You don’t look at the back of your watch often, but this didn’t really inspire me. I prefer either a plain case back or a deep, stamped design. The case back is solid (which is a plus-point when the watch has an undecorated, basic movement) and etched with an image of a mermaid riding a dolphin. It’s a popular choice with smaller brands as it is reliable, pretty accurate and easy to service. The movement powering the Aquatico Sea Star 2 is the low-beat Seiko NH35. I really like the black and red colour scheme, although there are loads of other options available. It is slightly tapered inwards towards the case, which makes it easy to grip and operate and it rotates with a firm click and has very little play. On the negative side, there are quite a lot of sharp edges and the crown felt a little “gritty” to operate. The bezel, on the other hand, is great. There are no crown guards, which makes access to setting the date and time easy. There is a nice mix of brushed surfaces and polished bevels and it is very unintrusive to wear. The case itself is really nice: it has a slightly stepped shape, like the Emperor Diver, that makes it look thinner than it really is. This might not seem all that exciting, but once you have changed a few watch straps (and destroyed a few expensive straps thanks to digging around for the end of a spring bar) they really are a useful addition to any watch. The first positive I found was when I realised that I needed to remove the bracelet to fit it the right way round: drilled lugs.

My first impressions were not all that good: the watch arrives in a fairly unexciting box, and when I took it out for the first time I found that the bracelet was fitted upside down. This watch – in some colourways more than others – is clearly inspired by vintage Rolex divers and the Tudor Black Bay. The Aquatico Sea Star 2 300m is a diver’s watch that is unapologetic in its influences.

Aquatico watches