When diving it's more important to track the minutes than the hours. Take the large minute hand as an example. The quirky design is the result of individual decisions about performance. And that is why this watch is such a cult classic. It was the most legible colour when tested in murky lake water. But as I noted above, orange wasn't selected for aesthetic reasons. Of course, the dial is the first feature that you notice. Both watches were built for the beach rather than battle. Like Bulova's Devil Diver, it's a functional dive watch that oozes retro charm. The Sub 300T is an eye-catching watch that is a direct contrast to the black, military divers of the 1960s. For most people, the Sub 300 and 300T are going to be interchangeable. An iconic and colourful piece that is instantly recognisable. Unsurprisingly, I'm opening this list with the Doxa Sub 300T. Orange dial models are Professional, black dials are Sharkhunter's and blue models are referred to as Caribbean. Doxa gives their watches names based on the dial colour. Most Doxa watches are recognisable as being from the same family. As you'll see, there is a house-style to the brand. The Best 5 Doxa Watches I've put together a list of the five best Doxa watches. Although Doxa watches are colourful and have fun names, they are designed as tools to be used in extreme environments. It has 1200M water resistance, a helium release valve and a Swiss-made ETA automatic movement with a power reserve indicator. As such, Doxa watches feature significant water resistance. The brand ethos is built around high specification watches designed for use in water. Are Doxa watches good quality? The consensus is that Doxa makes good quality watches. The company now has a history stretching back 130 years. They're hand-assembled in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland. Where are Doxa watches made? Doxa watches are Swiss-made. Still at the centre of the new Doxa stable is the Sub 300. They were bought by the Jenny family and slowly began to release new watches. But in 1997, Doxa became a family-owned brand again. They tried combining their resources with other similar companies, but by 1980 they were out of business. Like many Swiss heritage brands, Doxa was hit hard by the introduction of quartz watches in the 1970s. The bezel was innovative and features a US Navy dive table for no-decompression dives. A bright orange diver, with a distinctive cushion case.

Leading divers of the day, including the legendary Jacques Cousteau, influenced the final design.

And they took the advice of divers on board. By merely taking prototype watches with different colour dials into Lake Neuchatel they were able to determine that Orange was the easiest colour to read underwater. They began with a blank canvas, an open mind and a nearby lake. They were able to task a team with developing a dive watch for the public. Doxa - meaning glory in greek - was a well-established company at this point. At that time dive watches had a militaristic aesthetic. In contrast, the Blancpain was designed in collaboration with the French navyвЂ™s elite SCUBA squad. Doxa's watch was fundamentally different. But it was a decade later before Doxa released a competitor. The big news the following year was the Rolex Submariner - arguably the world's most famous dive watch. At the Basel watch fair in 1953 Blancpain had debuted the Fifty Fathoms and Zodiac had released the first Sea Wolf model. In the early 1950s, there had already been a handful of exciting and iconic models. But the story really gets going much later, in the 1960s with the birth of sports diving.

Based in the Jura mountains, Georges Ducommun had been involved in watchmaking since he was a 12-year-old apprentice. The brand was created by a single founder in the late 1800s. A Brief History of Doxa Watches Doxa's history is a familiar watchmaking story.

Vintage doxa watches