Aquastar’s Benthos Heritage II watch honors the past with a sleek update

You'll love the new Benthos Heritage II

By Nathan S.R Published January 27, 2025

Aquastar Benthos Heritage II — Aquastar Benthos Heritage II Aquastar / Aquastar

Aquastar has been rebuilding its legacy in recent years and is now on its A-game, thanks to the new Benthos Heritage II. It’s based on a diver watch from the 20th century. Back then, the brand was quite popular for its diver collection. In fact, the Benthos 500 was the go-to watch for the US Navy and other divers in the ’70s.

While the new model is not quite similar to the original, it is a continuation of the series, a successor of the watches that came before. The brand implemented the feedback it got from its customers, and one of the most sought-after features was a smaller and compact casing.

Recommended Videos

Unlike the Benthos Heritage I, a reimagining of the original watch that debuted in 2023, the new watch comes with a 40 mm casing, which is manufactured from ceramic. According to Aquastar CEO Rick Marei, “The Benthos Heritage II represents a perfect fusion of the rich heritage of the Benthos and contemporary proportions of 40mm and 12mm height.”

The casing also stands out due to the scale featured on the black bezel. Apart from guiding divers, the scale adds some character to the whole look. It blends perfectly with the black dial, which is accentuated by white hour markers.

Just like the Heritage I, the Benthos Heritage II has two crowns—at the 2 o’clock and 4 o’clock denotation.

The overall design, on the other hand, was inspired by the 2023 model. However, a few details—such as the ‘Benthos’ and ‘Aquastar’ inscriptions at 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock—were passed down from the first-ever Benthos Heritage timepiece.

It’s worth noting that the 2025 edition will be rolled out in two different variants—with a bracelet and a strap.

While the strap option costs $1,190, the bracelet option is $1,290. Since the Heritage II is a limited edition watch, it will be capped at 500 pieces only.

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Nathan has devoted his life to collecting watches, studying horology, reviewing watches, and writing about timepieces. As a…

Topics

Watches

Fashion & Style

The most underrated dress watches for men in 2025

10 Underrated dress watches every collector should consider in 2025

Longines dress watch

The best modern dress watches aren’t discovered in packed showrooms – they’re found by collectors who delve to look beyond the hype. We all know the perennial favorites, but there are a slew of seriously underrated men's dress watches that are true horological gems worthy of mentioning and possibly adding to your collection. A great dress watch goes beyond being a mere statement piece; it tells a story built on your personal style. Men's watches that are often overlooked but offer exceptional value and craftsmanship include the following:

IWC Aquatimer Automatic

Fashion & Style

Longines blends vintage charm and modern precision in this stunning 39mm watch

Longines Spirit Zulu Time 1925 Review: Vintage aviation luxury reimagined

The Longines 1925 timepiece worn by Henry Cavill

As one of the leading luxury watch brands in the industry, Longines is known for horological excellence, and with the recent release of the Spirit Zulu Time 1925 Edition, this homage to aviation combines elegance with state-of-the-art precision.

A striking design and aesthetic

Fashion & Style

anOrdain launches handcrafted porcelain watches

From fire to clay: anOrdain's porcelain revolution brings accessible artistry

anOrdain launches handcrafted porcelain watches

AnOrdain, a Glasgow-based company, built a loyal following—it made excellent hand-enameled watch dials and offered clear customer service. The Scottish maker then moved into a new material: porcelain. The company introduced its Model 2 Porcelain collection after three years of focused study. This collection gives customers a way to experience anOrdain's handmade dial art.
Work with porcelain began in 2022. At that time, anOrdain saw a need to broaden its selection. The company also wanted to keep its standards for handmade products high. Instead of buying porcelain dials from others, the company chose to learn this old art itself. AnOrdain's team spent three years with master potters from Stoke-on-Trent—a town known as a center for English pottery—learning how to make watch dials from English clay.
Making porcelain dials requires different methods than working with enamel. AnOrdain’s well-known grand feu enamel dials use glass powder on metal discs, which are baked at 840°C. But the new porcelain dials use English clay. Workers paint them with glass-like coatings and fire them at much higher temperatures, up to 1300°C. To achieve the black finish seen in the collection, the company experimented with many glaze mixtures, finally using a high amount of iron oxide.
After this hot firing, each dial shows slight differences. Small dips and dots appear as a sign of the handmade process. AnOrdain says these natural variations mean no two porcelain dials look the same. This celebrates the human touch in making fine watches.
The Model 2 Porcelain keeps the well-liked size and look of anOrdain’s enamel collection, but with some updates. The 39.5mm steel case holds the La Joux-Perret G101 automatic movement, which performs well. The hands have been significantly improved. White glowing material now fills loops that were previously empty, finished with fine gold frames. The seconds hand is more striking, with a bright red outer coat and a white tip.
Production capacity is small—anOrdain can finish about 30 pieces each month. The price is $2,440, which is $750 less than the enamel versions, even though they use the same cases and movements. The current wait time is six months, and customers can buy only one watch each. The Model 2 Porcelain shows anOrdain's commitment to preserving traditional crafts in modern watchmaking. It also offers affordable luxury through transparent dealings with customers.