Purpose-built for the emerging recreational scuba diving market, Doxa’s pioneering SUB would first plumb the ocean depths in 1967. Instantly recognizable thanks to its bright orange dials and shape (not too dissimilar from the Seiko Turtle), this affordable diver was a huge hit and spawned a cult following among recreational divers.
It was the first to feature a unidirectional bezel with dual markings for dive times and depths for calculating and monitoring no-decompression dives. Doxa was favored by the legendary diver Jacques Cousteau, it also found a place in the literary world – Dirk Pitt, the adventurer and protagonist of many Cliver Clusser novels was known to have worn a Doxa. Matthew McConaughey had one on his wrist when he starred as Dirk Pitt in 2005’s Sahara.
The company had slipped into oblivion for years before making a bit of comeback in recent years under a new management. It celebrated its 130th anniversary last year and introduced a flurry of limited editions including a $70,000 Sub 200 T.Graph in 18k yellow. Mercifully, the chronograph was later presented in stainless steel to mark its 50th anniversary.
This summer the Swiss brand releases a regular production version of the SUB 300 and presents it in six colorways, much like it did with the SUB 300T models last year. Doxa first tested the waters in 2017 with a limited edition SUB 300 'Black Lung' Diver, which was based on a rare prototype model from 1967. Like the original SUB 300, the case of the new re-issue is carved from a solid block of stainless steel, measuring 42.5 mm in diameter 13.4 mm in thickness.
The inserts of the diving scale through the inner ring of the bezel are black, with a dot at 12 o'clock. The depth indications in meters on the outer bezel ring are in color – either orange, yellow or blue – for visual differentiation, with a lume pip at 12 o'clock.
It is fitted with domed bubble sapphire crystal and the brand’s signature steel “beads of rice” bracelet which tapers to an integrated wetsuit extension. In keeping with the times, Doxa has also introduced rubber straps in colors for a tone-on-tone match with the dials, a first for its collections and a sporty alternative to the steel bracelet.
It is powered by a chronometer-grade ETA 2824-2 automatic caliber with a power reserve of 38 hours. The watch is presented in six colour options - Orange Professional, Silver Searambler, Black Sharkhunter, Navy Caribbean, Yellow Divingstar, and Turquoise Aquamarine. It is priced at 2,950 Swiss Francs on the steel bracelet and 2,450 on the rubber bracelet and is available now on the brand’s website.
