Doxa
- Founded
- 1889
- Based in
- Biel, Switzerland
- In our catalog
- 3 watches from $1,390 to $3,990
Doxa is a dive watch brand first and foremost. In 1967 it released the SUB 300, a watch designed with professional divers that put an orange dial and a no-decompression table on the wrist. It's still the brand's signature, and its bright orange dial is one of the most recognizable in the world of dive watches.
History
Georges Ducommun founded Doxa in Le Locle in 1889. For decades it was known for pocket watches and dress watches, and for an early eight-day movement. In the 1960s it decided to build a serious dive watch and worked with divers, including the French diver Claude Wesly, to design the SUB 300.
The SUB 300 introduced an orange dial, which tests showed was the easiest color to read underwater, and a unidirectional bezel printed with a no-decompression table. Jacques Cousteau's US Divers distributed Doxa watches in the US, and novelist Clive Cussler's hero Dirk Pitt wore one in many books. The brand nearly disappeared in the quartz era and has been owned by the Jenny family since 1997. It's now based in Biel.
Signature models
- Sub 300T Professional: The orange-dialed classic with a cushion-shaped case and the no-deco bezel.
- Sub 200: A more affordable and modern take on Doxa's diving heritage.
- Sub 300 Carbon: A light, tough version in forged carbon.
What it's known for
Doxa names its dial colors: orange is "Professional", silver "Searambler", black "Sharkhunter", blue "Caribbean", yellow "Divingstar". The cases are cushion-shaped with a sharp, 1960s look, and the bracelet has a distinctive "beads of rice" design. Doxa watches are tough, readable and fun.
Price and positioning
Doxa watches cost roughly $1,400 to $4,000. That's similar to Oris and Longines's dive models. For a vintage-style Swiss diver with genuine history, Doxa is a good pick, especially if you want something more colorful than black and blue.
Doxa watches in our library
- Doxa Sub 200 ($1,390 to $1,490)
- Doxa Sub 300T Professional ($2,390 to $2,490)
- Doxa Sub 300 Carbon ($3,790 to $3,990)
Vintage Doxa watches
- Doxa SUB 300T Searambler (pre-owned, $3,000 to $6,000)