THE SUPERAUTOMATIC 1975

THE PAST

Alsta was best known for its smaller, thinner waterproof sports watches that were ready to go straight into any adventure on land, air or sea. These watches were also sufficiently thin and elegant to be worn under a shirt cuff.
In 1970, the Superautomatic arrived. Many were designated with “Nautoscaph Superautomatic” on the case back. Compared to the Nautoscaph it was a chunkier, more rugged looking professional grade divers’ watch with a unique cushion shaped case unlike any other on the market. It had a beautiful quirky detail on the dial and case back that designated its waterproofness to 999 ft! This meant that it was rated to a professional dive rating of 1000 ft or 300m. This detail was retained and still in use on the Superautomatic version of today.
The Superautomatic came on a variety of bracelets and straps but it was its appearance in the classic movie ‘Jaws’on a Speidel Mach 1 expandable bracelet that gave it the classic and unique look that has become the hallmark of the Superautomatic.
Like the movie, the Superautomatic was embraced by a cult following especially in North America and was a piece of Americana alongside lifestyles that included deep sea fishing, sailing and diving.

Image of the Alsta Superautomatic watch with rubber strap

Image of the Aslta Superautomatic from the side

THE PRESENT

The Superautomatic was revived in its latest version towards the end of 2019. It sports the same distinctive design features of its predecessor and is a professional dive-rated timepiece. The inscription 999 ft is still used on the new Superautomatic in a cheeky nod to its heritage.
Its case size has been increased to a contemporary 38mm from the original 36mm and the bracelet design is similar but not expandable like the 1970s version. It has a fixed link bracelet with deployant clasp and safety catch.
When the new Superautomatic was released, the naming ‘Nautoscaph’ was dropped from the original watch name to avoid any confusion between the two distinctive product lines. It was called ‘Superautomatic 1975’ as the watch was limited to 1975 pieces and this was the year the movie Jaws was released.

THE FUTURE

It was always an intention to make further iterations of the Superautomatic hence the production was limited to 1975 pieces. The Superautomatic of the future will be released true to the Alsta vision and it will be thinner, greatly refined and chronometer certified.

WHO IS THE SUPERAUTMATIC FOR?

Compared to the other timepieces in the current Alsta range, the Superautomatic is a more rugged watch made to withstand shock, water, heat, cold and magnetic force and can be positioned alongside the Nautoscaph, but at a more extreme level. Used for diving, skiing, surfing, sailing, deep sea fishing, rock climbing etc it still retains an elegant flair so that it can go seamlessly from the rock face to the board room.