Tap the image to enlarge
Doxa 42.5mm Mens Watch
Ref. 822.70.351.21
Sits in Doxa’s upper tier here — more premium than three quarters of the Doxa watches we list, which start at £1,190.
Price range £1,190 to £2,915 across 10 Doxa watches in stock.The SUB 300 Carbon is a direct descendant of Doxa's 1967 professional diver — a watch that was first to combine a non-decompression bezel with the orange dial that became the marque's signature. This version rebuilds that brief in forged carbon rather than steel, with a titanium pressure chamber inside the case protecting the movement and crown from the kind of depth loading most divers will never reach but serious ones occasionally do. The carbon construction keeps the 42.5mm case genuinely light on the wrist, and the cushion shape with its 45mm lug-to-lug distance means it sits closer to the wrist than the diameter suggests — wearable on a broad range of wrist sizes without the overhang that haunts many watches of this footprint. The domed sapphire crystal is cut to echo the highly convex plexiglass of the original 1967 case, a period detail that reads as deliberate rather than decorative once you know to look for it. The clasp rewards closer attention: black PVD-coated, stamped with the Doxa fish, and fitted with a ratcheting wetsuit extension that adjusts without tools. The SW200-1 inside is COSC-certified, which on a watch sold as a working diver rather than a collector piece is a more meaningful commitment than it might first appear.
- Reference
- 822.70.351.21
- Brand
- Doxa
- Collection
- SUB 300 Carbon
- Case size
- 42.5mm
- Case thickness
- 13.40mm
- Case material
- Carbon
- Case shape
- Cushion
- Dial
- Orange
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Bezel
- Unidirectional rotating
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- Sellita SW200-1
- Functions
- Date
- Water resistance
- 300m
- Bracelet / strap
- Rubber strap
- Strap colour
- Orange
- Clasp
- Folding clasp
- Lume
- Super-LumiNova
- Retailer
- Mappin & Webb
Additional specifications
- Lug-to-lug
- 45mm
- Power reserve
- 38 hours
Learn more about Doxa
Doxa was founded by Georges Ducommun in Le Locle in 1889, and spent its early decades on pocket watches and, notably, dashboard clocks for the emerging car industry — supplying Bugatti among others.
Its lasting contribution came much later. In 1967 Doxa released the SUB 300, developed in consultation with professional divers, and it introduced several things now taken for granted. The dial was orange, chosen after testing which colour remained visible longest as depth filtered out light. The bezel carried a US Navy no-decompression scale rather than simple minute markers, letting a diver read safe bottom time directly. The beads-of-rice bracelet included an expansion section to fit over a wetsuit.
Jacques Cousteau's organisation distributed the watches, and US Divers sold them in America. The SUB became genuine professional equipment rather than a dive-styled dress watch, and it appears throughout Clive Cussler's novels on the wrist of Dirk Pitt.
Doxa struggled through the quartz era and was largely dormant before being revived by the Jenny family, who reissued the SUB faithfully from 2002 onward.
The modern range remains almost entirely dive watches, with the same cushion case, the same bezel scale, and dial colours named for their depth-rating heritage — Professional orange, Sharkhunter black, Searambler silver, Caribbean blue.
- 1889
- Georges Ducommun founds Doxa in Le Locle.
- 1908
- Supplies dashboard clocks to early car manufacturers.
- 1967
- The SUB 300 debuts with an orange dial and decompression bezel.
- 2002
- The SUB is reissued under new ownership.
Also in 5 collections
This watch appears in Back in Stock (1,726), Automatic Watches (1,510), Sports Watches (735), Dive Watches (511) and Tonneau & Cushion Watches (92).
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch built to be worn hard and got wet.
Strengths
- 300m water resistance, rated for actual diving
- 45mm lug-to-lug keeps the 42.5mm case wearable
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
- One of Doxa's more premium watches
Worth knowing
- 38-hour reserve means winding it after a day off
Doxa 42.5mm Mens Watch alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | 822.70.351.21 | L37741502 | R32127162 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £2,915 | £2,950 | £3,080 |
| Case size | 42.5mm | 42mm | 43mm |
| Water resistance | 300m | 300m | 300m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Rubber strap | Leather strap | Ceramic bracelet |
| Power reserve | 38 hours | 72 hours | 80 hours |
| This watch | Closely matched | Closely matched |
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
Yes. At 300m it is rated for swimming, snorkelling and recreational diving.
Will the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Does it need a battery?
No. It is automatic — the motion of your wrist winds it, and there is no cell to replace.
How long does it run for when it's not worn?
About 38 hours fully wound — so it will usually stop if you leave it off overnight.
Will it fit my wrist?
Lug-to-lug is 45mm, which suits wrists from roughly 16cm (6¼ inches) upward.
Lug-to-lug decides fit more than case diameter does.
Is it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's.
Cheapest place to buy
Mappin & Webb is the only UK retailer we track stocking this reference new, at £2,915. There is nothing to compare it against today.
More Doxa watches like the 42.5mm Mens Watch
In stock, and close on style and price
