 20ATM Diver is in wonderful and original condition. The bezel and insert are also in immaculate condition and has taken on a wonderful gray fade. The watch will come on a tan NATO Strap. DIAL & HANDS The deep blue and gray dial are in absolutely flawless and stunning condition. The tritium lume dots show no degradation and the hands have achieved a wonderful golden yellow patina. The baton style hands and eye-catching Orange lollipop style sweep seconds hand are absolutely eye-catching. ACCESSORIES

Historical context

Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)

Seiko's Astron begins mass quartz timekeeping; traditional industries contract sharply.

Quartz and digital watches transformed the market after 1969. Swiss employment collapsed, Japanese and Hong Kong production soared, and the Swatch (1983) helped the Swiss industry recover; mechanical watches survived as luxury goods.

Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Modern Mechanical Horology

Atlas type guide

Dive and water-resistant watches

Keeping water and dust out of a wristwatch was a long-standing challenge. Rolex's screw-down Oyster case (1926) and Omega's Marine (1932) were landmarks; in the early 1950s Blancpain's Fifty Fathoms and Rolex's Submariner defined the professional dive watch with rotating bezels for timing dives, luminous dials and high water resistance. The ISO 6425 standard (1982) later codified what a 'diver's watch' must do.

Dive watches became icons of post-war design and exploration, and their evolution — helium escape valves, ceramic bezels, saturation-diving depth ratings — records the history of underwater work.

What to look for

  • Unidirectional or bidirectional rotating bezel with minute markings.
  • Screw-down crown and case back; depth rating printed on the dial.
  • Luminous hands and markers (radium before c. 1960, tritium c. 1960–1998, then Super-LumiNova).
  • Reference numbers on the case between the lugs or inside the back.

Dating clues

  • Screw-down Oyster cases: from 1926.
  • Professional dive watches: from 1953.
  • Tritium 'T' marks on dials: c. 1960–1998.

General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.

Related records