ORANGE, simply put is a color between red and yellow. But what has this got to do with diving or the DOXA SUB? It has been tested and proven that when you go diving, the color that is most visible underwater is the color orange. The DOXA SUB has built its reputation on this fact and the color orange.
Few non-divers have heard of the watch company DOXA, but if ever a definitive history of the dive watch is written, one manufacturer will stand along side the likes of Rolex, Blancpain, and Omega as being a great dive watch. DOXA S.A. Is a small company from Bienne, Switzerland, but it did more to push the boundaries of submersible watches than many bigger competitors.
DOXA was founded in 1889 in the heart of Switzerland’s Canton District of Neuchatel’s Jura mountains by George Ducommun (1868-1936). In 1910, he registered the name DOXA, which in Greek means glory, and began to use it on all his timepieces. Since its founding, the brand continued manufacturing various innovative timepieces for over a century without disruption. DOXA went through the highs and lows of the Swiss watch industry, survived two World Wars and the Quartz watch crisis in the 1970’s. DOXA continued to produce watches but their operation was scaled back to a purely European base.
DOXA then came under the ownership of the Jenny (pronounced Yanni) family in the mid 1990’s. The orange dial DOXA SUB could have been consigned to history, had it not been for Mr. Rick Marei who approached the Jenny family in 1999 with a plan to revive the DOXA SUB 300T.
At around 1960’s, Jacques-Yves Cousteau, a French naval officer, explorer, ecologist, filmmaker, scientist, photographer and researcher who studied the sea and all forms of life in water, co-developed the aqua-lung, and popularlized diving as a sport. This was the time DOXA decided to add a dive watch to its wristwatch collection. In 1964 a research team with several professional divers and experienced DOXA watchmakers was formed to develop an affordable sports diver’s watch for both professional and recreational divers. The team’s objective with this new dive watch was to make it reliable, comfortable, highly legible and be an easy to use piece of equipment.
To enhance the reliability of the watch and increase its functionality under extreme conditions, DOXA used a massive, solid stainless steel case.
Doxa automobile watch from 1930The research team tested the underwater legibility of several bright dial colors, among them turquoise, orange, yellow and red, in Neuchatel Lake. Orange proved to be the brightest and the most legible color down to a depth of 30 feet, so it was obvious that the first DOXA watch would house an orange dial. This dial also used oversized luminous markers which at the time had the highest amount of tritium ever seen on a wristwatch dial. This was something that went against the conservative expectations both within and outside DOXA and was tantamount to a revolution in dive watch design.
A useful device was also added to the watch to help divers overcome the uncertainty of the maximum time they were able to spend underwater. This resulted in the design of a bezel that incorporated the US Navy Air Dive Table for non-decompression dives.
Another development which can clearly be seen when looking at a DOXA SUB was the use of different sized minute and hour hands. The minute hand was much larger than the hour hand. This made sense because a diver normally measures time underwater in minutes rather than hours and a large hour hand could cause confusion.
An innovation in the design of the stainless steel bracelet was also incorporated. This flex–buckle design is and expansion device attached to the buckle and easily adapted itself to the diameter of the wrist with or without a wet suit.
The bracelet also had a novel ratchet mechanism built into the clasp. This allowed the bracelet to be sized almost automatically for many wrist sizes without the need for removing links. Once the watch was placed on the wrist and the clasp closed, the ratchet mechanism could be removed until the length of the bracelet corresponded to the wearer’s wrist size.
Putting all these innovations together resulted in a timepiece that was destined to become a pivotal point in dive watch history. The watch was called the DOXA SUB 300, where the 300 signified that it was tested to withstand the water pressure at 300 meters (1000ft). Because the luminous material on the hands and dial was Tritium, the name quickly changed to 300T with the T signifying the use of Tritium.
In order to test and approve this new dive watch, DOXA contacted Jacques- Yves Cousteau, who was president of the US Divers Company in California. The US Divers Company was the most advanced supplier of hi-tech diving equipment in the world. The US Divers research team was so impressed by the rugged and innovative SUB 300T that they decided to exclusively market the orange face DOXA SUB 300T under the name “The US DIVERS DOXA”. It was also the first wristwatch that was given the Aqua Lung logo as a proof of reliability.
A Doxa bangle with women’s watch in 14-carat red gold from the 1930sWith the success of the DOXA SUB, other models with different dial colors were released, the black dial Sharkhunter, the yellow dial Divingstar, the silver dial Searambler. The orange SUB was renamed the Professional.
Although DOXA is famous for being the first company to have a dive watch with an orange dial and large luminous markers and a bezel which incorporated a no-decompression table, it has received very little recognition for another and arguably, greater achievement in dive watch development, the Helium Release Valve (HRV).
The Helium Release Valve was really designed for use by professional divers undertaking deep sea “saturation” dives.
In 1969, DOXA introduced the first dive watch equipped with a Helium Release Valve that was available to the general public. It was called the “DOXA SUB 300T Conquistador”. This HRV was believed to have been co-developed by DOXA and Rolex. Rolex however, released it’s HRV equipped Sea-Dweller in 1971, almost two years after DOXA had released the Conquistador.
