It was the head of DOXA product development, Urs Eschle, who had a vision to create a precision timepiece for the growing number of professional and recreational divers. We owe him a great deal. Introducing the DOXA Sub Dive Watches ….
all images © DOXAwatches.com unless stated otherwise
It was in the early 1950’s when people had just been given the invention of the Aqua-Lung. What Eschle wanted was a reliable and robust watch that moved away from the military look and feel of the dive watches from the last decade. And that’s precisely what we got – this stunning range of instantly recognizable Doxa diving watches.
An Introduction to Doxa
Doxa is a Swiss luxury watch brand that is known for its high-quality dive watches. The brand has a long history of producing reliable and durable dive watches that are popular among both professional divers and watch enthusiasts. One of the most iconic Doxa dive watch models is the Doxa Sub.
Bright Orange Highly Visible Dial
The Doxa Sub dive watch was first introduced in 1967 and quickly gained popularity among divers due to its innovative features and bright orange dial, which was highly visible underwater. The watch was also equipped with a unidirectional rotating bezel, which allowed divers to time their dives accurately.
Continuous Improvement & Innovation
Over the years, the Doxa Sub has undergone several updates and improvements, but it still retains many of its original features, including its distinctive orange dial and durable construction. Today, Doxa offers several different versions of the Sub, including the Sub 200, the Sub 300, and the Sub 600T, each with its unique features and specifications.
Key Features of Doxa Sub
Some of the notable features of the Doxa Sub dive watches include:
- Water resistance: All Doxa Sub watches are water-resistant to a minimum of 200 meters (660 feet), making them suitable for diving and other water activities.
- Case construction: Doxa Sub watches are constructed from high-quality materials, including stainless steel and scratch-resistant sapphire crystal, to ensure durability and longevity.
- Bright dial: The bright orange dial of the Doxa Sub makes it highly visible underwater, and the watch’s luminous markers and hands ensure easy readability in low-light conditions.
- Unidirectional bezel: The Doxa Sub’s unidirectional rotating bezel is an essential feature for divers, as it allows them to time their dives accurately and safely.
Overall, Doxa Sub dive watches are highly regarded among watch enthusiasts and divers alike for their quality, durability, and unique design features.
In the beginning – a 12 year old’s vision
Georges Ducommun was only twelve years old when he began his apprenticeship with an established watchmaker in 1880. Over several years Georges imagined ways that he could improve the components to make an even better watch. He soon realized it was time to move on and open his own business. And that’s what he did in 1889 aged just 21 “Georges Ducommun, Fabriques Doxa” started manufacturing his own watches.
Enter Jacques Cousteau
He also wanted to produce an affordable watch purpose-designed for the expanding community of underwater explorers. He set up a team that included professional divers such as Claude Wesly and none other than Monsieur Jacques-Yves Cousteau – co-inventor of the Aqua-Lung
Certified Genuine Doxa Sub Divers on eBay
Discover a collection of genuine DOXA Sub watches – all covered by the industry respected eBay Authenticity Guarantee ✅. Why risk buying a Doxa divers watch with no provenance or certification when you can purchase one without risk on eBay. The certificate of authenticity comes with NO COST to the buyer whatsoever – it also makes re-selling the watch a lot easier in the future. Click the banner below to browse the latest offerings. This is a direct link to eBay with filtered results to show only the best authentic Doxa Sub watches on the market today.
Ernest Jones for Luxury Watches (UK)
Our shopping partner for customers in the UK is Ernest Jones. Please click the banner below to browse their wide range of watches from leading brands including Citizen, Seiko, Bell & Ross, Breitling, Omega, Bremont, Tudor, G-Shock and TAG Heuer to name just a few
Divingstar Yellow or Sharkhunter Black?
When one begins their Doxa journey it can get a bit confusing with regard to model nomenclature. Is that the Doxa Sharkhunter or the Doxa Divingstar? … the Whitepearl or the Caribbean? The reason for this is simple – each model is available in several colours. Each colour comes with either steel bracelet or an FKM rubber divers strap in the same colour as the dial.
