It’s not often you get a watch release tied to an author, but this week the team at Doxa have revealed a special edition watch two years in the making that pays tribute to the celebrated adventure novelist Clive Cussler. With a unique case finish and plenty of hidden easter eggs that nod to the legacy left by the late writer, the Doxa Sub 300T Clive Cussler Special Edition is a dive watch you won’t need to worry about scratching.
The most well-known Clive Cussler reference in pop culture today requires you cast your mind back more than a decade and a half ago, to one of Matthew McConaughey‘s breakout roles in the 2005 film Sahara where he played the explorer Dirk Pitt doggedly pursuing a long-lost Civil War battleship. Not many know the film was actually based on the novel of the same name by Cussler, whose protagonist was known to love his Doxa dive watches and indelibly linked the watchmaker to the author and his enthusiasm for adventure.
While the Doxa Sub 300T Clive Cussler Special Edition features the same general specifications as the regular edition 300T, including its 42.5mm case diameter and 14mm thickness, this latest reference offers a completely different visual impression. The first change is its PVD-coated case, bracelet and bezel which have been scratched up in a stone wash to give the distressed appearance of age, which might irk some collectors who prefer to develop their own patina on their watches, but gives a great overall impression of an aged artefact.
The dial has also been updated from the typically brightly coloured tones of Doxa’s dive watches, now featuring an aged parchment-like compass design that adds to its treasure-hunting mystique. Other charming details include the red printed dates of seven, 15, and 31 to honour Cussler’s birthday (the 15th of July, 1931) and the caseback that features the names of the 72 shipwrecks that Cussler’s National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA) have found over the decades. Appropriately, some of the proceeds of this watch will be given to NUMA to continue its underwater exploration.
Powered by the ever-reliable ETA 2824-2 movement with 38 hours of power reserve, it arrives with both a beige NATO strap and an aged beads-of-rice bracelet. It’s not a limited edition, but we aren’t expecting Doxa to make too many of these, so if you’re keen on adding this to the collection you should move sooner rather than later. Price: $4,295.
