The Surprising and Singular Sub 300β Sharkhunter

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SUB 300β Sharkhunter © DOXA
4 minutes read
Black ceramic case, 18K 3N gold bezel and crown: tool watch engineering meets sleek urban flair

DOXA always begins with a bit of history...

In 1967, DOXA launched the revolutionary SUB concept, considered to be the first truly 'mainstream' professional diving watch. The radical innovations it introduced at the time quickly made it the benchmark for professionals, too. Water-resistant to 30 ATM (equivalent to 300 meters, just over 984 feet), it was the first to have a unidirectionally rotating bezel with dive time and depth indications for ascending back to the surface without decompression stops.

Back then the US Navy’s no-decompression table was the diver’s standard, enabling divers to monitor their time underwater as a function of depth to ensure a safe, no-stop return to the surface. Based on the science developed by the US Navy, DOXA engineers incorporated two separate scales into the bezel, one orange for the outer "depth" ring and the other black for the inner "minutes" ring – a DOXA patent.

The DOXA SUB watch would become an easily recognizable legend: It was also the first diving watch ever to come with a bright orange dial, contrasting with the traditional black or white dials of the time.

From 1968 onwards, a DOXA SUB could be seen on the wrists of the divers who jumped from the deck of the Calypso to take millions of TV viewers on the legendary missions deep into “The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau”. Captain Jacques-Yves Cousteau, who co-invented the Aqua-Lung underwater breathing apparatus and was the spiritual father of modern scuba diving, liked the SUB concept so much that he negotiated the exclusive rights for distributing the watches in the US.

SUB 300β Sharkhunter © DOXA
SUB 300β Sharkhunter © DOXA

Capturing the Zeitgeist: SUB 300β Sharkhunter

After the iconic orange of the inaugural SUB 300, the bright colors that retrace the concept’s evolution, the camo version that echoes the brand´s Swiss Army connection, and the just recently launched vintage patina look of the SUB 300T Clive Cussler special edition, here comes the SUB 300β Sharkhunter – in stunning Black & Gold. Another DOXA First.

Today, more than 50 years after it was first launched, rich with a unique heritage, DOXA suits up in a color combination as intriguing as it is self-evident: The SUB 300β Sharkhunter’s two-tone color scheme with its interplay of dark and bright, of matte and glossy, of showy and stealthy, remains deeply connected with the DOXA codes that defined the icon.

The ‘β’ factor – there’s a method to the madness

β for ‘beta’, for beyond the conventional. Because it’s not just about re-combining colors, materials and textures. Always in touch with the contemporary lifestyle, and aware that diving watches need to adapt to city life, DOXA created a watch with a perfect blend of urban sophistication and contemporary elegance.

Starting from the premise that a sports watch should feel right under any circumstance, the SUB 300β Sharkhunter retains all of its original DNA while cultivating a sleeker, more stylish appeal. Here, DOXA ever so slightly reworked the design to achieve a slimmer watch, resulting in a profile of just 11.95mm (13.65mm for the SUB 300T) as well as a lower bezel height (by 0.5mm) compared to the SUB 300T.

The result is extravagance with a sense of proportion and a choice of materials that connect the watch to our time. A way of juxtaposing elements that seems to have been waiting beneath the surface all along: the black ceramic case, the matte grained dial with black-on-black markings…and the dazzling contrast with the mission-critical information provided by the hands and indexes, and the functional components of the bezel and crown in 18K 3N gold. The DOXA SUB 300β Sharkhunter comes on a black FKM rubber strap for a particularly comfortable fit. Sporting DOXA markings on both sides,its black PVD folding clasp with ratcheting wetsuit extension features the embossed ‘DOXA Fish’ symbol. True to the DOXA spirit, a watch that defies conventions and pushes the boundaries. And yet…

SUB 300β Sharkhunter © DOXA
SUB 300β Sharkhunter © DOXA

The SUB 300β Sharkhunter – true as ever to the SUB’s signature technical attributes

DOXA has always believed in gradually, carefully improving and expanding on its diving watches. This is especially true of the most emblematic of them all: the SUB 300T; it remains among the rare diving watches to have significantly marked Swiss watchmaking history. And the legend lives on...

The 42.5mm-diameter SUB 300β Sharkhunter is equipped with a pressure-resistant titanium container to protect the movement, the patented DOXA unidirectional rotating bezel in 18K 3N gold with dual indication of dive time (in minutes) and depth (in feet) for no-stop dives, a screw-down crown also in 18K 3N gold, and a water-resistance rating of 30 ATM (equivalent to 300 meters) for exploring the seabed in total freedom. Its scratch resistant sapphire crystal is treated with anti-reflective coating and the COSC-certified Swiss automatic movement provides a power reserve of approximately 38 hours.

The SUB 300β Sharkhunter is the indispensable tool for those who depend on a reliable, high-performance watch for underwater adventures, but also cultivate an elegant, contemporary sport-chic look.

See now, buy now: the SUB 300β Sharkhunter will be available in October at all DOXA Watches points of sale, and on the official DOXA Watches e-commerce platform.

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