There are watches that define a brand, and for DOXA, it’s undoubtedly the SUB 300. Sure, there are plenty of other models in the brand’s lineup (and a veritable treasury if you go through the archives), but for most of us, when we hear DOXA, it’s the SUB 300 that immediately springs to mind. On top of that, more likely than not, it’s the now-iconic (and though I’m loathe to use the term, I do so here without hyperbole) orange Professional model. Whether your first thought is of Jacques Cousteau or Dirt Pitt, the SUB 300 is unarguably one of the pillars of the dive watch world. So, what happens when you take a legendary watch from the 1960s and infuse it with some 2020s materials science? You get the DOXA SUB 300 Carbon — a weird and wonderful dive watch that mixes vintage design with über-modern case construction.
When it was first released in 1967, the SUB 300 was as odd and captivating then as it is now. Its UFO-shaped cushion case, dual timing and decompression bezel, and its funky and blocky dial and handset are simply unmistakable. Yet, like a Rolex sports watch and its Oyster bracelet, the watch itself is only half the equation. For many, it’s the beads-of-rice bracelet that completes the SUB 300. So, what’s to make of a forged carbon-cased DOXA SUB 300 on a rubber strap with no option of a bracelet? For vintage dive watch purists, this is likely a blasphemous creation — an unholy marriage of vintage and modern. For the rest of us, it’s a strange but oddly compelling creation that’s incredibly comfortable to wear thanks to its lightweight carbon case, yet doesn’t feel like you should be slipping into bell bottoms and a turtleneck to complete the look. To be clear, the original SUB 300 is and always will be a fantastic watch, one that’s earned its rightful place in dive watch lore alongside watches like the Submariner, Seamaster, Fifty Fathoms, Super Sea Wolf, and other stalwarts in the field. However, just as the DOXA was new and wild in 1967 thanks in large part to its case design and innovative bezel, the SUB 300 Carbon is captivating due to the carbon case and intriguing mix of old and new.
The SUB 300 (whatever material it’s made from) is a case study in design. Want to make a large watch wear small? The SUB 300 may be 42.5mm in diameter, but the short 45mm lug-to-lug, slim 20mm lugs, and inset, broad bezel that shrinks the dial, makes this watch wear much, much smaller (I hate to give numbers, but maybe akin to a 39mm). How about thickness? Even though the case is 13.4mm in height, it feels and looks slim on the wrist. Take a look from the side and compare it to the Tudor Black Bay Pro, a watch that’s much-maligned for its thickness, though it clocks in just 1.2mm thicker than the DOXA. Numbers are just numbers, it’s the design that determines how a watch will look and feel on your wrist. And the DOXA feels slim, comfortable, and not at all oversized on my 6.75” wrist.
So what is this forged carbon stuff, anyway? Most of us are familiar with woven carbon fiber — whether from its use in high-end bikes, motorsports, or its myriad other applications in arenas where high strength and light weight are tantamount. Typically, carbon fibers are woven into sheets, placed into a mold, filled with resin, and cured. Forged carbon, on the other hand, uses a slurry of small fragments of carbon fibers that is cured with heat and pressure, resulting in a strong, lightweight material that has a unique, almost organic texture, shifting under different lighting conditions. It’s a neat material, somewhat akin to titanium in the wearing experience. The other major bonus, however, is that you get a black (or almost black) case that doesn’t require a PVD/DLC coating that can scratch and scuff.
DOXA certainly isn’t the first brand to offer a forged carbon case — you can find them on watches ranging from Girard-Perregaux and Richard Mille to Victorinox and Squale — but forged carbon cases remain an outlier for case materials. If I were in the market for a black-cased watch, I’d certainly prefer the aesthetics and light weight of carbon over a coating. However, there is a drawback: cost. In the case of the SUB 300, the upcharge is a whopping CHF 1,340 from the stainless-steel SUB 300. That’s a tough pill to swallow. A few hundred bucks and it’s a no-brainer, but well over $1k makes the carbon case a much tougher decision for most, especially as the only other thing you get in addition to the carbon case is not a bracelet, but a rubber strap. Though material costs typically have little if anything to do with the final cost of a watch, it’s still a substantial upcharge, especially when considering you’re going from metal to essentially plastic, rather than a precious metal with some inherent value. Speaking of plastic, if you haven’t worn a forged carbon watch before, they may be a type of plastic, but they look and feel like what they are — an advanced composite — rather than a Happy Meal toy.