Choose the model you want by it’s functionality and design / style – then focus in on the colour requirement. To illustrate the different colour schemes the gallery below shows all the options in the Doxa Sub 300T model.
A brand with a genuine diving provenance
When a brand has a relationship with famous divers such as Claude Wesly and Jacques-Yves Cousteau it has to be taken seriously. Other brands might seek the endorsement of a Marvel Superhero or an A-list movie star. Not DOXA.
No doubt there are some A-list movie stars who choose to wear Doxa, even possibly the odd caped crusader with a Sub 600T on their wrist. But the bottom line is this – Doxa make design and produce timepieces for professional divers. That’s why we rank them in the Top 5 best dive watch brands for real-world scuba divers.
Welcome to the Doxa Sub 300T
The DOXA SUB 300T was introduced to the world at the huge Baselworld watch expo in 1967. It was the first 100% purpose-designed, professional-grade sports diving watch. Many of the design features we see in other popular dive watches have taken their DNA from the radical innovations of the DOXA SUB 300T. It really did establish itself as the benchmark of the professional diver’s watch. For the record, the Doxa SUB 300T gets the name from it’s water resistancy – 300 meters and the, now banned, luminous material on the hands and dial- Tritium.
Some nice examples of Doxa Sub Diver’s sold on eBay
eBay is a great place to go to check a) the current prices of a specific watch and b) to see what the watch looks like in the “real world”. Most product photos on eBay are taken with great care to best represent the watch. You get to see what it really looks like (not a computer enhanced brochure photo). All the watches shown below have been sold recently on eBay. These watches were selected as they give the DOXA newbie a good feel for the range with all models covered from the Doxa 200 to the Doxa 1500T
images © eBay under EPN permissions
We’ve been looking at the offerings on eBay for some time now. Occasionally we see a “Doxa homage” from a brand called SEESTERN. They’re actually not bad watches – like Steeldive and their Seiko Turtle tributes – as long as you know it’s NOT actually a genuine Doxa. We’ve not seen any actual Doxa fakes as such – so shopping on eBay is quite safe as long as you take the normal distance buying precautions. 1) check seller credentials 2) try and get a watch with full set papers, box, original invoice etc 3) if in doubt – walk away.
Current Models in the Doxa Sub Collection
We’re only teasing the surface here with this comprehensive range of diving tools. If you’re new to the brand then you MUST pop over to their website to fully appreciate what’s on offer. The innovations, the styles, the technical capabilities and – something very important to us – the history. Below are just a few images of these stunning watches. Unfortunately none of the team at ChronoDivers have actually owned one – but Doxa is on all our Dive Watch Bucket Lists.
Doxa Sub 200 (incl C Graph & T Graph)
Doxa have dozens of dive watches starting with the ever popular Doxa Sub 200. A stunningly simple three handed timepiece with date and unidirectional dive time bezel. Most popular in this range, as with a majority of the others, are those watches with the Orange dial (Professional).
The Sub 200 also comes with Black dial (Sharkhunter), Silver Dial (Searambler), Blue dial (Caribbean) , Yellow dial (Diving Star), Aquamarine and Whitepearl. The Sub 200 C-Graph version features a Chronograph and the T-Graph with 2 sub-dials, a 30 minute chronograph and a small seconds dial.
Doxa Sub 300 and Sub 300T
This is one of our favourites. We love the innovative, patented dual function dive time bezel. On the outside of the ring is the depth in metres (300 version) or feet (300T model). On the inside of the ring are time markers in minutes. This clever calculator can be used as a quick reference depth and the related “no decompression” time – eg at 20m diver can spend up to 50 minutes with the need for decompression stops. For more details on the other Doxa Diver’s watches please pop over to their website, link below.
Doxa Sub 600T – an icon reborn
The reborn Doxa SUB 600T comes in a marine grade stainless steel featuring either a steel or black ceramic bezel insert. The 600T is available in 6 vibrant colours and comes mounted on either a stainless-steel bracelet or the soft but durable FKM rubber strap. With the 6 different colours and various strap offerings – all in all there are 24 different combinations to choose from.
