© Dr. Peter McClean Millar - June 2012

Phew, it certainly has been a while since I last thrashed the keyboard and took literally hundreds of photos for a review. But Rick Marei had sent Rusty Shakleford over on the Doxa forum a couple of loaners for a "Get Together" he was organizing in Atlanta and Rick asked Rusty to fire them over to me for a while to have a look. A big box arrived and it was like Christmas all over again. So out came the camera and I got the knuckles cracked and the fingers limbered up.

I think everyone reading this knows how it goes.... You reach a stage where you say; "That's it. No more watches." And for most people that lasts weeks, months, maybe even years but eventually the siren call begins to be heard and slowly but surely the desire builds until it becomes.. "Man, I really want another watch." I'm loathe to use the word need in that last sentence because if you are anything like me, you live in the land of watch want and not watch need. They are two completely different universes.

 

Well, that's pretty much how it was for me. After the release of the Diving With Legends Doxa, my want another watch song had finished the last chorus and was coming to the end. I mean, when you have your own watch why would you wear anything else? But you all know what comes next. There is always an itch to be scratched. For me it was a blue two tone Rolex Sub and a Blancpain Fifty Fathoms.

 

It took a while but I managed to pick up and old Sub for a pretty decent price. No box or papers but from a trusted seller. It really is everything and more I expected it to be. Next was the Fifty Fathoms. Problem is the new ones are just too big. Tried them on in Dubai every time I went but just don't have the wrist for it. Also the fact that they are obscenely expensive to buy and service finally put me off. So what alternatives are out there? Actually not many. They all seemed to go for the vintage style case which is almost 52mm long. Again, just far too big. I'd pretty much resigned myself to having that eternal itch and then Doxa released this......

 

"Sussanfrussanrussan Dick Dastardly" for those old enough to remember..... Now here was another Doxa that just called to me, and again let's be honest here, was there ever a Doxa I didn't like? I really fancied the Sharkhunter dial. The Safe Dive subdial had grown on me but it was the Sapphire bezel that really said "buy me." But then I checked the dimensions and the credit card breathed a sigh of relief and scurried back into the wallet. Bollox, too darn big! My wrists are around 6.75 inches and because of that there have been a number of watches that I owned but just couldn't wear. Eddie Platt's Dreadnought, for example. Fantastic watch but too big for my scrawny wrists. The SUB 5000T and the 2005 T-Graph are about the limit for me and if I was being really truthful, I would have to say that I don't wear them that much because they are pushing that limit. However, there are always exceptions to rules and the SUB 750T is that exception. It is a fairly big watch but it wears small and is probably one of the most comfortable Doxa's out there. So I held out hope that maybe the new 4000T would be like the 750T

 

Around the time of the new 4000T another watch caught my eye, it was the Aquadive Bathyscaphe 100. This was a smaller version of the 300 and while still relatively big the word on the street was it wore small. It also came with an Isofrane strap which I'd never seen before but had heard great things about. When the chance came to get to play with one, I jumped at it. Aquadive, like Doxa, is a watch company with a tremendous history behind them and like Doxa their new watches pay homage to their glory days of the 60's and 70's. Also like Doxa, they have taken a classic design and updated it for a new era.

 

So this is where the rubber hits the road. It's not a "my watch is better than yours" review. It is a straight up comparison of two watches I was considering buying. At the moment, I am in Houston, a zillion miles from home with no access to my watch collection and I could only compare them with the watches I had brought with me. No traditional purple background cloth and using a new camera (Canon G12) and still getting to grips with it, so apologies for the photos and not having the tools to remove bracelets or measure and weigh the watches precisely. Also the SUB 4000T is a demonstration model. Although it has a movement, it is locked with the hands in a set position for photographs. The watch looks, feels and weighs the same as a production version, however, it only tells the right time twice a day!

 

Both watches came in lacquered wooden boxes. Both were nice, but the Aquadive one is the better size and had a brushed metal nameplate on the top. The production 4000T will use the standard Doxa metal tube. Nice as the box is, the tube, like the watch, has now become something of a packaging icon and is an integral part of the buying a Doxa experience.

 

Opening both boxes was a visual treat as both watches are stunning in their own right. The Doxa with the ever familiar orange dial and NoDeCo bezel and the Aquadive with its all black DLC (Diamond Like Coating) finish. The Aquadive had another surprise. A wonderful vanilla aroma from the Isofrane strap. I had read about this but had forgotten to expect it. It really was a pleasant surprise. Even after sitting for a few days in the open there still is a faint vanilla smell from the strap.