A Doxa men’s chronograph in 14-carat yellow gold from the 1930s on the left.A Doxa military pilot’s watch from 1935 on the right
To coincide with the 35th year anniversary of the launch of the original SUB 300T, August 2002 saw the release of the new DOXA SUB 300T. The T which initially stood for Tritium now stands for the German word Taucher, which means diver. The luminous material is no longer Tritium which is radioactive and replaced with Superluminova.
Today, DOXA has a variety of new limited production watches. Doxa’s dive watches adhere to the following naming conventions.
- Professional refers to an orange faced dive watch
- Sharkhunter refers to a black faced dive watch
- Searambler refers to a silver (metallic) faced dive watch
- Caribbean refers to a blue faced dive watch
- Divingstar refers to a yellow faced dive watch
- Conquistador refers to a watch with a helium release
Two Doxa men’s regulator watches, from 1965 on the left, from 1940 on the right.
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The DOXA SUB 5000T Seaconqueror joins the DOXA fleet as its new flagship. A watch designed to meet the needs of both professional divers and enthusiasts. The Seaconqueror is the latest evolution of the DOXA SUB, and is the most advanced DOXA SUB ever! Crafted from a single piece of stainless steel, and water resistant to a depth of 5000 feet (1500 meters), the 45 mm Seaconqueror is aptly named. The DOXA SUB 5000T is powered by the ETA 2892, and its standard equipment includes a helium release valve, a ratcheting dive suit extension clasp, and DOXA’s patented no-decompression dive table bezel. The SUB 5000T is ready to take on any challenge you throw at it! |
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Just in time for the 40th anniversary, DOXA announced the launch of the new VINTAGE SUB SERIES, and the release of the DOXA SUB 1000T Professional. The orange legend is re-born in a limited edition of 5000 pieces. Everything old is new again – the look of the original 1967 DOXA SUB, combined with the high quality and dependability of a brand new DOXA SUB. A slightly domed crystal was used to help capture the look and feel of the early plastic crystals used on the models from the 60s. In addition, a matte orange dial, employing a slightly green toned superluminova for the markers and hands was used to help capture the aged look of these classic older models. With a diameter of just over 42 mm, the DOXA 1000T Professional is the perfect answer for those looking for a smaller sized SUB. Staying true to the size and look of the original, the case is an up-todate replica of the original DOXA SUB from 1967. Retro looks with modern technology- The SUB 1000T Professional is made from a single block of stainless steel, with an upgraded depth rating of 1000 meters (3280 feet). A solid 120-tooth stainless steel bezel, solid piece end links, and a thicker, more substantial bracelet have all been added as well. A 100% Swiss-made self-winding movement is the engine driving the SUB 1000T Professional, and just like the original, it comes with DOXA’S patented no-decompression dive table bezel. |
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The DOXA SUB 750T GMT can give you the time in three places at once. The majority of GMT watches will give you two time zones, but with DOXA’S innovative rotating 24-hour internal bezel, you can see three separate time zones at once. The DOXA SUB 750T GMT is unique. Along with the normal hour, minute and second hands, it also has an additional over-sized 24-hour hand to display a second time zone. As with any ordinary watch, the hour hand travels from 12 – 12 twice a day. DOXA’S 24- hour hand makes this same journey only once per day, corresponding to the 24-hour markers on both the dial, and the rotating 24 hour internal bezel – thus giving you three time zones at once! |
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Back in 1970, DOXA was already becoming a legend thanks to the runaway success of the Orange SUB, but DOXA wanted to make an even bigger splash, and a diver’s chronograph seemed like just the opportunity! DOXA had access to a first class chronograph movement; the next step was to find a way to keep it working and dry while diving. This would not be as easy as it had been with the SUB 300. A chronograph depends on a pusher system to operate, and the pushers provide two ideal places for water to come in and damage the watch and its movement. The key was to keep the water out of the watch, and still have functioning chronograph pushers for use on dry land before and after diving. In order to ensure water resistance, DOXA designed a new pusher system with special gaskets developed by Jenny watches. The result was a chronograph with impermeable pushers. The Jenny’s innovative gasket system, along with DOXA’s proven SUB case, created a virtual dive suit for the movement, keeping it safe and dry. |
One man who plays as much part in the DOXA SUB history as the watch itself is Dr. Clive Cussler. Cussler is widely recognized as the Grand Master of adventure writing. In almost all of Clive Cussler’s Dirk Pitt novels, (as in the movie “Sahara”, with Matthew McConaughey as Dirk Pitt) the DOXA SUB is featured and has helped Pitt save the world on numerous occasions. Pitt’s daring adventures with his DOXA SUB kept the brand name alive.
Clive Cussler once said “there were silver and black dials, but you weren’t considered one of the dive gang if you didn’t have the DOXA with the ORANGE dial.”
There are other dive watches, some far more expensive, but the DOXA is still the finest underwater timepiece on the market. Well said, Clive.