Doxa Sub 300 Carbon Aqua Lung US Divers On The Wrist
I’ve always been a fan of Doxa. When I started my journey into the wonderful world of watches, it was one of the first brands I came across. It amazed me how versatile Doxa’s line up was. It had vintage 38mm time-only pieces — gigantic watches in those days! Doxa made a handful of fantastic chronographs in the ’40s and ’50s. Some even came with a regulator dial layout. And, of course, you had its Divers’ watches, the Sub 300 series. So, when I received the press release of their new Sub 300 Carbon Aqua Lung US Divers, I knew I had to lay my hands on one.
I prepared an article about the Sub 300 Carbon at that time, but that was only the beginning. I wanted to check out the watch, see how it feels on the wrist. As we all know, this is a bit difficult nowadays for many reasons. Still, I got in touch with the brand and requested a piece. I thought, due to the high interest it would be mission impossible, I received a positive reply. It took the lovely people at Doxa no time to shoot one of their press watches over for a hands-on review. Although I was expecting something cool when I opened the parcel, I was surprised.
Doxa Sub 300 Carbon Aqua Lung US Divers
The watch is not cool. It’s stunning. The press images paint this watch in a positive light, but they do not tell the whole story. In the…well, carbon…this thing is something else. It was on my wrist in a flash…
First impression: super light. The Sub 300 Carbon is the only 85g, including the strap and the buckle. For comparison’s sake, my steel Doxa Sub 300 Aqua Lung is 160g, although that is on a bracelet. Still, the lightness is unequivocal. The case is sharp as a knife. The forged carbon is mesmerizing. It looks deep black from certain angles but reveals its beautiful patterns from others. Doxa told me that the strap is not the final version, but even this one fits the watch perfectly. Thanks to the diving extension, I could quickly size the Sub 300 Carbon to my wrist without messing with the strap. Just as I thought, you barely notice it when on the wrist. Yet, it is not uncomfortably light. You feel the timepiece perfectly. Balance, is the word I would use.
All Carbon Everything
I was curious to see if the Sub 300 Carbon only feels and looks smaller than its steel brother, or if it is the case. So, I took the caliper and my steel mentioned above Aqua Lung and compared the two. To the naked eye, the carbon, due to its dark color, looks smaller. In reality, the difference is minuscule; maybe 0.5mm, the same goes for the thickness. I was keen on seeing the case in real life, on the press images to carbon pattern looked almost too vivid. While the watch, in reality, is a bit subtle, this unusual wave-like pattern is still there, clearly visible on the case. But it isn’t just the case that is made from carbon, oh no. The dial and bezel are forged from the same material. A black-coated titanium case back keeps the overall weight as low as possible while retaining structural stability necessary for a 300-meter diver.
You can find the watch’s most essential features there — things like the limited-edition numbers (XXX/300) or the chronometer-certified designation. In the middle of the back, as you’d have with the vintage models, is the Doxa Subs’ old sailboat logo. Most divers have screw-down crowns and the same is true of the Sub 300 Carbon. This time there is no Doxa on it. Instead, the new Doxa fish logo is etched into the crown in yellow.
All in all, this carbon black/yellow colorway works well with the timepiece. The yellow accents are prominent, but not too much. To soften this edginess, the secondary color is white. Every Doxa Sub 300 since the very first one has a “no decompression” bezel. On the new Doxa Sub 300 Carbon Aqua Lung US Divers, the depth is marked in yellow, the corresponding time is white on the 120-click bezel.
Black and Yellow
As I already mentioned above, the dial is also made of forged carbon. The layout is the same as you would have with any other Doxa Sub 300. Brand logo at 10 o’clock, model designation at 4, and the Aqua Lung logo at 8. Vintage Sub 300 fans know that Doxa has a name for all four dial colors. Orange is the Professional, silver is the Searambler, the yellow one is the Divingstar, while the black one is Sharkhunter. As such, the Sub 300 Carbon is also called Sharkhunter. You can see it on the dial, below the “Sub 300” designation. As far as legibility goes, the timepiece is easy-to-read. The contrast of white (hour) and yellow (minute) hands helps a lot. I realized that the Doxa Automatic text is more prominent on the Sub 300 Carbon than on my steel Sub 300. Why? I don’t know. Just an interesting observation.
COSC
A diving watch has to comply with many rules and regulations. It has to be easy-to-read, water-resistant to great depths, and easily adjustable for a diving suit among other things. The watch should keep good time, although it does not have to be extremely accurate. Despite that, the Doxa Sub 300 Carbon is. While it is not the first Sub 300 with a chronometer-certified movement, it’s excellent that Doxa kept this feature too. Inside the watch, we can find ETA’s 2824-2 caliber. We are talking about a mechanical self-winding movement with 42 hours of power reserve, 28,800vph, and 25 Jewels.
Overall impressions
Without sounding too biased, I must admit that I loved the new Doxa Sub 300 Carbon Aqua Lung US Divers. To me, the symbiosis of past and present is what makes this timepiece special. Yes, it has the vintage DNA, the C-shape case, and the dome crystal. However, the usage of materials like titanium and, of course, carbon is exciting. Doxa introduced new elements and a bold new color scheme with this model and did it tastefully. To someone who doesn’t know anything about the brand’s back-catalog, the watch looks entirely modern.
On the other hand, vintage guys can find those little nods to the predecessors they admire so much. Lastly, it’s worth mentioning that the new Doxa Sub 300 Carbon is not in the ballpark of previous Sub 300 models when it comes to price. For €4,790, one could have plenty to choose from. Still, I encourage you to check out this watch. It’s worth it. If you’d like to visit Doxa, follow this link.