 

I guess by now I'm pretty used to the flash of orange when I open a new Doxa container, but the the jet black Aquadive was a new experience. All my watches have Stainless Steel cases which are either polished or brushed finish and that's basically how it is with Steel unless you either paint or treat the surface. For years industry has used surface treating techniques to case harden tools like drill bits or saw blades. Basically it means that atoms of a harder elements like Tungsten are deposited onto the surface of the steel forming a metallic bond which effectively coats the surface. I'm sure many of you have heard of and even have watches with PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) coatings. I had a Casio once with it and after a year it looked like crap. The coating hadn't flaked off as some people said had happened to theirs but areas of the watch had scratches which removed the coating and the sharper edges of the watch had the coating rubbed away. It really put me off PVD watches.

 

The Aquadive uses the PVD technique but the coating is DLC (Diamond Like Carbon). The DLC is a mixture of Carbon, Titanium and Nitrogen which bonds to the steel and gives it an incredibly hard surface and black colour. One advantage of DLC is its low coefficient of friction which helps to increase the durability of the coating. Glancing blows against the watch case, which may dig in and damage normal PVD coatings, are more likely to simply slide over the surface of a DLC coated case. In effect it should be more difficult to damage a DLC coating. As the watch was loaned to me I wasn't going to put any of this to the test but I'm fairly confident the Aquadive DLC coating can stand the test of time. Besides it really does look great and makes the Bathyscaphe 100 a really striking watch.

 

And taking of striking watches, the SUB 4000T is another unmistakable orange Doxa except bigger in just about every department. The dial width is the biggest ever produced by Doxa. At 33mm it makes even the 750T dial 30mm real estate seem small. The dial on the 300T which is the same size as that on the 600T, 1000T and 1200T is almost puny by comparison at 28mm. The Aquadive is smack in the middle at 30mm.

 

	WIDTH (inc crown)	LENGTH	HEIGHT	LUG WIDTH	DIAL WIDTH	WEIGHT
SUB 300T	45	45	13	20	28	162
BATHYSCAPHE 100	48	49	15	22	30	162
SUB 5000T	48	47	15	21	30	219
SUB 4000T	50	52	15	22	33	252

The table above gives the tale of the tape. I can't vouch for complete accuracy as these were done by eyeballing the ruler on a Swiss Army knife so I'm happy to be overruled by someone with a micrometer gauge. As you can see both the Aquadive and the Doxa are big watches and anyone (like me) who was put off by the numbers would be justified in thinking they were too big for anyone with a less than Popeye wrist. In the case of the Doxa they would probably be right. It is a big watch and wears big. The Aquadive, on the other hand, was a revelation. It wears like a watch which is in the 45mm range. I was gobsmacked. I put it on expecting to feel the weight of the massive case wobbling on my wrist only to find that when I tightened up the Isofrane strap, the watch hugged my wrist and almost instantly went neutral. The Aquadive, which had been on my "want but never going to happen" list went to my; "woooo, really need to think about this one" list.

OK, as you all are probably saying by now; "Words aren't enough, Pete. We need pictures." Here they are. See for yourself.

So what is the secret of the Aquadive's comfort? Three things really. The Isofrane strap, the weight and the flat caseback. The whole combination of the 4000T's massive watch head and solid bracelet makes for a very heavy watch. Unless you have the bracelet adjusted perfectly (and the ratcheting clasp helps on this) there will always be a certain amount of movement of the whole watch on the wrist. The heavier the watch head the more the movement. With a strap it is easier to cinch things up tighter and reduce that movement. I used a postal scale and the 4000T with full bracelet weighs 8.9 ounces (252 grams). I also weighed the Aquadive and my 300T and they both came in at 5.7 ounces (162 grams). It's not a completely fair comparison as my 300T has less links and the Aquadive has a rubber strap but there is no taking away from the fact that the 4000T is a bruiser of a watch.

The other determinator is the caseback. I've long been a proponent of flat casebacks. They help reduce the center of gravity of the watch head and give a greater contact area with the wrist. The Aquadive has a caseback which is flatter than a witch's tit (one of my dad's expressions. Just seemed appropriate) and really hugs the wrist. Actually I think Doxa have got sick of me wingeing about their casebacks because the caseback on the 4000T is a real beauty in the flat caseback department. As you can see from the photo, there is no logo on it so maybe it isn't what the production caseback looks like. The production ones will definitely have the Jenny fish logo. I do hope they retain the flatness.

