THE DOXA BOOKS

The problem with history is: it is never finished! No sooner had I completed the 40th Anniversary book than I began to amass a load more information and images and missing facts about the DOXA SUB. 10 years later it has culminated in another 300 page book – DOXA SUB – A 50 Year Journey.

If the 40th Anniversary book was a starter, then A 50 Year Journey is the main course. If you are expecting a glossy catalogue filled with professional high quality studio shots, then look elsewhere. It is not that kind of book. This new book is unique in that it truly is a book by DOXA fans and collectors for DOXA fans and collectors. The majority of images used in the book were sent to me or pulled from the forums and show the DOXA SUB in the real world. It was designed to be a diver’s tool watch, able to withstand the rigors of working at depths in one of the harshest environments on the planet and many of the pictures show them underwater, on wrists, scratched and beaten and doing what they were meant to do. As I said before, if you want a book with nothing but images of antiseptic, polished, sparkling timepieces then move along, there is nothing to see here!

Many people will ask: “If I have the 40th book, do I need the 50th?” Short answer: Yes! Long answer: Yes! The 50th book is not an update to the 40th. Aside from including the last 10 years’ models it also has a number of stories which illustrate why the DOXA SUB truly is an icon. Dirk Cussler on why Dirk Pitt wears a DOXA SUB, Bruno Capello on working with Jacques Cousteau, John Génart on the early days of the DOXA SUB development and Ty Alley on the Mission 31 DOXA SUBs used by Fabian Cousteau.

Another addition is a section on dial icons. Over the span of 50 years, the DOXA SUB has been associated with numerous diving equipment companies and organisations including: US Divers, Spirotechnique, TUSA, Poseidon, NUMA and Project Aware. Their logos were displayed in the lower left quadrant on DOXA SUB dials. It is another tradition which distinguishes the DOXA SUB.

But what really sets A 50 Year Journey apart is the introduction by Rick Marei. After over 20 years at the helm of the DOXA SUB rebirth and resurgence, Rick’s tenure is coming to an end. There was no better time for him to tell the fascinating story on how he took a chance on what was almost a forgotten iconic watch and brought it back to a position of prominence in the dive watch world. It was a new start, but for Rick and the rest of us who were involved in the journey, after 50 years, it is not the end, it is just the end of the beginning.

Remember this….. The problem with history is: it is never finished!…well, now there is the CUSSLER, PITT and DOXA book. At the beginning of his writing career, Clive Cussler was given a DOXA SUB 300T dive watch. This book tells the story of the 50 year relationship between Cussler, his adventure hero; Dirk Pitt and the special DOXA dive watches they have worn discovering sunken wrecks, and in Pitt’s case, saving the world.

Dr. Peter McClean Millar – August 2024