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DOXA Launches Sleeker SUB 300 

Doxa slims its SUB 300 dive watch to create the new SUB 300 Beta, a contemporary edition of the technical series, but with sleeker, colorful ceramic bezels and sunburst-finished dials.  

One of the new models in the Doxa SUB 300 Beta collection.

While thinner at 11.95mm (compared to the SUB 300T’s 13.65mm thickness) and with a slimmer bezel height, the new series still retains the collection’s 42.5mm diameter size as well as its range of deep diver specs.

The look is decidedly less retro than existing models in the 300SUB series, with a contemporary black ceramic bezel, wave-motif dial and slightly longer hour markers.

Doxa maintains a screw-down crown, helium release valve, a flat sapphire crystal and a screw-in steel caseback on this high-value 300-meter dive watch.

Doxa livens up the series with colorful accents and matching rubber strap options with a white, silver, black or blue dial.

Also available on request is Doxa’s historic stainless-steel “rice grain” bracelet.

Both options come with a deployant clasp featuring a wetsuit extension and Doxa’s own fish logo.

 

Specifications: Doxa SUB 300 Beta 

Case: 316L Stainless steel, diameter: 42.50mm x 44.50mm, height: 11.95mm, helium release valve. Crystal: ‘Flat’ sapphire with anti-reflective coating, Screw-in steel caseback, black ceramic screw-down crown. Water-resistance: 300 meters.

Dial: Sunburst finish with wave pattern, colored hands, orange or tone-on-tone, highlighted with SuperLumiNova, outer minute track, painted, glossy black.

Bezel: Black ceramic, unidirectional rotation, outer ring: depth in feet (black tone-on-tone indications), SuperLumiNova dot at 12 o’clock. Inner ring: Duration in minutes (black tone-on-tone indications).

Movement: Swiss mechanical, self-winding, 3 hands, power reserve of 38 hours,Frequency: 28,800 vph (4 Hz), Doxa decorations.

Strap/Bracelet: FKM rubber strap, tone-on-tone matching the dial (or white for ‘Caribbean’ and ‘Searambler’); black PVD-coated folding clasp with ratcheting wetsuit extension, Doxa fish symbol.

or

316L stainless steel ‘beads of rice’ bracelet; stainless steel folding clasp with ratcheting wetsuit extension, Doxa fish symbol.

Price: With stainless steel bracelet: $2,290. With rubber strap: $2,250.

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The Watches

Zenith Polishes its Defy Extreme 

Zenith adds a highly reflective mirror finish to a new model in its Defy Extreme collection.

The new Zenith Defy Extreme Mirror.

The very contemporary Defy Extreme Mirror reflects all colors with its fully mirror-polished metal exterior, familiar Defy angular case and polished integrated bracelet. The stark combination offers a dramatic, monochromatic option within the watchmaker’s rugged Defy chronograph collection.

Without colors, the new watch seems to blend with its environment. Zenith pairs the mirror-finish with an equally dramatic multi-layered open dial that features a sapphire center, finished to be both translucent and reflective.

The watch’s 1/100th-of-a-second chronograph scale features satin-brushed metallic elements, which retains the Defy’s easy-to-read dial, despite the watch’s metal-head theme.

Inside the watch the wearer will see an El Primero 9004 high-frequency chronograph movement, found in all the Defy Extreme models. The movement offers 1/100th-of-a -second time measurements with two independent escapements. One beats at 5Hz (36,000 VpH) for timekeeping while the second vibrates at 50Hz (360,000 VpH) to activate the chronograph function.

Zenith customizes each model in the Defy Extreme collection with a specially decorated rotor. On the Defy Extreme Mirror, the star-shaped winding rotor is finished in a silvery-grey metallic tone to match the case and dial elements.

Zenith attaches the new watch to the wrist with a black Velcro strap and a rubber strap, which can be easily swapped with the steel bracelet using the quick strap-change mechanism on the back of the case.

Price: $26,100.

Specifications: Zenith Defy Extreme Mirror 

Movement: Zenith El Primero 9004 with a frequency of 36,000 VpH (watch) and 360,000 VpH (Chronograph). 

Power reserves: 50 hours (watch) and approx. 50 min (chronograph).

Functions: Hours and minutes in the center,  small seconds at 9 o’clock. 1/100th of a second chronograph with a central chronograph hand that makes one turn each second, 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock, 60-second counter at 6 o’clock, Chronograph power-reserve indication at 12 o’clock. Special oscillating weight with satined finishings.

Case: 45mm polished steel, water resistant to 200 meters, flat sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on both sides, caseback with transparent sapphire crystal.

Dial: Mirror tinted sapphire with three silver-colored counters, hands and markers are rhodium-plated, faceted and coated with SuperLuminova SLN C1.

Bracelet: Full interchangeable strap system. Full polished metal bracelet with folding clasp. Two straps included: 1 Rubber with folding buckle and 1 Velcro.

Price: $26,100. 

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American Brands

Benrus Revisits Ultra-Deep 

Benrus revives one of its best-selling dive watches with the new Benrus Ultra-Deep, a recreation of one of the watchmaker’s historic models from the 1960s.

The new Benrus Ultra-Deep.

Originally created in response to the rise of scuba diving for sport, the Benrus Ultra-Deep retains the 36.5mm case size of the original model’s ‘compressor’ case. Such cases, built for the U.S.-based Benrus by Swiss-based Ervin Piquerez, would become more water resistant as the diver went deeper because the caseback would pressurize. Modern screw-down cases fulfill the same role in new watches.

The revived Benrus Ultra-Deep also retains the dual-crown design found on the original model.  

One crown rotates an inner timing bezel instead of an external bezel, which makes it less likely the bezel will be shifted by mistake, leading to timing errors under water.

