The Lost Ships of Cortés Project Aquadive is proud to be the official watch supplier, and financial supporter, of the Lost Ships of Cortés Project, one of the most important archaeological expeditions of all time.

In 1519, the Spanish conquistador, Hérnan Cortés, came ashore and established the first European settlement in what would later become Mexico, the town of Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz. In an attempt to prevent mutiny and abandonment by his men, he ordered 10 of his ships scuttled offshore, a remarkable act of “all or nothing” commitment. The remains of those ships have never been found.

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Cortés scuttling his own fleet |Alejandro Linares Garcia [CC BY-SA 4.0] Cortés scuttling his own fleet |Alejandro Linares Garcia [CC BY-SA 4.0] A map depicting Cortés’s invasion route from the coast to the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan. Yavidaxiu [CC BY 3.0]

 

In 2018, a team of underwater archaeologists set out to locate the lost ships of Cortés, using methods both high tech and incredibly basic, from systematic sea bed profiling to digging through meters of sand and clay. Near the end of the first season of work, the team made a remarkable discovery: an intact anchor, buried under the sand. Analysis of the style and composition of the anchor determined its age and origins, squarely from the era when Cortés landed on Mexican shores. It was a tantalizing clue that made news and brought the team back in 2019 with renewed enthusiasm. 

The 2019 season saw the Lost Ships of Cortés Project back in Mexico, narrowing down their focus on clues on the ocean floor, probing and excavating for evidence of those missing shipwrecks. The search area has been narrowed and further clues have been found. As the season winds down, the team packs up and heads for home, already eyeing a return to these Mexican waters.

Fritz Hanselmann uses a high pressure water jet to dredge sand at a dig site | Photo by Jonathan Kingston

Fritz with his well worn Bathyscaphe 300 | Photo by Gishani Ratnayake

Underwater archaeologist, Melanie Damour loads a hand-held magnetometer on the dive boat | Photo by Gishani Ratnayake

Aquadive has been a part of the Lost Ships of Cortés Project since the beginning, both as a sponsor and watch supplier. Team members have worn Aquadive watches daily, relying on them for timing crucial details from diver rotations to meal times. There could be no greater proving ground for a dive watch than this expedition, where daily exposure to sun, sand, and saltwater conspire to play havoc with equipment. We’re proud to say the Bathyscaphe 300, Bathyscaphe 100, and Bathyscaphe 100 GMT models on the teams’ wrists not only endured, but proved an invaluable tool for the project.

“My Bathyscaphe 300 has been on my wrist for the better part of eight years now, and it’s a crucial tool for my profession”, says Fritz Hanselmann, co-director of the Lost Ships of Cortés Project. “It’s got its dings and its dents and it’s got its character, but I wouldn’t change that because it helps me do what I do.”

Boat launches are always a strenuous and exciting process | Photo by Gishani Ratnayake

The Bathyscaphe 300 fits right in with the rest of the team’s dive gear | Photo by Gishani Ratnayake

An underwater metal detector helps narrow down the areas for excavation | Photo by Jonathan Kingston

Expeditions of this kind are not done quickly, and Aquadive has committed to being a long term partner to the Lost Ships of Cortés Project. Check back to this page for future updates on this exciting project.

For more information, you can follow the Lost Ships of Cortés Project on Instagram and Facebook.

Reviews and Testimonials Kind Words from Friends (and Strangers)

Just like our customers, we’ve never shied away from a challenge. Serious divers and collectors alike demand the best, and we’ve been fortunate to earn the praise of some of the most discerning voices in the industry. We’re not ones to brag, so take a look at how our products stack up in their own words:

Aquadive NOS Model 77 Dive Watch Review Video

Aquadive Bathyscaphe 100 Bronze Fratello Watches

Diving With the Aquadive Bathysphere 100 GMT  Hodinkee

Aquadive Bathyscaphe 100 GMT Monochrome Watches

Aquadive Bathysphere 500 Watch Report

Aquadive: Reviving a Classic Brand Watch Bandit

Aquadive Bathyscaphe 100 Gear Patrol

Aquadive Bathyscape  Divers Watches Group

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Yeah, We Really Did That Testimonials “This is, without any doubt, the best choice I’ve made in years regarding watches. I have nothing but praise for Aquadive for what they did and for the excellent support.” —Victor V., Romania “I received my watch today and it’s left me just speechless and in awe. I can’t stop looking at it on my wrist. There will only be ONEwatch on my wrist from now on, and it will be a Aquadive! How can you guys top this watch?” —Matthew W., USA “WOW!!!!! This is an amazing watch, the photos do not do this justice at all. Solid, retro, my wife says sexy!!!! It’s just absolutely amazing. 1st class customer service as well. Thank you Aquadive. “ —Phil, UK Convinced?

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Press Press > Review: Bathyscaphe 100 DLC Review: Bathyscaphe 100 DLC

Nowadays, you can hardly throw a dead fish without hitting another new dive watch brand. The availability of Far East shops that will stamp out a few hundred watch cases based on a napkin sketch means that almost anyone with a little ambition and a small loan can start their own watch company. And there are many, with names and retro designs evoking the romance and adventure of the early days of diving. While it’s great to see such a swell in interest in timepieces and the entrepreneurial spirit so healthy, it’s also great to see an old name revived and a brand that is staying faithful to its heritage. Case in point: Aquadive and its Bathyscaphe dive watches in two sizes. I’ve been wearing the smaller Bathyscaphe 100 in stealthy black DLC trim for the past few months and have come away duly impressed.

The Swiss brand, Aquadive, was popular in the 1960s and 70s and, as their name suggests, they specialized only in dive watches. Huge for their era, sturdy and affordable, Aquadive quickly became the brand of choice for recreational divers. Their innovative Time-Depth 50, with its integrated depth gauge and electronic movement cemented Aquadive’s name in the annals of great dive watches. Collectors hunt for Time-Depth 50s in good condition but, given their age and regular underwater use, they are scant. And while Aquadive produced other models over their brief history, the brand went the way of so many others when cheap Japanese quartz watches took hold of the market.

Read the full article at GEARPATROL here »