Aquastar 63: Frédéric Robert and the evolution of dive watches
· Mamontrevintage
In the 1960s, Aquastar designed watches around the specific needs of diving. Rather than simply improving water resistance, the brand developed inventions to make underwater time measurement and reading easier. The Aquastar 63, with its internal bezel, reflects this approach.
From JeanRichard to Aquastar: a focus on diving instruments
Aquastar's history is rooted in the watchmaking activities of JeanRichard S.A., a Swiss company that developed various marine instruments. Engineer and entrepreneur Frédéric Robert ran a workshop where measuring time and depth, along with underwater ergonomics, were central concerns.
The Aquastar name was officially registered in 1962, but research had begun earlier. On 30 December 1959, JeanRichard filed a patent in Frédéric Robert's name for a wrist-mounted set of instruments combining a watch, depth gauge, compass and thermometer. The idea was foundational: to develop diving instruments around the practical needs of their users.
Over the following years, Aquastar pursued inventions involving calculating bezels, depth measurement and crown systems. The Aquastar 63 line belongs to this tradition of Swiss marine instrumentation.
1962: the internal rotating bezel patent
On 13 February 1962, Aquastar filed patent application CH 1713/62, naming inventors Jaques Ochsenbein and Raoul-H. Erard. It describes a watch whose bezel turns inside the case beneath the crystal while remaining connected to external controls.
The aim was to protect the scale used to measure elapsed time underwater. An internal bezel, relatively shielded from direct contact with the diver's equipment, differs from a conventional notched external bezel. Its operation and control ergonomics require a distinctive case architecture.
The patent, published in 1964 , is an important document for the first Aquastar generation. It shows that reading and operating mechanisms were not merely stylistic features but watchmaking inventions in their own right.
Aquastar 63: steel case, automatic movement and instrument dial
TheAquastar 63 has a functional dive-watch design: a high-contrast dial, visible hour markers, steel case and peripheral scale for measuring elapsed time. Immediate legibility takes precedence over decorative elements.
The pictured version houses an A. Schild AS 1701 automatic calibre, a steel case approximately 38 mm in diameter and an internal rotating bezel. These components place the watch within the mid-twentieth-century Swiss industry, where case makers, movement suppliers and water-resistance specialists helped create dedicated instruments.
An automatic movement suited everyday wear without having to stop and wind the watch regularly. For a diving watch, fewer crown adjustments were also consistent with broader efforts to protect the case.
Aquastar and measuring time underwater
During a dive, a graduated bezel allows the wearer to align a starting point with the minute hand and quickly read elapsed time. Before personal dive computers, a mechanical watch was one part of a set of instruments that also measured depth and gas pressure.
Aquastar went further with several patented mechanisms. In 1964, a patent by Marc Jasinski under Frédéric Robert's direction covered a bezel intended to make no-decompression dive times easier to consult. It demonstrates a move from simply measuring time to interpreting it for practical use.
Aquastar was therefore not a single model: the Aquastar 63, Deepstar, Benthos and Regate used different functions and constructions, all reflecting the ambition to make watchmaking a practical tool.
The Aquastar 63 in the history of dive watches
Compared with post-war divers featuring external bezels, the Aquastar 63 represents another engineering approach. It protects the scale under the crystal and locates much of its function in the interaction between crown, case and internal bezel.
The 1962 patent and later work by the Aquastar team help explain the model's significance. Through this watch, a small Swiss manufacturer contributed to the development of professional and sporting instruments that accompanied the growing popularity of scuba diving.
Sources and documentation
- Aquastar — official Frédéric Robert archives and brand chronology.
- Aquastar — Swiss patent archive, including CH 1713/62.
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