BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
Doxa is a favourite of nearly all watch enthusiasts, they make great watches and sell them at great prices, and if they like the vintage look and find it quite funky then Doxa has quite a range of options to suit all tastes. The new SUB 300 Beta (also known as SUB 300B or SUB 300β; we’ll use that because it looks cool) is a permanent member of the collection following a limited edition piece shown at Dubai Watch Week.
The new SUB 300β is meant to be the diet version of the SUB 300; Doxa describes it as “urban elegance”, and that’s quite a good way of describing it. I’m not sure what they meant by it, but it reminds me of Rolex’s marketing for the GMT-Master II, which looks quite similar to the Submariner but is slimmer and more “cosmopolitan”. Unlike the GMT-Master II, which has a lower depth rating for its case compared to the Submariner, the sleeker SUB 300β has the same 300m depth rating as the regular model.
For those who are eager to see some tech specs, here they are. The SUB 300β keeps the 42.5mm diameter, but it’s been shortened so the distance between the lugs is 44.5mm, 0.5mm smaller than the regular model. Also, the watch has been trimmed down to 11.95mm in thickness from 13.65mm.
It also has a ceramic unidirectional bezel, some details of the bezels are colour-matched to the wave dials and the blue dial models have blue ceramic bezels. So, yes, with slimmer cases and colour-matching these watches do look sleek and modern.
Inside all of the SUB 300β models is the self-winding Sellita SW200-1 which is a robust and proven movement (it’s not made by Doxa but is trusted by many manufacturers). The power reserve will be around 38-hours, too.
The new SUB 300β watches are presented on colour-matched rubber straps, or with the classic Doxa bracelet rice-grain-style bracelet. If you want one on the strap the price is $2.250, but it’s only $2,290 for the bracelet, but they can probably do you a nice deal if you want both. These watches are classy but have the Doxa look people love, with very little to complain about I imagine buyers will love it. Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
