The second half of the 20th century would certainly have to be considered the golden age of diving. The reason why I can say that with conviction as it was most definitely the golden age of dive watches. With big brands like Rolex and Omega making iconic models and a whole host of smaller brands making pseudo dive watches (skin divers) and compressor watches, the dive craze or even the desire for the dive ‘aesthetic’ was in full swing.
One brand not talked about that can be classified in the ‘serious’ dive watch segment is Doxa. The example you see here today is a Sub 300T Shark Hunter and it is one of the most hardcore dive pieces to come out of the era. Just looking at the piece, with its massive 42mm shaped case and thick graduated bezel you can tell that it wasn’t just a ‘show’ piece.
As a testament to this, one of the most badass characters to come out of the 20th century, Jacques Cousteau, wore this model on his expeditions.
This particular 300T is called a Sharkhunter because of its matte black dial as the other 300Ts featured a bright orange dial. Furthermore, what makes this example special is that it comes on its original Doxa beads of rice bracelet with its stretchy extension and also it has the Aqua Lung badge on the dial, indicating that it was sold but Jacques Cousteau’s brand at dive shops in the US.
The Doxa Sub 300T Sharkhunter is a seriously solid watch and even to this day, 50 years on, it still remains so.
