DOXA – made for life below the surface
DOXA holds a special place in the history of dive watches. The Swiss watch brand is known for its robust SUB models, bold colours and a design where every detail serves a purpose.
It began long before the dive watch. DOXA was founded in 1889 and, for more than a century, has created mechanical watches with a focus on precision, durability and innovation. Today, the name is especially associated with underwater adventure – and with the orange dial that has made DOXA recognisable from afar.
The story of DOXA
DOXA’s story begins in Le Locle in the Swiss Jura Mountains. Here, the watchmaker Georges Ducommun, just 21 years old, founded his own company in 1889.
Ducommun had already built a reputation for fine craftsmanship, great precision and a tireless drive to improve his watches. Over the years, that approach led to a number of technical solutions – including a movement with an eight-day power reserve, which found its way onto the dashboards of Bugatti racing cars.
But it was beneath the ocean’s surface that DOXA truly found its place in watchmaking history.
A dive watch is born
In the early 1960s, DOXA set out to develop a professional dive watch that was not reserved solely for the military. The watch had to be robust, easy to read and suitable for the growing group of recreational divers.
During development, different colours were tested underwater in Lake Neuchâtel. The bright orange proved particularly visible at depth and was therefore chosen for the dial.
In 1967, the DOXA SUB 300 was introduced. The watch combined the orange dial with a patented rotating bezel featuring a decompression scale. The distinctive design was not created for appearance’s sake. It was developed as a functional tool for divers.
Jacques Cousteau and life underwater
The French oceanographer and diving pioneer Jacques-Yves Cousteau quickly took notice of the DOXA SUB. He saw the potential in the new dive watch and, through his company US Divers, became DOXA’s official distributor in the USA.
The connection to Cousteau and the professional diving world helped make the SUB series known far beyond Switzerland. DOXA watches were worn by recreational divers, professionals and military units alike.
The legacy of the early models is still evident. The tonneau-shaped case, the bold bezel, the beads-of-rice bracelet and the colourful dials have become part of DOXA’s unmistakable identity.
Colours with a purpose
Orange has become DOXA’s signature colour, but today the collections include a full palette of distinctive dials.
The colours have their own names: Professional is orange, Sharkhunter is black, Caribbean is blue, Divingstar is yellow, Searambler is silver, Aquamarine is turquoise and Whitepearl is white.
This gives the watches personality without taking focus away from their original purpose. A DOXA may stand out, but functionality always comes first.
DOXA’s collections
The DOXA SUB is available in a range of sizes, materials and technical configurations. From versatile everyday watches with classic dive-watch details to professional models built for great depths.
SUB 200
The SUB 200 is a straightforward introduction to the world of DOXA. The model combines a classic dive-watch look with a size and shape that make it easy to wear every day.
The distinctive domed sapphire crystal adds a touch of vintage, while the many dial colours make it easy to find a version with the right personality.
SUB 200T
The SUB 200T brings DOXA’s well-known design into a more compact format. You get the distinctive case shape, bold colours and functional dive bezel in a watch that sits comfortably on a variety of wrists.
SUB 300
The SUB 300 stays close to the model that defined DOXA as a dive-watch maker in 1967. The domed shape, slim profile and distinctive decompression bezel give the watch a look that is hard to mistake for anything else.
It is a modern mechanical dive watch with a clear connection to the original.
SUB 300T
The SUB 300T is a more robust interpretation of classic DOXA design. The model combines high water resistance with solid construction and the familiar bezel with both depth and decompression scales.
A no-compromise tool watch that has also achieved cult status among collectors.
SUB 600T
The SUB 600T has a more angular, bold look than the classic SUB models. The design draws inspiration from DOXA watches from the 1980s and combines sharp lines with high water resistance and strong colours.
It is a dive watch with real presence on the wrist.
SUB 1500T
The SUB 1500T is built for great depths. Its heavy-duty construction and high water resistance make it a true professional dive watch.
Despite its serious capabilities, the design is unmistakably DOXA – functional, colourful and free of unnecessary details.
DOXA Army
The DOXA Army is based on a rare watch developed for Swiss Army divers. The military look, distinctive case and subdued colours give the model a character all its own.
A watch with adventure in its blood
DOXA does not try to be discreet. The watches are colourful, recognisable and true to the design language the brand developed for professional divers in the 1960s.
However, you do not need to be a diver to wear one. A DOXA is also for those who appreciate mechanical watches with a genuine history, functional design and a little more personality than most.
Find your DOXA
From the classic SUB 300 and the robust SUB 300T to the more compact SUB 200T, there is a DOXA for different wrists and adventures.
What they share is Swiss mechanics, distinctive design and a history that can still be seen in every single detail.
Henning Stæhr A/S is the distributor of DOXA in Denmark, Sweden and Norway. If you are a retailer and would like to carry the brand, you are welcome to contact us.