Only 24 Hours Left: The Fratello × Aquastar Deepstar II Pink Salmon Limited Edition

We are entering the final 24 hours of our one week sales window. The window closes tomorrow, July 26th at 16:00 CEST. In case our latest collaboration with Aquastar intrigues you, now is the last chance to place your order. Our Pink Salmon Deepstar II is meant to be the perfect summer companion. Together with Aquastar we designed a watch that is both cheerful and versatile at the same time: The Pink Salmon is fresh and fun without being loud. If this sounds like it will put a smile on your face during the coming summer days, then head over to our shop now before it’s too late.

At Fratello, we love a great-looking, approachable watch that can be worn by a wide variety of our readers. The Aquastar Deepstar II is a perfect example. Earlier this year, we became the first collaborative partner with Aquastar when we released our ice-blue Deepstar II Limited Edition. The response was overwhelmingly positive, and we felt it needed a fantastic follow-up. Today, we’re pleased to launch the Fratello × Aquastar Deepstar II Pink Salmon Limited Edition — only for pre-order in the Fratello Shop! You won’t have to wait for long, as we aim to deliver the first pieces within four weeks of the pre-order window closing.

In February, we were so pleased to become the first-ever partner with Aquastar when we released our limited-edition ice-blue Deepstar II of just 50 pieces. The watch sold out within minutes and received a lot of praise, but there was one concern. Apparently, we had made too few, and some of our readers felt left out due to time zones or travel. Needless to say, we heard you and started to discuss a sequel. However, we’ve always been clear that we will not release a collaborative watch unless it has a story. Our new Fratello × Aquastar Deepstar II Pink Salmon Limited Edition has a story, and it’s one worth recounting.

Shaking it up

Some might say that our original ice-blue Aquastar was a fairly easy play. After all, light blue dials are popular these days. We were clear, though, that we wanted to offer something in this shade for other reasons. We felt that the polished bezel and the jewel-like features on the Deepstar II dial would pair just as well with a lighter-colored dial as they do with the typical dark tones on standard Aquastar models. The result was spot on, so why not push further? With our new Deepstar II Pink Salmon Limited Edition, that’s exactly what we did.

To be fair, we started working with Rick Marei of Aquastar again soon after the success of our first collaboration. We were so excited about the response that we decided to harness that energy and plot the next move. Pink salmon was discussed and, frankly, it was controversial. Was it attractive to a wide-enough audience? Would it work with the Deepstar II case and dial? Once again, we ordered samples, and when they arrived, there was no question. We knew we had to go forward!

What’s new?

The new Fratello × Aquastar Deepstar II Pink Salmon Limited Edition sports some key differences versus our first release and the serial-production models. The most obvious change is the gorgeous sunburst pink salmon dial. Our photographer Morgan has done an amazing job of capturing it in many different lights, which is critically important, but it’s even more of a chameleon in the metal. This dial has many faces and encapsulates hues of pink, salmon, champagne, gray, and more depending on the environment. It was key for us not to choose a color too pink (or too salmon, for that matter), and Rick nailed it. Once again, we chose bright white Super-LumiNova instead of aged lume. It’s crisp and classy. Finally, note the use of a black sub-seconds hand and dial printing. We made these choices to ensure ultimate legibility and usability.

The Deepstar II Pink Salmon is supremely wearable

While we made some cosmetic changes to our Deepstar II Pink Salmon, we retained its original footprint. There’s a good reason for that because, as I’ve often said, this is one of the most comfortable watches we’ve tried and is the perfect unisex diver. So why alter a good thing? The vintage skin-diver case comes in 316L stainless steel and has a diameter of 36.75mm. The lug-to-lug is 46mm, and the thickness is just 13mm including the domed, AR-coated sapphire crystal. Of course, with a 200m water resistance rating, it has a signed screw-down crown and screw-in case back.

The Deepstar II includes its signature bidirectional external bezel with a “no-decompression” scale. It’s a nod to ’60s recreational diving and helps divers to calculate their maximum depth time during a dive so as not to require one or more decompression stops on their ascent to the surface. These stops allow the body to safely and slowly expel dissolved gases (primarily, nitrogen) from the blood. Without decompression stops, these gases would expand, turning into bubbles and causing decompression sickness and, possibly, even death. Today, a dive computer helps calculate these stops, but it’s nice that Aquastar has kept with tradition on its watches.

A robust automatic movement sans date

Underneath the unique, star-shaped case back of the Deepstar II Pink Salmon, we find the Sellita SW290-1 automatic movement. This is a trusted and reliable movement with a sub-seconds display. Most watches that use this caliber also feature a date, but that wouldn’t be consistent with the Aquastar design ethos. Aquastar has removed the “phantom date position” to create a clean, properly executed package — a detail that many other brands choose to ignore in favor of cost.

A comfortable beads-of-rice bracelet

The Fratello × Aquastar Deepstar II Pink Salmon Limited Edition will come exclusively with a 19mm beads-of-rice bracelet. It has a signed safety clasp and micro-adjustment positions (adjustable with a pin or spring bar tool). Plus, there are plenty of removable links that use screws instead of the less optimal pin and collar system. The bracelet has both matte and polished finishing which allows it to be worn by/in the water, at the office, or anywhere in between. My experience is that it has the right amount of heft to feel sturdy but is also light enough to work on the hottest summer days. Of course, the Deepstar II also pairs beautifully with a variety of straps.

Available now: the Fratello × Aquastar Deepstar II Pink Salmon Limited Edition

The Fratello × Aquastar Deepstar II Pink Salmon Limited Edition is available right now from the Fratello Shop, but there’s more news! We listened to your concerns about launching a small, fixed run of watches. Therefore, we will offer an ordering window only in the Fratello Shop from July 19th at 16:00 CEST until July 26th at 16:00 CEST. This means that everyone who orders will receive their Deepstar II. After the window closes, no additional Pink Salmon-dialed watches will be produced. We aim to deliver the first pieces within four weeks of the pre-order window closing, so you won’t have to wait for long! Pricing will be €1,950 (excluding VAT). We’re very excited by this release and can’t wait to hear the feedback from the lucky people who grab one!