Doxa - History, Models and Owners' Reviews

Doxa is a Swiss watch company founded in 1889 in Le Locle by Georges Ducommun; known first for pocket and dress watches (notably the minimalist “Grafic” in 1957), it now speaks primarily to dive-watch enthusiasts, with an identity defined by the “Professional” orange and uncompromising underwater legibility.

Le Locle beginnings and technical DNA: the legacy of Georges Ducommun (1889–1950)

Born in Le Locle at the end of the 19th century, Doxa initially built its reputation on Georges Ducommun’s meticulous craft and the Neuchâtel heartland of Swiss watchmaking; in the interwar years the brand consolidated reliability and, by 1957, set a clear design statement with the Bauhaus-inspired “Grafic,” a rational, highly legible aesthetic that would later migrate underwater; this historical backbone explains the 1960s pivot to purpose-built dive instruments, where Doxa focused on solving real issues of legibility, safety, and robustness, because the brand’s pragmatic ethos was always to design watches for actual use.

Doxa SUB 300 and Cousteau: orange dial, decompression bezel and the Conquistador (1967–1969)

By the mid-1960s, a dedicated dive program culminated in the Doxa SUB 300 (1967), engineered with Cousteau’s Aqua-Lung/U.S. Divers team: high-visibility orange dial, bold hands, and an external “no-decompression” scale; some batches carried the Aqua-Lung logo, including the cult “Black Lung” variant; in 1968, the Doxa SUB 300T Conquistador introduced an integrated helium-release valve, presented by the brand as the first made available to the general public — a direct response to saturation diving and decompression-chamber realities; together, these innovations — chromatic legibility, safety data at a glance, gas-management engineering — cemented Doxa’s professional reputation, while the orange “Professional” became both a visual language and a functional choice.

• Doxa SUB 300 — (1967) “Professional” orange dial, decompression bezel, U.S. Divers/Aqua-Lung distribution.
• Doxa SUB 300T Conquistador — (1968) Integrated helium valve for saturation work; a technical milestone.

Modern revival and leadership: Jenny/Walca, color strategy and the tool-watch comeback

After late-20th-century headwinds, Doxa’s revival came under the Jenny family; from 2019 onward, as a Walca Group subsidiary (Biel/Bienne), the brand accelerated international expansion, restored historic codes (beads-of-rice bracelet, classic colorways — Professional, Sharkhunter, Searambler, Caribbean, Aquamarine, Whitepearl) and refreshed lines with contemporary materials (SUB 300 Carbon); communications have leaned on the Cousteau heritage and high-identity re-introductions (neo-vintage SUB 200, angular SUB 600T, and the “Army” reissue) to articulate a clear message: colorful, legible, appropriately priced tool-divers designed for saltwater use; within this framework, Doxa fully embraces its role as an enthusiast-grade specialist.

Current lineup: SUB 200, SUB 300, SUB 300T, SUB 600T and Army

Today’s range is structured by use case, aesthetic, and depth rating; each family reprises Doxa’s legibility signature, the information-rich bezel, and the house color alphabet, with bracelet options (beads-of-rice steel or color-matched rubber); these cues simplify the collection for buyers and make it easier to balance wearability, heritage, and technical ambition, while clearly tiered families make moving up the range intuitive.

• Doxa SUB 200 — 200 m, three hands, vintage-curved sapphire dome, eight colors; the neo-vintage entry point.
• Doxa SUB 300 — 300 m, the direct heir to 1967, steel/rubber options, vibrant dials; carbon variant available.
• Doxa SUB 300T — 300 m, honors the 1968 Conquistador and the “pro” tradition, dual-scale bezel.
• Doxa SUB 600T — 600 m, crisp 1980s-inspired geometry, compact format, professional-grade legibility.
• Doxa Army — 2022 reissue (steel/bronze bezel), bold two-tone field aesthetic, now a permanent line.

Positioning, public prices and channels: enthusiast-grade pro divers at fair value

Doxa’s price architecture targets informed enthusiasts: the Doxa SUB 200 sits around 1,000–1,100 USD depending on configuration; the Doxa SUB 600T occupies the 1,400–1,600 USD band; Doxa Army steel/bronze variants announced in 2022 were listed around 2,050–2,190 EUR depending on bracelet and bezel; go-to-market blends direct e-commerce (official site) with selected partners in Europe, the U.S., and beyond; volumes are not communicated, but a steady cadence is supported by Walca’s industrial platform; the typical buyer wants proven tool credibility with Cousteau heritage and happily embraces color; in short, Doxa aims to balance professional roots, real-world utility and accessibility.

Conclusion

Defined by its “Professional” orange, information-rich bezel, and historic bond to Cousteau’s team, Doxa offers a lucid take on the tool-diver: watches built to serve underwater, designed to be seen and understood at a glance. The enthusiast will likely choose the Doxa SUB 300 for icon status, the Doxa SUB 200 for neo-vintage approachability, the Doxa SUB 600T for robustness and angular style, and the Doxa Army for graphic singularity. To decide, benchmark three criteria: legibility/use, depth/tech, and heritage/design. Finally, test your shortlist against lived experience through Dialicious customer reviews.

(Updated August 2025)