Doxa Honors Novelist and Maritime Explorer, Clive Cussler, in Latest Special Edition Sub 300T

It has been almost 50 years since the first time the iconic orange dial Doxa appeared on the wrist of Dirk Pitt in Clive Cussler’s adventure novel series. But the famed novelist and maritime explorer’s connection with Doxa occurred way before the diver was cemented as part of his protagonist’s far-flung adventures. As a budding author, Cussler decided to take a part-time gig at a dive shop; not only because the schedule was ideal for writing, but because he wanted to immerse himself in the diving world to find all sorts of inspiration for his novel’s plots and characters. While simultaneously applying his talents as a previous Creative Director for a prominent LA ad agency to the dive shop’s operation, Cussler worked his way into his first-ever publishing deal. It was then, the owner of the dive shop gifted Cussler a Doxa. Clive Cussler’s son, and an author himself, Dirk Cussler, clarified on stage during a special event hosted by Doxa and Watches of Switzerland at the New York Yacht Club, that his father had his choice of what was in the display case that very day. He fittingly went with an orange dial Doxa Sub 300T and the rest as they say, is history.

Clive Cussler’s legacy lives on through his children, the adventures of Dirk Pitt and the efforts of the National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA), a non-profit organization he founded that’s dedicated to preserving the history beneath the ocean’s surface. With the new special edition release from Doxa, Clive Cussler is forever immortalized in Doxa lore with his very own watch that honors his accomplishments as an author and explorer, as well as his spirit for adventure, with the Doxa Sub 300T Clive Cussler edition.

The Sub 300T Clive Cussler looks as if it was a long lost artifact dug up by Dirk Pitt himself. From case to clasp, its stainless steel construction has been aged to give the watch an appearance that it has lived a long and rigorous life. The intentionally finished scuffs and abrasions adorned across the watch imparts a distinct texture and an additional depth to the steel exterior. Even the signature polish within bezel’s elapsed time display is flattened out, giving the entire watch a uniform demeanor. I’ve said this a handful of times and I’ll always stand by it, but a honestly worn Doxa, scratches and all, truly looks better.

Were used to the many colors within the entire Doxa range, but gold is a first and an appropriate choice given Cussler’s propensity for finding shipwreck treasures of his own. The dial has a texture akin to that of an old parchment paper treasure map taken straight out of Cussler’s Treasure novel where Pitt encountered charts of lost gold while on his path to discovering the trail of treasures to Alexandria. The vintage gold compass centered on the dial pays tribute to the spirit of adventure, discovery and the drive to explore the unknown. Like a treasure map, Doxa leaves a few bread crumbs of their own, hidden within the watch; one being the red 7, 15 and 31 numerals on the datewheel that mark the author’s birthday, July 15th, 1931.

The caseback is yet another display of Cussler’s accomplishments, but not as an author, but as the founder of NUMA, which was a fictional agency that first appeared in his novel Mediterranean Cape, turned into a real life non-profit organization focused on preserving maritime heritage through the discovery, archaeological survey and conservation of shipwreck artifacts. Each ship surveyed and discovered by the agency up until 2022 is engraved on the caseback displayed like a cipher waiting to be decoded. In a way, the Sub 300T on paper is a cipher itself, with its proportions that can only be deciphered by actually wearing it on wrist. For those uninitiated, its 42.5mm case wears much smaller thanks to a svelte dial display (approximately 27mm in width) and a more than manageable 44.5mm lug to lug.

At the release event hosted at the New York Yacht Club, the first four numbered special edition pieces were presented to representatives of the Jenny family, NUMA and Dirk Cussler himself who has continued carrying the torch as an author and his leadership role at NUMA. Honoring his father, Dirk Cussler spoke about what this special edition Doxa means to him and his late father – “Some people get statues made after them. Others get honored by a portrait like the ones in this very lobby. But for my father to be remembered by an actual Doxa, that’s something he would be really proud of.”

Each Sub 300T Clive Cussler special edition comes with an engraved number hidden on the side of the bezel (more bread crumbs) and is concealed within a book doubling as a watch case. Proceeds from each special edition that is sold will continue to support the National Underwater and Marine Agency. In addition to the signature beads of rice bracelet in aged steel, the Sub 300T Clive Cussler also comes with a beige NATO strap. The Sub 300T Clive Cussler is currently available on Doxa’s website and retails for $2,690. Doxa