In partnership with Watches of Switzerland, Swiss watchmaker Doxa is reissuing a rare gem from its history. More than 50 years after the premiere of the original Doxa Army in 1969, a limited edition of just 100 pieces is now being re-introduced.
By the late 1960s, the Swiss brand, which is today headquartered in Biel, had already specialized in professional diver’s watches. With a water resistance of 300 meters, a unidirectional rotating safety bezel, and an orange dial with prominent indexes and an oversized minute hand filled with beige Super-Luminova, the SUB 300 and SUB 300T established a new standard for diver’s watches.
Legend has it, that the famed Jacques-Yves Cousteau, co-inventor of the autonomous diving apparatus and godfather of modern diving, appreciated the Doxa Sub concept so much that from 1968 onwards the orange dial of the Sub models became the distinguishing feature on the wrists of the divers who jumped off board the “Calypso,” then to take millions of television viewers along on the legendary underwater missions of “Secrets of the Sea”. In addition, the SUB 300T Professional was the official timepiece of Swiss Army divers from 1968 to 1975.
As part of the cooperation with the Swiss Army, Doxa developed a special model that was first launched in 1969 and carried the suffix “Army” in its name. With its characteristic black case, a diver’s bezel with black inserts and a sand-colored dial, the watch ensured excellent readability under all circumstances.
At that time, the steel blackened by oxidation with its matte black, non-reflective effect was very original. The tool-watch like look and feel remains the same in the new edition, whose case, which has a diameter of 42.5mm and is pressure-resistant up to 30 bars, is made of black ceramic. It is driven by a COSC-certified automatic caliber based on SW200, which ticks behind the closed case back made from titanium.
The new Doxa Army comes with two straps–one made of black FKM rubber and one NATO strap with camouflage motif–in a special case adorned with the historic original Swiss Army camouflage pattern. Pricing for the limited edition is posted at $4,500.
To learn more, visit Doxa, here.