What I wanted to do was remove the Isofrane from the Aquadive and put it on the 4000T, unfortunately, I don't have any of my tools here and I didn't want to start gouging lumps out of both watches attempting to change them using a $1.99 set of jeweler's screwdrivers and my Swiss Army knife. I do believe that having a strap on the 4000T would make a big difference and deep in the back of my mind there is a thought trying to convince me that the Sharkhunter 4000T with Sapphire bezel on a thick black leather strap would be perfect. Actually not being able to test the theory probably saved me a bunch of money. I can just imagine my credit card cowering in the recesses of my wallet, mopping sweat from its brow.

As my dad used to say about buying a Ford car; "When it comes to servicing it, you can find bits for it behind the nearest hedge." The ETA movements are pretty much in that class. They can be serviced almost anywhere and it won't require a mortgage to do so. Both watches use an ETA movement. The 4000T uses the ETA 2897, which has 21 Jewels and beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz), while the Aquadive uses the ETA 2836-2, which has 25 Jewels and also beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz). The 4000T didn't beat at all during the time I had it because the movement was locked so I can't vouch for the timekeeping of the 4000T, but the Bathyscaphe 100 was giving on average, a gain of 6 seconds per day. Perfectly acceptable and in line with the ETA 2824 -2 which was the previous stalwart of most Doxa SUBs.

I mentioned the SUB 4000T clasp earlier and like the rest of the bracelet it is a substantial bit of kit. The clasp was first introduced with the SUB 5000T and offers an easy method of micro adjustments. It harks back to the classic adjuster on the original SUB 300 /300T from 45 years ago and is an elegant design. The bracelet on the 4000T starts at 22mm lugs (like the Aquadive) and tapers to 20mm. The clasp itself is 22mm wide and of sold construction. It isn't the traditional beads of rice (BOR) one associates with the Doxa SUB. In fact it has a closer resemblance to the design of the Rolex bracelet. Would the 4000T have benefitted from a BOR bracelet? Well, it definitely would have been more traditional but Doxa is kind of in a position of damned if you do and damned if you don't. They moved away from the classic dial by including a power reserve subdial and got some negative feedback over it because of the positioning and the inclusion of the words; 'Safe Dive', so changing the bracelet style was just another departure from the tried and tested format of the classic design. As for the Isofrane strap on the Aquadive. I'll keep this short. Best dive strap I have ever seen. 'Nuff said.

The watch world is similar to every other form of consumerism. If you make something people like they will buy it. If they don't like it, they won't. Whether the 4000T turns out to be the watch equivalent of Betamax or VHS, only time will tell. Personally, if this was a 'test the market' exercise, I would only have offered the watch with the Sapphire bezel and not the NoDeCo. That way the 4000T would effectively have been a totally new design. Having the NoDeCo makes it a half-way house and opens it up for more criticism than it justifies. If you want the classic, buy the 1200T or 5000T. If you want the new hotness, go with a Sapphire 4000T. Make things simple.

And simple is where the Aquadive is. If the Bathyscaphe 100 is a bit too small for you then go for the larger Bathyscaphe 300. Black DLC not your thing, then buy the steel version. Actually Aquadive also make a Bronze version of the 100. Now that one really has my interest piqued. I'd like to see that badboy on a nice thick brown leather strap. I'll bet it is an eyecatcher and a half. Interestingly enough, the Bronze BS100 doesn't have a Helium Relief Valve like the Bathyscaphe 100. Many people won't notice the HRV on the Aquadive because unlike the HRV on the SUB 4000T which is positioned on the side of the case, the Aquadive HRV is located in the middle of the bottom lug area. I don't know the reason for no HRV on the Bronze model. I had thought that maybe if it was made from Steel there would be a galvanic corrosion possibility when immersed in seawater and rather than take any chances they just designed it out. In reality it makes no difference and the number of people who would buy the BS100 and need the HRV is probably zero.