The outer ring of the signature DOXA SUB 300 bezel is clad in carbon, providing a unified look and feel to the piece. The bezel action is outstanding: incredibly grippy but not sharp, with 120 clicks of positive feedback and zero backplay. The tactile feel and sound are superb. The bezel on the DOXA SUB 300 Carbon feels like a professional instrument, because it is, and has been for over 50 years.
The dial on the SUB 300 Carbon should be familiar at this point, given that it’s changed little over the past half-century. The DOXA logo remains in the upper left quadrant, while the SUB 300 and model designation (Searambler in this case) remain in the lower right. The small crosshairs are still at 3, 6, 9, and 12 and the triple-bar indices are as legible as ever. In addition, the hands remain funky with the small inconspicuous hour hand, along with an oversized, bright orange minutes and a rectangular-tipped seconds hand that ticks away at 28,800 bph.
Like other DOXA divers, you can get the SUB 300 Carbon in its full range of colors (orange, black, navy, yellow, teal, white, or silver). When requesting a loan, the hardest thing was deciding which color to try: Professional orange for the classic DOXA look, Sharkhunter black for a stealthy vibe, Aquamarine teal for bright, summery fun? In the end, the juxtaposition between the modern case construction and the Searambler’s oh-so-60s silver dial was too fun to pass up. Really, you can’t go wrong — everything goes with black and the dials are just another example to prop up the old adage. Pick your favorite color and you’re good to go.
As mentioned at the start, the SUB 300 Carbon is not available on a beads-of-rice bracelet (though that would be incredibly cool in forged carbon). Instead, the SUB 300 comes mounted on a custom FKM rubber strap that flares out from the lugs like the beads-of-rice bracelet and tapers nicely down to the clasp. Depending on the dial color you choose, you also get the option of a color-matched strap rather than the standard black. The rubber is sturdy but comfortable, and because it’s fitted to the lugs, the rubber strap doesn’t pinch down on the outside of the wrist as some can. Each end of the rubber strap is cut to size for the push-button clasp with a slide-out tool-free micro-adjust. Functionally, the clasp works fine, but compared to other watches in this price range (e.g., Tudor and their T-Fit clasp) or below (e.g., Formex, Sinn’s rubber strap clasps), the SUB 300 Carbon’s somewhat sharp edges and lack of refinement are admittedly a sore spot. For better or worse, the strap and buckle also add a fair bit of weight to the SUB 300 Carbon, which reduces the effect of the lightweight carbon case.
The DOXA SUB 300 Carbon is priced at CHF 3,890 (before VAT), which puts it right in the ballpark of watches from brands like Tudor, where you’ll find in-house movements. Whether that’s a good or bad thing is a much longer story. On the plus side, the Swiss ETA 2824-2 automatic movement is reliable, easily serviceable, and COSC-certified (meaning you’ll get +4/-6 accuracy). The downside is a rather pedestrian 38-hour power reserve and a lack of bragging rights.
I’ve been drawn to the SUB 300 Carbon since it was first released, and I don’t think I’m alone. It’s tough not to be curious about an iconic (there’s that word again) watch from the 1960s, radically transformed by a new case material — though perhaps not quite as radical as the solid gold SUB 200 T.Graph. Ultimately, this is a weird and wonderful watch, and although the upcharge is certainly substantial, it would still be my pick from DOXA’s lineup. The carbon case is light and comfortable on the wrist and the new aesthetic afforded by the mottled black forged carbon case is captivating, especially when contrasted against the vintage design of the case and dial. To learn more about DOXA and the SUB 300 Carbon, please visit the brand’s website.
Necessary Data
>Brand: DOXA
>Model: SUB 300 Carbon
>Price: CHF 3,890
>Size: 42.5mm diameter, 45mm lug-to-lug, 13.4mm thickness, 20mm lug width
>When reviewer would personally wear it: I wore this camping in the Rockies, swimming off the coast of Nova Scotia, and traveling in-between, and it was never a bad choice.
>Friend we’d recommend it to first: Someone who always likes to be just a bit different in their choices and perhaps held off on the SUB 300 because of its popularity (in our niche enthusiast world).
>Best characteristic of watch: Lightweight comfort and interesting juxtaposition between old and new with the vintage styling and modern material.
>Worst characteristic of watch: Steep upcharge to get into the carbon case; clasp could be more refined.
