The modern DOXA sub dive watch was introduced back in 2002. At the time of writing (February 2019) Doxa have released 18 new models, all instantly recognizable as a DOXA SUB but all unique enough to be different. I’ve either owned or handled all of them and I’ve often been asked what is my favorite. That’s an easy answer: the Sub 1200T DWL (Diving With Legends) which was released in a limited edition of 99 to coincide with the publishing of my book: Diving With Legends. However, while it may be my favorite DOXA, it is not my favorite model. That honor goes to the SUB 750T.
First let’s go back in time for a little history recap.
The orange dial DOXA SUB 300 was released in 1967 and over the next 15 years or so it established a reputation as being a first class dive watch and along the way became an icon in the underwater and literary world. Underwater it was worn by such luminaries as Jacques Cousteau, Albert Falco and Stan Waterman, to name a few and in the realms of adventure literature it was the wristwatch of Dr Clive Cussler’s hero: Dirk Pitt.
The 300 signified the depth rating of 300 meters. I was never able to find out why 300 was chosen but it is interesting to note that the maximum crush dept of German U Boats was almost 300 meters. Maybe the idea was that the DOXA SUB could withstand depths greater than a submarine.
History, however, is full of fallen and forgotten heros and by the mid 1980s the DOXA SUB has faded into the depths. There was little need for a dive watch once dive computers became cheap and reliable. The quartz generation decimated the mechanical watch brands and like many others, DOXA refocused their product line and cut the SUB. The physical watch may have no longer been in production but the orange dial DOXA SUB 300T lived on on the novels of Clive Cussler.
I first encounter the watch while running an underwater pipeline inspection off the coast of Abu Dhabi almost 30 years ago. I was helping one of the divers back on board the dive support vessel. As I pulled in his teather and umbilical his arm broke the surface and the setting sun glinted of the orange dial of his DOXA 300T. It was a defining moment for me and an image I always thought would have made a terrific opening shot for a Dirk Pitt movie. I asked my friend Ty Alley if he could recreate the shot for the DOXA Fiftieth Anniversary book and he knocked it out of the park with the following image.
Of course, I wanted a DOXA SUB after that but they were no longer in production and the likes of eBay or the internet as we now know it didn’t exist then. I was out of luck.
I pretty much forgot about the watch until I was working in Dalian in North China a couple of years later. One of friends threw me a book and said; “Here, Pete, read this. It’s kinda underwater James Bond stuff. You’ll like it”. I can’t remember the name of the book, but the author was Clive Cussler and somewhere in the book, Dirk Pitt looked at his orange dial DOXA and proceeded to save the world.
Fast forward to 2002. The DOXA SUB was back. The SUB 300T Reissue was released and quickly sold out. It was a watch that got people talking. Unmistakably a DOXA SUB but with a unique case and bracelet design. DOXA we’re back in the dive watch game and needed a follow up quickly.
They released the SUB 600T which was very similar in size to the original 300T, then came the big brother. The SUB 750T.
The SUB 750T sported the largest dial DOXA had ever produced. The watch was a vintage 300T but on steroids. It measured 45mm wide (without the crown), 47mm lug to lug, 14mm high and had a 21mm lug width. Over the years the watch industry had trended towards bigger case sizes and DOXA was following suit, but unlike other marques the SUB 750T hid it’s size by being incredibly comfortable to wear. It was relatively thin and had a wonderful flat caseback. It just hugged the wrist and the larger dial was like a beacon. People not only noticed it but were also becoming aware that it was a DOXA. The DOXA SUB dive watch really was back in the game.
The brand has gone from strength to strength in the interviewing years, culminating in the Fiftieth anniversary SUB 300 models which also included an almost exact reproduction of the US Divers “Black Lung” version. It’s a tremendous watch but the dial is almost minuscule compared to the SUB 750T.
Now this is where the story gets personal. I have a friend who has bugged me for years to sell him my 750T. He could have bought another one but he wanted mine. In the end I sold it to him. Far too cheaply, I may add but that’s what friends are for. He treats it like a family heirloom and wears it every day. I kinda reasoned that I had other DOXAs and besides I needed to sell some of my watches.
Then a funny thing happened. The more I saw him wearing it the more I missed it. Darn it looked good on his wrist. I had two options. I could wait until it was dark and mug him or buy another. I took the second option. It took a while but one came up and I pounced on it. I’m happy to say I have a SUB 750T back on my wrist.
Obviously, the larger size may not be for everyone but if you are on the hunt for a classic DOXA SUB, keep an eye out for the 750T. You won’t be disappointed.
You can find my original; SUB 750T review at www.doxa300t.com