The Doxa SUB watches have long been considered as tool watches. They were designed as robust dive watches and they got the job done. My favourite has to be the 750T, mostly because it was closer to the design characteristics of the original 300T. Yes it was bigger but it had a flat wide caseback, it was relatively thin for the overall size and also because it had a flat crystal. The 600T, 1000T and 1200T all went for a slightly domed crystal. Many people like the slightly domed crystal. I've heard them say it gives the watch a more refined and expensive look. The downside to it is that domed crystals tend to catch the reflections of overhead lighting more. I used to be a fervent; "it has to be a flat crystal" kind of guy but I have mellowed since the DWL 1200T. Having said all that, I have to say that the decision to go with a flat crystal on the Aquadive was the right choice. This watch says tool watch even more than the Doxa. The case is angular. Everything is pretty much a straight line and I feel a curved crystal would have been wrong.

The 4000T on the other hand is much more curvatious and nowhere more so than the bezel. The bezel to all intents and purposes looks like the standard Doxa NoDeCo affair, but if you look closely at the image above comparing it to the SUB 5000T, it actually has a curved profile which follows the line of the curved crystal. Compare that to the sharp, angular profile of the bezel and crystal on the Aquadive. Both timepieces are unquestionably dive watches, but the Aquadive looks like it just stepped off a Dive Support Vessel whereas the Doxa is looking for a tuxedo and a beautiful woman to take to dinner.

And the bezel brings me to the one thing that I found slightly disappointing with the Aquadive. The bezel is big, it's chunky, it's easy to grip in a glove, is a 120 click movement and it has a state of the art ceramic insert, but it turns too easy and feels and sounds "tinny". The bezel looks like it is a sold piece of steel with a thin groove for the insert. I was expecting it to feel as solid and substantial as the Doxa NoDeCo bezel but it wasn't. It felt loose and hollow when I turned it. Now, not having taken the bezel off I don't know if it is solid or not, but, in terms of design, it makes sense not to have the bezel totally solid. It would increase the weight of the watch head considerably and in reality it doesn't need to be solid. Maybe it was the example of the watch I got and others feel tighter but I would say that in this case a beefier bezel spring would fix the "problem" by adding more resistance to the rotational movement. UPDATE: I've just had it confirmed that the Aquadive does indeed use a solid bezel. The difference between the DOXA and the Aquadive is that that the Aquadive bezel is user replaceable. The spring is laser cut and not stamped, this makes for a smoother turning movement, however, the tradeoff is it doesn't sound as substantial as the Doxa, but if you ever need to replace it, you can do it yourself./p>

As obvious as the differences between the two watches are, one similarity is in the luminosity of the dial. Both watches use generous amounts of Superluminova and when energised shine brightly. The SUB 4000T would take the prize due to the larger minute hand, but otherwise both dials give off a similar glow.

So the several thousand dollar question has to be, which one would I buy? Well the answer, suprisingly enough, is both. That's the bottom line but it needs clarification. I really like what Doxa have done with the 4000T, especially the Sharkhunter version with the Sapphire bezel and if it hadn't have been so big I would have bought one without a seconds hesitation, but I feel that I just don't have the wrist size to wear it. However, maybe, just maybe I could get away with one on a leather strap, but it really would be a gamble so unfortunately the SUB 4000T really will become my Doxa unrequited love. I'll just look at the photos and pine for what might have been!

As for the Bathyscaphe 100 well, never say never on that one. I think Aquadive have pulled off an amazing phoenix resurrection and if they continue to produce watches to the standard of the Bathyscaphe 100 they will go from strength to strength. The DLC version is a stunner and if I wanted an all black watch this would be it. The Bronze version is in the "now that would really work" category even though it has what I consider a slight inconsistancy; the dark brown DLC crown. I don't know why they didn't make the crown out of the same material as the case. Maybe it had to be coated for a metallurgical / corrosion problem if immersed in seawater, but for me it just spoils the wonderful look of the watch. Though, having said that, as the case ages and darkens, the colour mismatch will become significantly less. So that leaves the Steel version. Well, with a tax refund heading my way, you would just never know.

Once again, I have to that Rick Marei for letting me get up close and personal and spend some time with a couple of fantastic watches. The SUB 4000T was everything I expected it to be. Quintessentially Doxa with a fresh and maybe controvertial style change. But it was a controvertial design which brought them back into the reckoning in 2002. 10 years later it was maybe time to shake things up a bit. The Aquadive was a real eye opener. Totally destroyed my thoughts that it would be too big and top heavy. A deceptive watch in many ways. Very comfortable and with a wrist presence that will stop people in their tracks. I know it is a bit of a joke cliche in the fashion world but for the DLC Bathyscaphe 100; black really is the new black.