
Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Aquastar Regate Automatic Yacht Timer, Lemania Calibre 1345 Movement, circa 1970s
- Maker / attribution
- Aquastar (maker)
- Date
- c. 1970s
- Historical period
- Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
- Country of origin
- Unrecorded in source
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Dimensions
- Case 39 mm
- Stock no.
- vws3671cs
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Vintage Watch Specialist (vws3671cs)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Aquastar Regate Automatic Yacht Timer - Lemania Calibre 1345 Movement - c.1970s (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by Vintage Watch Specialist (dealer), United Kingdom (stock number vws3671cs), this is a wristwatch by Aquastar, dated c. 1970s. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. Recorded dimensions: Case 39 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 — Vintage Watch Specialist
A Preowned Brushed Steel Aquastar Regate Yacht Timer with the Automatic Lemania 1345 Movement, c.1970s Aquastar Watches has carved its niche in horological history with pioneering designs, particularly in the realm of diving and aquatic sports timepieces. Established in 1962 by Frédéric Robert, the brand was born from a blend of Swiss watchmaking tradition and a passion for precision engineering. Aquastar quickly gained a reputation for its innovative features tailored to underwater professionals. The brand's introduction of the Deepstar in the early 1960s marked a turning point in dive watch design, featuring a rotating bezel that enabled divers to track their underwater time accurately. This tool watch was embraced by divers across the globe, known for its robustness and reliability under extreme water pressure. Throughout the decades, Aquastar's commitment to functional elegance has remained steadfast. The brand resurfaced in the 21st century, reimagining classic models with modern technology. Today, Aquastar continues to honour its legacy, melding vintage charm with contemporary advancements, capturing the hearts of watch enthusiasts worldwide. What's on Offer We are delighted to offer for sale this 1970s Aquastar Regate Yacht Timer Automatic, featuring a 39mm case designed with input from Lemania's head designer Albert Piquet and patented in the U.S. in 1975. The case, crafted from brushed stainless steel, has a tonneau shape that elegantly wraps around the wrist. It has beveled edges leading to straight-ended lugs, a lug-to-lug distance of 45mm, and a case thickness of 14.5mm, providing a commanding presence on the wrist. On the right side, you'll find the start/reset pusher alongside the crown. A thin polished bezel encases a domed crystal encapsulating a stylish silver sunburst dial encircled by a 60-minute countdown scale. This surrounds five apertures featuring blue and orange disk countdown indicators. Applied baton markers and Tritium dots denote the hours. When the chronograph is in operation, the disk transitions from blue to orange after a minute, while the orange hand counts down from 60 to zero. When 5 minutes have elapsed, all disks turn orange. Chunky pencil hands with Tritium inserts offer further visibility. At the 12 o'clock position is an Aquastar emblem, and at 6 o'clock, "Regate Automatic" is displayed, making this timepiece ideal for yachting enthusiasts. Housing the automatic Lemania Cal. 1345 movement with 17 jewels, operating at 28,800 vibrations per hour, and equipped with a flyback chronograph and yacht timer module designed by Albert Piquet, this watch remains collectable and would be a great addition to any collection as well as being a very wearable piece.
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.
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