DOXA has unveiled the SUB 300 Ti5 “Clive Cussler”, a new interpretation of its historic dive watch created in honour of legendary novelist and adventurer Clive Cussler. Revealed on what would have been Cussler’s 95th birthday, the watch revisits the original SUB 300 of 1967 while introducing a lightweight Grade 5 titanium construction and an entirely new layered dial.
The tribute is particularly fitting given Cussler’s longstanding connection with DOXA. His fictional adventurer Dirk Pitt famously wore DOXA SUB watches throughout the bestselling novels, helping establish an association between the brand and Cussler’s world of underwater exploration, shipwrecks and adventure.
Back to Where the SUB Story Began
Rather than creating an entirely new model for the occasion, DOXA has returned to the SUB 300, the watch that established the foundations of its dive watch collection.
Introduced in 1967, the SUB 300 was conceived as a professional-capable dive watch that could also be purchased by recreational divers. For the new edition, its familiar form has been rendered in Grade 5 titanium, a material chosen for its combination of lightness, strength and resistance to corrosion.
The material also provides a fitting connection to Cussler’s adventurous spirit, giving the historic design a distinctly contemporary technical character.
A New Two-Layer Titanium Dial
The biggest visual change is found beneath the crystal. The SUB 300 Ti5 Clive Cussler introduces a new dual-plane dial architecture, comprising two superimposed dials made from Grade 5 titanium.
The lower layer houses the Super-LumiNova hour markers and minute track. Sitting slightly above it is a second titanium dial featuring precisely laser-cut openings that reveal the luminous elements underneath. Similar techniques are used for the date aperture and minute markers.
The tiny separation between the two surfaces creates additional depth, with changing light producing subtle shadows across the sandblasted dial. Despite the more elaborate construction, the design remains focused on the strong legibility expected from a purpose-built dive watch.
Built for Serious Diving
Its tribute status hasn’t diminished the SUB 300’s practical credentials. The watch offers 300 metres of water resistance and features DOXA’s patented unidirectional rotating bezel.
Its distinctive dual-scale bezel displays both depth and dive time, allowing divers to reference no-decompression limits based on US Navy guidelines.
All essential diving indications are treated with Super-LumiNova, while the oversized minute hand is finished in DOXA’s signature orange for immediate visibility. The bezel continues the colour treatment, pairing orange depth indications on its outer scale with black dive-time markings on the inner ring.
There’s another, much more discreet reference to Cussler at 3 o’clock. On the date display, the numbers 15, 7 and 31 are highlighted in DOXA orange, referencing his birth date.
Swiss Automatic Power
Inside is a Swiss automatic movement featuring exclusive DOXA decoration. Operating at 28,800 vibrations per hour, or 4Hz, the movement provides approximately 38 hours of power reserve.
A screw-down crown and caseback, both produced from Grade 5 titanium, complete the construction, while a scratch-resistant anti-reflective glass-box sapphire crystal protects the distinctive layered dial.
The DOXA SUB 300 Ti5 “Clive Cussler” is priced at S$4,700 in Singapore, where Watches of Switzerland is the exclusive retailer for DOXA.
