My relationship with Doxa watches spans over 20 years. As an avid reader of Clive Cussler, I was particularly excited when Doxa decided to relaunch the Sub 300T in the early 2000s. I even managed to secure a review sample for the magazine I wrote for then. Once I received the watch, I became curious about why Clive Cussler chose to have his antagonist wear an orange-dialed Doxa watch. To find out, I reached out to his publicist and received a surprising response: “Dr. Cussler would like you to call him for an interview.” I still vividly remember the shock and nervousness I felt. After leaving him a message, he promptly returned my call, and we spoke for an entire hour.
Ultimately, I received my answer, which you can read about in my article on the Doxa Clive Cussler Themed Sub 300T release we published last July. If you want to read my full interview with Dr. Cussler, even though the magazine is no longer available, NUMA, Cussler’s real-life National Underwater and Marine Agency, has it on their website. Since then, I have owned numerous Doxa watches, but none of them have called out my name quite as much as their latest collaboration with Topper Fine Jewelers. It’s as if they were thinking about me while designing this one.
The new Doxa Sub 300 Great White Topper Edition is a white-dialed beauty with a fully luminescent dial. I know what you’re thinking: if you’re going to own a Doxa, shouldn’t it be colorful? Specifically, shouldn’t it be orange? The answer is yes. However, orange isn’t exactly an everyday dial color. Sure, it’s super fun and very summery—think “bathing in Monterrey.” However, your blues, blacks, and whites are much more suitable for work attire and similar occasions. Not that it ever deterred Dirk Pitt. That said, this one is quite special, and it’s the first Doxa to house a COSC-certified automatic Swiss movement.
The watch features the same stainless steel case and dial proportions that have captivated Doxa enthusiasts for decades. It has a diameter of 42.5mm and a short lug-to-lug measurement of only 45mm, making it a large watch that can comfortably fit on almost any wrist. The dial showcases blue lacquer hands and hour markers that genuinely appeal to me. Not long ago, I owned a Laco Topper Edition pilot watch with a white dial, and thermally blued hands, and markers. This color combination was clearly successful, and now, seeing it in a Doxa dive watch with a fully luminous dial. Honestly, take my money already!
Even the numerals and indices on the iconic Doxa sawtooth unidirectional bezel are in blue lacquer, which matches the dial elements. Its twin tracks display elapsed time and the U.S. Navy’s no-decompression tables, as they always have. Water resistant up to 300 meters, this authentic dive watch features a historically accurate matching beads-of-rice bracelet with completely independent beads, which was not always true for early re-issues. It also comes with a rubber strap with a stainless steel folding clasp.
A portion of the proceeds from sales of the Doxa Great White Topper Edition will be donated to the Greater Farallones Association, a nonprofit focused on restoring coastal habitats and protecting marine life in the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, which spans 3,295 square miles along the California coast and supports many threatened and endangered species. Limited to only 100 individually numbered pieces, this watch is priced at $2,995. More information can be found at the Topper website. Doxa
