- Doxa challenged horrible traditional standards in the 1960s.
- The approvals of the most famous explorers in the world have put this Swiss brand on the diving watch map.
- Among the aficionados of the real watch, he has a cult status.
Regarding vintage diving watches, the conversation generally begins and ends with Rolex and Omega. For a good reason: these revered Swiss marks have made a name for themselves with unique watches that marry and operate below the surface of the waves.
But in the 1960s, there was another name that broke out of the traditional norm to challenge traditional watchmakers … and unlike its most famous rivals, you do not need to tram your home to own one.
Doxa: the pioneer of the original diving watch
Founded in 1889 by Georges Ducommun in Le Locle, Switzerland, Doxa passed its first decades to produce high -end dress watches and complex movements.
But the real heritage of the brand was forged underwater in the 1960s, when the Swiss brand released the Sub300A revolutionary diving watch designed not only for professional divers, but for the growing population of recreational divers emerging during the post-war boom.
At the time, serious diving watches were generally specialized equipment; They were robust, pragmatic and useful. But often difficult to read at significant depths underwater.
Doxa resolutely reversed the scenario on what the consumer expected his instruments, working alongside diving legends like Jacques Cousteau, a French naval officer who became an explorer who opened the underwater world to the masses, to democratize this growing market.
Cousteau is known as one of the great adventurers of the 20th century; A man who made the ocean feel a little less like an extraterrestrial world and a little more like at home. He broke the diving equipment according to functions, and his various US company distributed Doxa watches in the United States for years, helping the reputation of this Swiss brand among the divers around the world.
He appeared on the wrists of the Cousteau crew in countless underwater expeditions, and even presented (under a different name) in Clive Cussler's Dirk pitt Romans, where the hero wore a doxa with the orange dialect while he saved the world.
Culturally, Doxa had become the diver's watch. Not for luxury or status. The Sub 300 of Doxa was designed to save lives 50 meters below the surface when everything depended on your kit. The brand has developed the least 300 with several revolutionary innovations, such as a bright orange dial for maximum readability underwater, a unidirectional telescope without decompression of clearly marked diving time, and a cushion -shaped box which combines comfortably even on naked wrists. The “rice pearl” bracelet emblematic of the room, with its flexible design and comfortable, the reputation of sealed Doxa.
Doxa's modern revival is more authentic than ever
Today, Doxa still flies under the radar compared to the main actors, but among the real aficionados of the diving watch, he holds a cult status. Modern re-editions such as the sub600T and the GMT of sub250T, published this year at Watches & Wonders, remain faithful to tools that made this Swiss brand so famous every decades ago.
Its reputation may have hesitated in recent years when the biggest brands have cemented their foot on the diving watch market. But do not be mistaken, the lasting heritage of Doxa as a pioneers of diving will probably never move away. It is a brand that dates back to an era when diving was raw, dangerous and gloriously not polite. When a functional diving watch could make the difference between returning to the boat … or not, as the case may be.
And to a fraction of the cost of a Rolex submariner (and without the tortuous waiting time), Doxa has the intelligent choice for any watch fan that seeks to add a horrible piece of history to their emerging collection.
