Since its launch in 2019, the Doxa SUB 200 has been one of my favorite value oriented dive watches to recommend. When it debuted, it was under $1,000 and really stood out in a crowd of vintage inspired divers. It was a particularly compelling option for enthusiasts who were after something affordable and loaded with a bit of history and was definitely not a Seiko. They were also getting that vintage appropriate sizing right before the pendulum swung all the way back toward watches under 40mm – the SUB 200 measures 42mm but wears significantly smaller thanks to the short lug profile. It was and is a great wearing, classically styled dive watch from a truly important dive watch brand.
Doxa has just refreshed the SUB 200 and the watch that was revealed this week reflects a lot of what’s going on the industry at the moment, while also appearing to serve as a worthy heir (and complement) to the existing SUB 200. The new SUB 200 II sees Doxa making some unexpected refinements to the case and also offering the watch in a new suite of colorways and a novel case treatment. Taken together, it’s a significantly more contemporary execution of something we’ve all come to associate with pure vintage nostalgia.
We’ll start with the case, which now measures 44mm in diameter. I did a bit of a double take when I saw that particular spec – we’re deep in the era of brands downsizing their iconic sports watches to accommodate the current appetite for sleeker, small-to-medium cases. Importantly, however, the SUB 200 II case is a full millimeter thinner than the SUB 200, which should have a meaningful impact on the wearing experience. Equally crucial, the case design itself still features those short, twisted lugs, so we would expect the SUB 200 II to wear smaller than its stated dimensions for similar reasons as the original SUB 200.
For this release, Doxa has also introduced a new “Redcoral” colorway, which features a deep sunburst red dial and a black DLC coated case and bracelet. This completely changes the look and feel of the watch, of course, making it read quite a bit more contemporary, and I have a feeling it will have a niche appeal among Doxa and dive watch enthusiasts. That said, I find the red and black look to be really appealing. Red is a tough color to pull off on a dial (maybe the toughest) but I think it’s helped by playing with the tones of the case. It just makes everything feel a little more intentional, aesthetically, as opposed to just slamming a bunch of new dials into the same steel case.
As usual, Doxa offers a variety of color options in the SUB 200 II collection. At launch, in addition to the Redcoral, collectors can have their pick of dials in Sharkhunter Vintage (gray), Sharkhunter (black), Caribbean (blue), and Sea Emerald (green). All feature fume dial effects, which is new for Doxa. They can be ordered on mesh bracelets or rubber straps in colors matching their respective dials. They run on a Sellita SW200 automatic movement.
Pricing starts at $1,690 for all watches except the Redcoral on rubber straps. The Redcoral on its DLC coated bracelet is the top of the range coming in at $1,890. For enthusiasts who still associate the original SUB 200 as a compelling value option, that’s a big jump, but it’s not too far afield of where the market is right now for this type of watch (it’s worth noting here that the lowest priced SUB 200 as of today is $1,250, so the cost has increased across the board). Doxa divers, in my experience, are well made tool watches that are comparable in quality with those coming from bigger Swiss brands that might be twice as expensive at retail, so there’s certainly still comparative value here at the very least. We look forward to getting a look at these watches in person and bringing you our thoughts soon. Doxa
Zach Kazan
2026-03-25 20:00:00