Doxa: SUB 300, Orange Dial, and Swiss Dive Watch Heritage Since 1889

The Doxa Story

Georges Ducommun founded Doxa in 1889 in Le Locle with a focus on precision and innovation, and the firm made an early name for itself by winning the Neuchâtel Observatory competition for chronometry in the 1890s. Through the 1920s and 1930s the brand gained further fame for Art Deco dashboard clocks fitted to aristocratic European automobiles, and during the First World War it supplied military chronographs to Russian officers - a pragmatic Swiss maker with a reputation for getting the details right.

The pivotal moment came in 1967 when Doxa launched the SUB 300 after a three-year collaboration with the Jacques Cousteau Society. The research determined that a bright orange dial would remain visible underwater at greater depths than any other colour. The SUB 300 also introduced a patented unidirectional rotating bezel with US Navy no-decompression dive time markings, a watchmaking first. Cousteau's Conshelf team adopted the watch for expedition use, and the SUB 300 quickly became the definitive 1970s dive watch for both recreational and professional divers.

After a turbulent quartz-crisis period and a near-collapse, the brand was revived by the Jenny family in 2002 under an independent Swiss structure based once again in Le Locle. Modern Doxa produces the SUB 300, SUB 300T, SUB 600T, and SUB 1200T Professional across a range of dial colours including the signature Professional orange, Searambler silver, Divingstar yellow, Caribbean blue, and Sharkhunter black. The 1200T carries a certified depth rating to 1,200 metres, making it one of the deepest mechanical dive watches ever produced.

Iconic Collections

Since 1967 (revived 2019)

SUB 300 ↗

The original. Modern Doxa's faithful reissue of the 1967 reference, with the beads-of-rice bracelet, domed sapphire crystal, and the unidirectional bezel with US Navy no-decompression scale. Five signature dial colours including the iconic Professional orange. Under $2,500 for a genuinely historic dive watch reference.

Full SUB 300 Guide

Since 2021

SUB 300T

The 1970s evolution of the SUB 300. Larger 42mm case, thicker crystal, 1,200m depth rating. The 300T became the working dive watch of choice for Conshelf expeditions and remains a key Doxa reference. Modern reissues preserve the period design language while upgrading movements and materials.

Since 2006

SUB 600T

An intermediate tier between the 300T and the 1200T Professional. Ceramic bezel option, helium escape valve, 600m water resistance. The 600T appeals to divers wanting serious specifications without the full dimensions of the 1200T flagship case.

Since 2009

SUB 1200T Professional

Doxa's depth-rated flagship. 1,200 metres of water resistance, helium escape valve, monobloc case construction, and the Professional orange dial as its signature. One of the deepest mechanical dive watches regularly produced and a favourite of serious saturation divers.

Since 2019

SUB 200

The accessible entry point. 42mm case, 200m water resistance, automatic movement at under $1,000. The SUB 200 brings the Doxa design language to collectors who want the orange dial heritage without the specification overhead of the professional models.

Since 2023

Army

A vintage military reissue based on a 1960s Swiss Army commission. Bronze or steel case, matte field-watch dial, and the Doxa case architecture applied to a land-watch aesthetic. Limited production and a departure from the brand's pure dive focus.

Heritage Timeline

1889

Georges Ducommun founds Doxa in Le Locle, Switzerland. Early success comes from precision chronometry and from Art Deco dashboard clocks used in pre-WWII luxury automobiles.

1967

SUB 300 launches after three years of research with Jacques Cousteau's team. The orange dial, unidirectional bezel with US Navy dive scale, and 300m water resistance become instant benchmarks.

1969

Cousteau's Conshelf expeditions adopt the SUB 300 as official equipment. Doxa becomes synonymous with serious 1970s diving.

1983

Quartz crisis effectively ends independent production. The brand passes through ownership changes and near dormancy for nearly two decades.

2002

The Jenny family revives Doxa as an independent Swiss brand based in Le Locle. The SUB 300 reissue and the SUB 600T/1200T Professional restore the brand to serious collector status.

2019

Doxa opens direct retail in New York and introduces new signature dial colours and the SUB 200 entry reference, broadening the modern catalogue while preserving the heritage design language.