Also note the same cathedral-style hour and minute hands and magnified date window as the original.

The new models of course benefit from numerous technical updates, including a screw-down winding crown, C3 SuperLumiNova hands and dial markers. Inside, Benrus fits a reliable Soprod P024 automatic movement. The watch arrives on a high-end Jubilee-style stainless steel bracelet and also includes a blue nylon NATO dive strap.

Price: $1,095. 

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The Watches

Breitling Adds Tourbillon to Top Time 

Breitling adds a tourbillon to three models in its Top Time Classic Cars Collection, the series of luxurious sporty chronographs that celebrate classic automobiles. The new models honor the legacies of the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Corvette and Shelby Cobra, three famed cars Breitling has linked to existing watches in the collection.

The new Breitling B21 Top Time Ford Mustang.

The watchmaker combines the new tourbillon addition with a variety of case metals and dial treatments (including one with a walnut burl dial) meant to add some contemporary technology to the essentially retro-themed Top Time collection.

The new Breitling Top Time B21 Shelby Cobra

Breitling fits each watch with Caliber B21, the same movement Breitling developed with the movement maker Manufacture La Joux-Perret and the same caliber seen first inside last year’s Breitling Premier Tourbillon.

The new Breitling Top Time B21 Chevrolet Corvette.

The Caliber B21 has a column-wheel-controlled design with a horizontal clutch and is a COSC-certified chronometer with a skeletonized oscillating weight. The wearer can enjoy a view of the column wheel on each watch through the caseback.

Breitling first introduced the Top Time Collection in the 1960s and revived it in 2021 as a ‘modern retro’ series built with mushroom-style chronograph pushers and an up/down dial design. 

For the new models, Breitling places the tourbillon carriage at 12 o’clock with the chronograph minute counter at the 6 o’clock position, in part to recall the look of vintage automotive dashboard gauges. You’ll also find tachometer scale just inside the bezel of all three new models.

The Watches

One debut model, the Top Time B21 Ford Mustang, boasts a 43-mm bronze case with a titanium back and a green dial, colored to match the first-generation Ford Mustang (1964 to 1974.)

Breitling Top Time B21 Shelby Cobra

A second debut, the Top Time B21 Shelby Cobra, has a 44-mm black ceramic case with a titanium back, crown, pushers, and buckle. Its blue dial matches the color theme of 1962 model, famously developed by Le Mans winner Carroll Shelby.

Breitling Top Time B21 Chevrolet Corvette.

The third debut, the Top Time B21 Chevrolet Corvette, pairs its 44-mm black ceramic case with a titanium back, crown, pushers, and buckle. Its unusual walnut burl dial and perforated leather racing strap are an homage to the steering wheel and dashboard inlays of the legendary 1960s “Sting Ray” Chevy Corvette.

Price: $47,000.

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The Watches

H. Moser Thins Streamliner with New Micro-Rotor

H. Moser & Cie. creates its thinnest and smallest Streamliner yet with the new Streamliner Small Seconds Blue Enamel, a sleek 39mm cushion-cased steel watch that debuts automatic caliber HMC 500, the independent watchmaker’s first movement with a micro-rotor.

The new H. Moser Streamliner Small Seconds Blue Enamel.

Boasting a very slightly elongated cushion shape and a seriously stunning Grand Feu ‘Aqua Blue’ enamel dial, the new watch retains Streamliner collection’s organic curves and integrated bracelet design.

And with the new, thin movement the watch is among H. Moser’s thinnest at 10.9mm high.

H. Moser mounts its new platinum micro-rotor on a ball bearing and equips it with a bi-directional pawl winding system that offers a solid seventy-four-hour power reserve.

Despite a smaller escapement, the movement’s performance remains as strong as H. Moser’s existing, larger calibers. (See full specifications below).

Made from solid platinum, the micro-rotor is mounted on a ball bearing, equipped with a bi-directional pawl winding system.

Developed in tandem with H. Moser’s sister company, Precision Engineering AG, the movement will serve as a base for the watchmaker’s small-case designs going forward, and will “enable us to introduce new complications, by combining it with modules developed in-house or in collaboration with our partner Agenhor,” explains Edouard Meylan, CEO of H. Moser & Cie.

H. Moser artisans wash three different color pigments, which are then finely crushed and applied to the dial.

Moser creates the logo-free translucent enamel by painstakingly firing the substance twelve times to create the fumé effect. In a nice contrast to this primary dial, an offset small seconds display at 6 o’clock is lacquered with a circular pattern.

Price: $32,900.

 

Specifications: H. Moser Streamliner Small Seconds Blue Enamel

(Reference 6500-1200, steel model, Aqua Blue fumé dial, integrated steel bracelet.) 

Case:

Steel topped by a slightly domed sapphire crystal

Diameter: 39.0 mm

Height without sapphire crystal: 9.3 mm; Height with sapphire crystal: 10.9 mm

See-through case-back 

Screw-in crown adorned with an “M”

Water-resistant to 120 meters

Dial:

Aqua Blue fumé “Grand Feu” enamel with hammered texture 

Applique indices 

Hour and minute hands with Globolight inserts 

Lacquered small seconds sub-dial with a circular pattern

Movement:

Automatic calibre HMC 500, partially skeletonized

Diameter: 30.0 mm or 13 1/4 lignes

Height: 4.5 mm 

Frequency:  21,600 Vb/h

Automatic bi-directional pawl winding system 

Solid platinum micro-rotor engraved with the H. Moser hallmark 

Power reserve: minimum of 74 hours

Original Straumann hairspring 

Finish with Moser stripes 

Strap/bracelet:

Integrated steel bracelet  

Folding clasp with three steel blades, engraved with the Moser logo 

Price: $32,900.

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