The legendary Aquastar Benthos Professional has evolved for the modern era, gaining an additional edge over its predecessors with a Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) coating.
This enhancement gives the Benthos Professional a sleek, sophisticated new look—equally at home on the wrist of a stylish gentleman about town or as an integral part of a professional diver’s gear.
While often mistaken for just an alternative black finish, DLC is a subtle yet significant upgrade. Its roots, like the original Benthos, date back to the early 1970s research by Aisenberg and Chabot. This tough, stealthy black shield is an amorphous carbon film that mimics the extreme hardness of diamond itself.
Its industrial pedigree speaks to its durability: DLC was first used in high-stress environments, including offshore and maritime industries, protecting internal components in deep-sea oil and gas drilling equipment from pressure, friction, and abrasion.
This extreme resistance makes it perfect for a high-performance diver’s watch, providing remarkable scratch resistance against daily scuffs and marks. Beyond toughness, DLC offers superior wearer comfort: its chemical inertness provides an exceptional hypoallergenic quality for sensitive skin. The result is a stunningly modern watch—rugged, comfortable, and finished with industrial-grade sophistication.
Aquastar has unveiled the Benthos Professional, the latest addition to its iconic Benthos family of tool watches. Developed in collaboration with professional, commercial, and sports divers, the new model reimagines the legendary Benthos 500 (1970) with a contemporary design built for modern underwater exploration.
First released in 1970, the Benthos 500 quickly became a benchmark in the evolution of professional dive watches. Worn by military and commercial divers—including pioneers such as Jacques Mayol—the watch earned its reputation as a dependable companion in extreme conditions.
The new Benthos Professional distills that spirit into a modern tool watch stripped back to its essentials: time-only functionality, rugged engineering, and uncompromising utility.
Faithful to the original Benthos 500 in form and silhouette, the Professional introduces modern refinements to enhance durability and wearability:
42mm 904L stainless steel case (47mm lug-to-lug) with reduced height of 13.9mm
DLC (Diamond-Like Carbon) coating for extreme scratch resistance
Crown at 2:00 and helium escape valve at 4:00 for professional-grade usability
Flat sapphire crystal with triple anti-reflective coating
300m water resistance (990ft)
Movement & Performance
At its core, the Benthos Professional runs on the tried-and-true Swiss ETA 2824-2 Elabore Grade automatic movement, offering hours, minutes, and seconds with proven reliability for divers and collectors alike.
The time-only format strips away distractions, reinforcing Aquastar’s philosophy of creating purpose-driven instruments.
Dial & Bezel
The dial embraces clarity and legibility under all conditions:
Semi-gloss black surface
Applied markers filled with X1 Super-LumiNova for maximum luminosity
120-click ceramic unidirectional bezel, also filled with X1 Super-LumiNova
Straps & Wearability
The Benthos Professional ships with a 20mm ISOfrane VS 1969 rubber strap re-edition, a nod to the golden era of dive watches while offering comfort and durability for modern divers.
Thoughts? A DLC Benthos is something myself and many others have been waiting for. We've seen how incredible this enhancement looks on a retro-styled diver's watch, how well it wears, feels on the wrist and holds up to even the toughest of environments, bravo! Please make a DLC HI or HII.
While often mistaken for just an alternative black finish, DLC is a subtle yet significant upgrade. Its roots, like the original Benthos, date back to the early 1970s research by Aisenberg and Chabot. This tough, stealthy black shield is an amorphous carbon film that mimics the extreme hardness of diamond itself.
Its industrial pedigree speaks to its durability: DLC was first used in high-stress environments, including offshore and maritime industries, protecting internal components in deep-sea oil and gas drilling equipment from pressure, friction, and abrasion.
This extreme resistance makes it perfect for a high-performance diver’s watch, providing remarkable scratch resistance against daily scuffs and marks. Beyond toughness, DLC offers superior wearer comfort: its chemical inertness provides an exceptional hypoallergenic quality for sensitive skin. The result is a stunningly modern watch—rugged, comfortable, and finished with industrial-grade sophistication.
Aquastar has unveiled the Benthos Professional, the latest addition to its iconic Benthos family of tool watches. Developed in collaboration with professional, commercial, and sports divers, the new model reimagines the legendary Benthos 500 (1970) with a contemporary design built for modern underwater exploration.
First released in 1970, the Benthos 500 quickly became a benchmark in the evolution of professional dive watches. Worn by military and commercial divers—including pioneers such as Jacques Mayol—the watch earned its reputation as a dependable companion in extreme conditions.
The new Benthos Professional distills that spirit into a modern tool watch stripped back to its essentials: time-only functionality, rugged engineering, and uncompromising utility.
Faithful to the original Benthos 500 in form and silhouette, the Professional introduces modern refinements to enhance durability and wearability:
42mm 904L stainless steel case (47mm lug-to-lug) with reduced height of 13.9mm
DLC (Diamond-Like Carbon) coating for extreme scratch resistance
Crown at 2:00 and helium escape valve at 4:00 for professional-grade usability
Flat sapphire crystal with triple anti-reflective coating
300m water resistance (990ft)
Movement & Performance
At its core, the Benthos Professional runs on the tried-and-true Swiss ETA 2824-2 Elabore Grade automatic movement, offering hours, minutes, and seconds with proven reliability for divers and collectors alike.
The time-only format strips away distractions, reinforcing Aquastar’s philosophy of creating purpose-driven instruments.
Dial & Bezel
The dial embraces clarity and legibility under all conditions:
Semi-gloss black surface
Applied markers filled with X1 Super-LumiNova for maximum luminosity
120-click ceramic unidirectional bezel, also filled with X1 Super-LumiNova
Straps & Wearability
The Benthos Professional ships with a 20mm ISOfrane VS 1969 rubber strap re-edition, a nod to the golden era of dive watches while offering comfort and durability for modern divers.
Thoughts? A DLC Benthos is something myself and many others have been waiting for. We've seen how incredible this enhancement looks on a retro-styled diver's watch, how well it wears, feels on the wrist and holds up to even the toughest of environments, bravo! Please make a DLC HI or HII.
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