DOXA Sub 300 Searambler

Why We Love It It’s safe to say we have something of a penchant for DOXA here at Analog/Shift. We’ve counted them all in our personal collection at one time or another, from the classic orange-dialed Professional to the black-dialed Sharkhunter (favored by Jacques Cousteau). But there was another variant, released around the same time as the Professional, that we simply love. We’re talking about this watch, the Searambler. While it might not be as vibrant as the Professional, or have the association with Jacques Cousteau that the Sharkhunter does, it has a visual appeal all its own. The silver dial offers a subtle contrast to the vibrant orange or the staid black, giving the watch an overall versatility. This particular Searambler comes to us in excellent condition throughout, with a rare thin case that features the famous sailing ship logo. Another point of interest is the early beads of rice bracelet, complete with the expandable clasp that made this watch famous. With exquisite patina to the dial, this is a collector-grade Searambler that you won’t want to pass up.  The Story DOXA began Research and Development for the Sub 300 in 1964, under a team helmed by Urs Eschle, the brand's head of operations, who consulted professional divers including none other than the father of SCUBA himself, Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Since wearability was crucial, Eschle designed a large case with wide rounded lugs. For the dial, the team tested many colors (orange, yellow, turquoise, and red) in the waters of Neuchatel Lake. An unprecedented amount of tritium was also used on the hands and hour indices.  The team implemented a unidirectional bezel with an innovative insert: the U.S. Navy No Decompression chart, with the outer depth scale in orange and the minute scale in black, to allow divers to gauge how much air was in left in their tanks. Rounding out the Sub 300's innovative design was a beads-of-rice bracelet that was the first to implement an ratcheting expandable clasp capable of fitting over a diver's wetsuit without having to remove links.