Doxa has been in the watch making business since the company was founded by Georges Ducommun in 1889. Doxa had patented its 8 day watch movement back in 1908 and this movement was so good that Bugatti used Doxa instruments in their racing cars. There’s a long and storied history leading up to today’s 50th anniversary edition, the SUB 300 re-issue.
After Georges died in 1936 the company was taken over by his brother in law Jacques Nardin, grandson of Ulysse Nardin. Doxa continued to make many styles of watches based on market demand. The 1960’s led Doxa into what they are most known for now, their divers.
In the 1960’s people began to enjoy a higher standard of living and were able to explore and enjoy new hobbies. With the introduction of the “aqualung”, invented by Jacques Cousteau and Emile Gagnan, people were now able to afford to scuba dive. Doxa jumped on this opportunity and designed a watch specifically for scuba diving. That watch was the SUB 300.
The SUB 300 came in a solid stainless steel case with a water resistance of 300 meters, or 1000 feet. They came up with a bezel that would use the Navy’s no-decompression dive table. Simple to use, when you are at your desired depth mark, you time yourself with the bezel, and the dive table on the bezel will tell you how long you can stay at the depth before you need to ascend. It’s not that safe, considering we have dive computers today, but it was very cool then and is still cool today. To get the best visibility, they determined the best color for the job was bright orange and this because it was visible down to a depth of 30 feet. Another cool feature they came up with was the “dwarf hour” hand. The idea was to make a very small hour hand so it does not distract from the minute hand you are timing your dive with. Covering the dial was a bubble plexi crystal.
To celebrate 50 years since the release of the SUB 300, Doxa has released the SUB 300 50th anniversary edition. Like the original, the case is stainless steel measuring 42.5mm wide and 13.4mm thick. Of course, they are using the bright orange dial that has made it unique since the beginning. The movement is an ETA 2824-2 Chronometer Grade version. The bracelet is the “beads of rice” style, which looks amazing on this watch. The bezel still has the Navy no-decompression dive table on it, and it’s just as cool today as it was 50 years ago. Instead of using the plexi crystal to cover the dial. Doxa have equipped the watch with a double bubble Sapphire crystal. Pre-order pricing is $1,990 USD or regular price of $2,490 USD. You can check them out at doxawatches.com
Review Summary
- Brand and model: Doxa Sub 300 50th Anniversary Edition
- Price: $1,990 preorder and $2,490 regular
- Who’s it for: Diver who love vintage
- Would I wear it: All the time
- What I’d change: Nothing
- The best thing about it: That double bubble Sapphire crystal.
Tech Specs from Doxa
- Materials: Stainless steel
- Crystal: Double bubble Sapphire crystal
- Dial: Bright orange
- Measurements: 42.6mm wide and 13.4mm thick
- Water Resistance: 300 meters or 1000 feet
