DOXA Army

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We make no secret of our affection for DOXA here at Analog:Shift. And when it comes to the brand’s wonderfully unconventional dive watches, few are quite as compelling, or as elusive, as the legendary Army.

Introduced in 1967, the original DOXA SUB helped redefine the modern dive watch, bringing professional-grade functionality to an increasingly adventurous audience. Its innovations included a highly legible dial, an oversized luminous minute hand, an expandable bracelet, and a rotating bezel incorporating a U.S. Navy no-decompression dive table. The SUB quickly earned a devoted following, and DOXA expanded the collection with an assortment of colorful, purpose-built variations.

But even among this remarkable family of divers, the Army was something of an outlier.

Developed in the early 1970s for Swiss military divers, DOXA’s utilitarian design language was taken in a decidedly more experimental direction by the Army. Its distinctive camouflage-inspired dial combined an off-white center with a black outer chapter ring, bold rectangular hour markers, and an oversized orange minute hand. A diminutive hour hand and an arrow-tipped sweep seconds hand completed the wonderfully eccentric arrangement. The result was a watch that looked unlike almost anything else beneath the waves.

Housed in a substantial 42mm stainless steel case, the Army also departed from the familiar SUB formula with its conventional 60-minute rotating bezel, featuring an acrylic insert reminiscent of those found on vintage Omega Seamaster 300 models. Powered by an automatic movement and equipped with a date display at 3 o’clock, it was every inch a professional diving instrument, albeit one with a rather extraordinary sense of style.

This particular example has been professionally refinished with black PVD coating to resemble its original specification. In our humble ... and biased ... opinion, we think this looks fantastic! The bezel display is in excellent condition while the striking dial retains the graphic character that makes these early Army models so desirable. The contrasting hands, oversized markers, and unusual case architecture remain a masterclass in functional design.

Original DOXA Army watches are scarce, particularly compared with their more familiar SUB siblings, and surviving examples rarely emerge without evidence of a life well lived. Frankly, we wouldn’t have it any other way. After all, a vintage DOXA shouldn’t look as though it’s spent the last fifty years in a desk drawer. It should look like it’s been somewhere, done something, and returned with a few stories worth telling.

DOXA began Research and Development for the Sub 300 in 1964, under a team helmed by Urs Eschle, the brand's head of operations, who consulted professional divers including none other than the father of SCUBA himself, Jacques-Yves Cousteau.

Since wearability was crucial, Eschle designed a large case with wide, rounded lugs. For the dial, the team tested many colors (orange, yellow, turquoise, and red) in the waters of Neuchatel Lake. An unprecedented amount of tritium was also used on the hands and hour indices.

The team implemented a unidirectional bezel with an innovative insert: the U.S. Navy No Decompression chart, with the outer depth scale in orange and the minute scale in black, to allow divers to gauge how much air was in left in their tanks. Rounding out the Sub 300's innovative design was a beads-of-rice bracelet that was the first to implement an ratcheting expandable clasp capable of fitting over a diver's wetsuit without having to remove links.

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Condition

Since our pieces are vintage or pre-owned, please expect wear & patina from usage and age. Please read each item description and examine all product images.

Warranty

We back each Analog:Shift vintage timepiece with a two-year mechanical warranty from the date of purchase.

International Buyers

Please contact us prior to purchase for additional details on shipping and payment options.

All of our watches include complementary insured shipping within the 50 states.

Most of our products are on hand and will ship directly from our headquarters in New York City. In some cases, watches will be shipped directly from one of our authorized partners.

We generally ship our products via FedEx, fully insured, within 5 business days of purchase. An adult signature is required for receipt of all packages for insurance purposes. Expedited shipping is available at an additional cost. We are also happy to hand deliver your purchase in Manhattan or you may pick it up at our showroom.

Returns must be sent overnight or by priority international delivery, fully insured and paid for by the customer. A restocking fee may apply. Watches must be returned in the same condition as initially shipped.

We welcome international buyers, please contact us prior to purchase for additional details on shipping and payment options.