Lot 244

Doxa

Dirk Pitt

A diver's extremely rare vintage "cult" wristwatch with date and orange-coloured dial

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The orange-coloured dial makes the Doxa Sub 300T Professional one of the most iconic and famous watches ever. Doxa began developing divers’ watches in the late 1960s and designed the Sub 300T Professional. The 300 designation stands for the depth of 300 m and the letter T represents the use of Tritium radioluminescence for the hands and on the dial. This model bears the additional label "Synchron". Synchron was part of a Swiss Holding company owning several watch brands; dial, crown, case back and rotor all bear the Synchron logo.
The overall condition of this example is good. The luminous material of the hands and on the dial has slightly darkened and some signs of use such as marks and scratches are present – they emphasise in fact the personality and the style of this remarkable timepiece.

Clive Cussler, the famous US author contributed to the popularity of the orange face Doxa diver watch by having his novel hero Dirk Pitt® wear the watch during his adventures.
In the late 1960s Doxa decided to devote resources to create a watch to be used for diving. Tests indicated that an orange face was more visible in murky water. Doxa also consulted with divers, including Jacques Cousteau, then chairman of "U.S. Divers," and Claude Wesly (a Cousteau companion and the first man to spend seven days thirty-three feet underwater). A staff of engineers and professional divers was assembled to create a watch with the required features. The Sub300t was purchased in quantity by U.S. Divers, who resold the watch in the United States.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doxa_S.A., as of 09/02/2021.