ore than 50 years ago, in 1967, the Swiss brand Doxa introduced a revolutionary diver’s watch with the SUB 300, the first truly purpose-designed diver’s tool-watch that was also accessible to the general public. One of the ingenious innovations that set it apart from all others was a bright orange dial, which made it more readable in the darkness of the depths than the the traditional black or white dials so common on other diving watches of the time.

The radical innovations it introduced quickly made it the benchmark for professionals, too. Rated to 30 ATM, i.e. water resistant to a depth of 300 meters or about 980 feet, it was the first to feature a unidirectional bezel with a dual indication of dive time and depth. Linking the two enabled divers to calculate and monitor dive duration to ensure a safe ascent without decompression stops.

At the time, the US Navy no-decompression dive table was the most authoritative system, allowing divers to monitor their underwater time as a function of depth to ensure a safe return to the surface. DOXA engineers took the US Navy’s findings and incorporated two separate scales into the bezel, one orange on the outer ‘depth’ ring and the other black on the inner ‘minutes’ ring – it became a DOXA patent.

Jan Edöcs, CEO of Doxa

Starting in 1968, the SUB 300 came to be seen on the wrists of divers jumping from the deck of the Calypso to take millions of viewers on the captivating missions of ‘The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau’ every week on TV. Commander Jacques-Yves Cousteau, co-inventor of the scuba and the spiritual father of modern scuba diving, and already then a legend in his own time, was so fond of the SUB 300 that he actually negotiated exclusive distribution rights for the U.S.

In 2015, the SUB 300 came out in three dial colors: orange, black and silver Following through on the great success of the SUB 300 Aqua Lung US Divers launched in 2020, a limited series of only 300 numbered pieces, DOXA Watches is bringing out the SUB 300 carbon COSC in a non-limited version, in 6 colors and 10 versions, vibrant, bright, summery and ready for adventure: Orange Professional, Silver Searambler, Black Sharkhunter, Navy Caribbean, Yellow Divingstar and Turquoise Aquamarine.

The SUB 300 carbon also comes with a choice of rubber straps: tone-on-tone to match the color of the dial and, of course, black. The very soft rubber used for this series, with Doxa markings on both sides, makes the watch particularly comfortable to wear. Besides a black PVD-coated folding clasp highlighted with the exclusive ‘Doxa fish’ symbol, the strap features an adjustable diver’s wetsuit extension.

Forged carbon provides Doxa with a high-tech, high appeal material to build on the heritage of the SUB 300. More than 50 years after its launch, rich with a unique history, the legendary SUB 300 is available in 2021 for the first time in carbon as a non-limited version. Uncannily lightweight compared to steel, forged carbon gives off an urban camouflage vibe that alternates shades of charcoal gray and black, an iridescent effect that fluctuates with the intensity of the light, turning the watch into a more radical, more contemporary statement.

Far from the usual black watch cases, the texture, the look and feel of forged carbon are simply one of a kind. Matte, raw, high tech, the material seems at once compact and irregular. The very particular non-homogeneous marbling – achieved with randomly worked fibers – expresses a subtle balance between being respectful of its heritage and yet provocative in the same way the original SUB 300 was back then.

Each self-winding mechanical movement to equip a SUB 300 carbon COSC is rigorously certified by the prestigious COSC (for ‘Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres’). COSC certification guarantees chronometric performance and scrupulous compliance with the highest standards in terms of precision, reliability, shock resistance, automatic winding and ease of maintenance.

With a diameter of 42.5 mm, the SUB 300 carbon COSC features a pressure-resistant titanium chamber and screw-down crown to afford maximum protection for the movement. The watch is waterproof to a depth of 300 meters or 30 ATM, about 980 feet, for absolute freedom of undersea exploration.

Its scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment has the distinctive dome shape of the curved Plexiglas used for the original series way back when. The COSC-certified automatic movement provides a power reserve of approximately 38 hours.

All dive-related displays stand out in low-light conditions thanks to Super-LumiNova® luminescence, thus ensuring excellent readability during dives where visibility is reduced. The hour indices are clearly visible, as is the dual indication of dive time in minutes and depth in meters on the patented unidirectional rotating bezel designed for calculating and monitoring no-decompression dive times.

For the dive time scale, the inserts are white, punctuated with a dot at 12 o’clock. The inserts of the bezel graduated in meters for depths are colored – either in orange, yellow or turquoise – for visual differentiation, with a light dot at 12H.

SUB 300 carbon COSC – Technical Specifications

Indications: hours, minutes, seconds, date Weight: 87 grams (3.06 ounces)

References: 822.70.351.21 (orange dial, orange bracelet) 822.70.351.20 (orange dial, black bracelet) 822.70.021.20 (silver dial, black bracelet) 822.70.101.20 (black dial, black bracelet) 822.70.201.32 (navy dial, navy bracelet) 822.70.201.20 (navy dial, black bracelet) 822.70.361.31 (yellow dial, yellow bracelet) 822.70.351.20 (yellow dial, black bracelet) 822.70.241.25 (turquoise dial, turquoise bracelet) 822.70.241.20 (turquoise dial, black bracelet

Case Forged carbon - Diameter : 42.50 mm x 45.00 mm - Thickness: 13.40 mm Crystal: Glass box sapphire Unidirectional rotating bezel (see below) Titanium chamber and screw-in case back – Screw-down crown Lug width: 20 mm Water resistance: 300 meters, equivalent to 30 ATM, approx. 980 feet

Dial Painted indices with Super-LumiNova® luminescent inserts Hands highlighted with Super-LumiNova® luminescent inserts Painted minute track

Bezel Forged carbon, black – Unidirectional rotation Outer ring: Diving depths in meters (either orange, yellow or turquoise), Super-LumiNova® dot at 12 o’clock Inner ring: Diving times in minutes (white), dot at 12 o’clock

Movement Mechanical self-winding, 3 hands, COSC-certified Power reserve: 38 hours Frequency: 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz) – 25 rubies, with DOXA decorations

Bracelet Rubber, black or tone in tone to match dial color Folding clasp, PVD-coated, featuring the exclusive ‘DOXA fish’ symbol Diver’s wetsuit extension

Suggested retail price: CHF 3,790.00