DOXA SUB 300 Carbon Aqua Lung Hands-On Review
Tuesday - 18 August 2020
Before it’s official release later this month, we got our hands on the new DOXA SUB 300 Carbon Aqua Lung Limited Edition to bring you an in-depth review of the diving instrument and some stunning up-close images to tempt your wrists even further!
Even after over 130 years of watchmaking, DOXA are still managing to break new ground with their remarkable innovations and limited edition designs. The DOXA SUB 300 Carbon Aqua Lung watch is limited to only 300 pieces and marks their first high-tech forged carbon watch. As if that wasn’t enough, the piece showcases an COSC certified automatic winding movement and a special limited edition design that marks the revived partnership between DOXA and the legendary diving brand Aqua Lung.
To appreciate the significance of the DOXA SUB 300 Carbon Aqua Lung Limited Edition, we must explore part of DOXA’s remarkable history of watchmaking. In brief, the brand made its name with what’s now known as the SUB concept, a concept that completely changed the benchmark for professional diving standards. In 1967, DOXA decided it was time for a fully purposed divers watch to be accessible to both professional and amateur divers. This was how the SUB concept was born, home to the first general public divers watch fitted with a helium release valve, 300 metre water resistant case and the iconic patented rotating bezel that allowed the diver to calculate no-decompression dive times based on the official US dive tables.
The DOXA SUB 300 Carbon Aqua Lung watch retains all the hallmark features of its historic predecessor but rather making a new watch that feels old, the brand has recreated an old watch into something that feels entirely new. Following in the footsteps of its past counterpart, the new limited edition is 42.5mm wide and 13.4mm thick with a 300 metre water resistant rating but now with an exceptional outer case, bezel and dial all engineered from forged carbon. The inner case element which helps secure the movement, the case back and the crown are crafted from titanium, and when paired with carbon, both materials ensure the design of the DOXA SUB 300 Carbon Aqua Lung is incredibly lightweight. In fact, the case weighs to only 45 grams without the strap which is 40% lighter than the steel-cased Sub 200 50th anniversary edition in the same style
Jan Edöcs, CEO of DOXA Watches, comments: “DOXA has been experiencing an unprecedented revival over the past 12 months. The brand's unique history, the quality of our watches and our ability today to innovate and project ourselves into the future while staying true to our DNA are the key ingredients of a strategy that remains faithful to the principle established in 1889 by Georges Ducommun: to design and produce watches of high technical quality that are reliable and affordable. We are very proud of our heritage, and particularly happy to experience a success today, the fruit of passionate work. In presenting the SUB 300 Carbon Aqua Lung US Divers, I am delighted to announce that we have formalized our partnership with Aqua Lung, with whom we share a long history and the same values: innovation, quality and customer service. With this collaboration, we again have a perfect combination of the world of diving with that of technical and reliable watchmaking.”
The carbon forged case is easily the first thing you notice about the DOXA SUB 300 Carbon Aqua Lung Limited Edition followed closely by its black carbon dial decorated in bright yellow Superluminova accents and the Aqua Lung logo at 7.30H. So, what exactly is the relationship between DOXA and Aqua Lung? Well, a few years before the DOXA Sub concept was born, a well-known gentlemen named Jacques-Yves Cousteau co-invented the Aqua Lung underwater breathtaking system. The technology became the first open-circuit self-contained underwater breathtaking apparatus to reach worldwide popularity and success. Having witnessed the creation of the DOXA Sub first-hand, Cousteau secured an exclusive distribution agreement for his company US Divers where all DOXA watches sold through him featured the Aqua Lung logo and the distinctive imagery of the dive tank and regulator on the dial.
Continuing to bridge together past, present and future, DOXA have kept the same cushion-shaped case design and domed glass of the early SUB generations but upgraded the original plexiglass to sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating. We are also treated to the contemporary ETA 2824-2 mechanical self-winding calibre which provides classic central hands for hours, minutes and seconds and a date window at 3H. The Swiss made 25 jewelled movement has also been COSC certified to be accurate to -4 to +6 second per day and promises a power reserve of 38 hours.
Completed by a soft black rubber strap and a black PVD steel folding clasp featuring the exclusive “DOXA fish” symbol, the DOXA SUB 300 Carbon Aqua Lung Limited Edition remains an essential piece of diving equipment for professional and amateur divers alike. Trying it on our own wrists has only further cemented this new release as a must-have for divers, historians and watch collectors looking for their next piece of wrist wear.
The DOXA SUB 300 Carbon Aqua Lung Limited Edition will be coming into stock on 28th August but for those as impatient as us, you can pre-order the model on the Jura Watches website today. Get in touch with the team on 01335 453453 or at help@jurawatches.co.uk for more information and help with our interest free finance and free delivery options!
