The first members of this highly specialized Swiss diving unit begin training in 1968.
In 1966, the Swiss Army sets up a special force of military divers, trained to become an elite corps. In 1969, the DOXA SUB concept passes muster as the Official Watch of the Swiss Army’s Elite Combat Diving unit. We also find the aesthetics to be very good, with nods back to the OG, and appropriately updated. The movement is the workhorse Sellita SW200-1, and Doxa has chosen to have it COSC certified.Īt the proposed price point of CHF 4.2k for a diver watch in a ceramic case and bezel, certified to 300m water resistance is a rather good value. And the watch is supplied with two straps- one from black rubber, and a NATO strap with camouflage pattern. The huge black ceramic bezel, marked in numerals, lines and a triangle at 12 is uni-directional, an indication of the diving roots, and the case itself is in a matte black ceramic.Īttention to detail in recreating the OG Doxa Army is quite good, and the watch is delivered with a pouch sporting the original camouflage pattern used by the Swiss Army at the time thw watch was first issued. The new Doxa Army: Watches of Switzerland Edition. The hands are huge, and painted orange, with a infilling of lume, kind of balances the dial design in a rather nice, but perhaps quirky way. This creamy beige and black colour scheme replaces the white and black on the original, bringing a hint of how the patina of the original’s tritium paint would have aged. The indices transverse both the dial and chapter ring, starting out on the periphery as beige, and inverting to black as it enters the center.
The dial is now in a beige base colour, with a black chapter ring surrounding it. Also, the dial is given a splash of colour, animating it, but one which respects the OG aesthetics. However, instead of a black oxide coating on the OG case, to give it the glare proof matte black finish, the entire case is now constructed in a matte black ceramic. Still based on the SUB 300, the new watch bears the base design resemblance to its lineage. This new release is a re-interpretation of the original, including the black case. Many of the original watches have lost their black surface treatment, but this example, picture provided by Doxa, still has the black oxide coat around the case. The watch had a steel case, but was given a dark appearance by a coating process which oxidises it into a matte black finish, preventing glare. The back of the original watch released in 1969, which is a derivative of the SUB 300 with a special dial, was just plainly labelled as “Army”, and many collectors and vintage scholars believe this to be the naming convention given by Doxa to the style of the dial. Our take from the Bomman report is that if the watch was official Army issue, it would probably bear military markings to identify it as “Swiss Army”, the Helvetica Cross or engraved “EMD” (Federal Military Department). While we cannot vouch for the accuracy of the Blomman report, it is one of the few articles which has good information on the watch. We base our research on this topic on the excellent blog post by The Blomman Watch Report’s DOXA SUB 11891-4 Army. It is not clear if the original watch labeled Doxa Army was ever issued to the (Swiss) Army, though the Swiss Army’s Elite Combat Diving unit were issued with Doxa’s SUB 300 T Professional.
The watch’s origin story is quite interesting. Press release information with commentary in italics. 50 years after the DOXA Army was born, the iconic Swiss watch brand honours its history with the Swiss Army’s elite divers unit by reissuing, for the first time, a limited edition of the famous model historical model, now released in collaboration with Watches of Switzerland.
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