Doxa Sub 1500T
The Doxa SUB 1500T is a watch true to the pioneering spirit of the brand. It breaks new ground with a cushion-shaped 316L marine grade steel case. This watch is certified to the deepest of depths – the case being pressure rated to 150 bar / 1,500 meters. Take the Seiko Turtle and put it on steroids – that’s the Doxa SUB 1500T. As with all proper diver’s watches it features a unidirectional bezel with diving table and a helium release valve. For a watch with such strength and pressure resisting characteristics it’s surprising to see it comes in a very wearable 45mm width case.
Sub 600, Sub 1500 and Army editions
The gallery below showcases three other models from this innovative and refreshingly unique brand. First we have the Doxa Sub 600T followed by the Sub 1500T and finally the stunning ARMY with it’s unique contrasting cream and black dial.
Doxa Army Diver’s Watch
This is a watch you can tell from a mile off – just like the Bell & Ross Diver and other uniquely styled timepieces. The DOXA Army is available with two bezel materials – marine grade steel or bronze. The steel bezel option features a black ceramic insert and the bronze come with a hunter green ceramic insert. It 50 years since the DOXA Army was first introduced to the elite Swiss Army divers. Doxa celebrate this allegiance by reissuing this iconic Army approved Diver’s watch – an instantly recognizable watch with a cult following.
Alternatives to Doxa
If the Doxa brand appeals then please also consider a diver’s watch from either Sinn, Oris, Tissot or Longines. Like Doxa, the range of Sinn dive watches in underappreciated and sometimes even overlooked. Most popular in their dive watch collection are the Sinn U1 (1000m), the Sinn U2 (2000m & dual time) and, our favourite, the Sinn UX range with HYDRO technology.
Next we’d recommend a trip over to the Oris Dive watch collection. The most popular models in their dive collection are the Oris Aquis (WR to 300m – 1000m) and the Oris Divers Sixty Five (WR to 100m). A collection of competent timepieces with a product for all users from outdoor beach life (Oris Sixty Five) to full on professional diver (Oris Aquis Depth Gauge).
If nothing their grabs your attention then wander over to the more traditional, yet equally desirable range of dive watches from Tissot and Longines. Tissot is a brand with a long and intimate relationship with the sea and in particular – divers watches. Join us as we take the plunge and dive in to the Tissot Seastar diver’s watch collection. Most popular are the Tissot Seastar 1000 and the deep diving Tissot Seastar 2000 with Powermatic 80 automatic movement.
Longines is another company with a long relationship promoting outdoor life, sports and adventure. Like Rolex, Blancpain and Breitling – Longines entry in to Diver’s watches goes back to 1959! The new Longines Hydroconquest is their most desirable timepiece. A watch dedicated to men and women who demand high end performance from their timepiece without compromising on technical innovation and elegance.
Doxa Sub FAQ’s
Absolutely yes. Doxa are a luxury Swiss brand. All their watches are 100% made in Switzerland to the highest standards. In their own words
“100% hand assembled in the heart of Switzerland, each DOXA meets – and in many instances even exceeds – these requirements. “Throughout the world the reputation of Swiss made watches is unrivalled.”
Absolutely NOT. There are some reasonable homage models on the market. Not fakes as such as they don’t attempt to pass themselves off as Doxa. If you simply like the look of Doxa and aren’t too worried about it’s provenance then take a look at the Seestern watches. These watches tread a very thin line between FAKE and HOMAGE. For more information please visit their website
Jacques Cousteau wore a Doxa Sub 300T. He even went as far as endorsing a limited run of 300 Doxa Sub 300 with his Trademarked “Aqua Lung” logo on the dials. A nice watch if you can find one!
Without any doubt – Doxa is still going very strong. A traditional luxury Swiss brand that has been making watches since 1889 and LONG MAY THE CONTINUE.
Further Reading & External Shopping Links
It’s simple, free and greatly appreciated if you can show your support for ChronoDivers. Just click on the shopping link below to browse the selection of Doxa watches either on eBay or with our shopping partners (where available). You don’t need to buy anything – just click the link – thank you very much!
- eBay Guaranteed Authentic – a filtered selection of Genuine Doxa watches (eBay)
- Official Website (external link) – DoxaWatches.com