Aquastar Benthos 500 Chronograph (Ref. 1002) "Minute Creeper", 1970s

Dealer description — Craft & Tailored

The Aquastar brand is "relatively" new to the watchmaking world as they didn't debut as a company until 1962 in Geneva and were most known for their watersport-related timepieces, such as diving watches and regatta chronographs. Included in that list is the now-famous Aquastar Benthos 500, the world's first-ever watch rated to 500 meters. Featuring a remarkable A. Schild cal. 2162 movement, the Aquastar Benthos 500 ref. 1002 is what is known to the horological community as a "minute creeper" or "slow counter". The minute creeper's chronograph hand advances by the minute, instead of by the second, resulting in a much slower revolution of the center chronograph hand. That being said, this chronograph tracks time in an extremely legible way. Indicated by a large, luminous, bright orange hand. A notable feature of the A. Schild cal. 2162 is that the minute counter chronograph is always running, and is reset to 0 by using the reset pusher located at the 4 o'clock position on the case. SPECS Stock # ASTB5001002 Brand Aquastar Style Benthos 500 Model 1002 Serial 21XXXXX Size Men's Material Stainless Steel Dial Blue Millimeters 43 Bracelet 2pc Handmade Leather Strap CASE & BRACELET The stainless steel case measures 43 millimeters and wears every bit of it exceptionally well. The case is thick, it's wide, it's pronounced. The bezel is a beautifully aged blue, faded to steel grey with a large and patinated 12 o'clock triangle. The case features a screw-down case back and is supplied with a beautiful 2pc brown leather strap. DIAL & HANDS The dial is a matte dark blue made all the more stunning by tritium hour markers aged to a pitch-perfect cream. The bright orange hand features matching tritium as well, and showcases the most fun aspect of the Aquastar. Divers could use the large broad arrow hand in conjunction with the rotating bezel to time their dives, not in seconds but in minutes as the hand slowly creeps across the dial at one-hour intervals. ACCESSORIES None. The watch is keeping time and functioning perfectly, previous service history is unknown.