Distressed Signals: The DOXA SUB 300T Sharkhunter Clive Cussler Gets a Lived-In Glow-Up

Adventure novelist Clive Cussler wrote 85 books during his legendary career. The American author is best known for his Dirk Pitt thrillers, which famously featured the eponymous adventurer taking on all kinds of marine missions while wearing a SUB 300T from DOXA strapped to his wrist.
 

One of the reasons why Cussler’s work still resonates today is because the stories transport the readers into a fantastic world through the economical use of details. For instance, the fact that Pitt preferred the SUB 300T is the perfect shorthand for summing up a dashing pilot and marine engineer. So, while the events in Pitt’s life seem impossible, the descriptions of the exotic characters and locations make the reader feel like they’re there.

That is why DOXA released its first homage to the author, the SUB 300T Clive Cussler, in 2023, which featured a 42.5mm x 44.5mm aged stainless steel case, aged “beads of rice” bracelet, and a handmade dial that resembled a compass and was the color of old parchment.
 

This year, the brand, in an inspired move, has leaned into the lived-in look by ratcheting up the hand-aging. The result is that DOXA’s latest tribute to Cussler, the SUB 300T Sharkhunter Clive Cussler, looks like it has lived a life of adventure and danger. Essentially, DOXA has created its own piece of horological fiction. Brilliant.

Clive Cussler himself led an action-packed life. He served in the United States Air Force during the Korean Conflict and then had a lengthy career as a successful ad man.

His first Dirk Pitt novel, 1973’s “The Mediterranean Caper,” set the stage for Cussler’s use of speculative fiction. Throughout his work, he would posit alternate histories, like whether Atlantis was real or what would have happened had Abraham Lincoln never been assassinated.
 

Cussler also founded and was chairman of the National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA), an organization dedicated to discovering shipwrecks and other notable underwater sites.

The facts of Cussler’s life are why the SUB 300T Sharkhunter Clive Cussler is such an apt reimaging of DOXA’s best-known diver

The most striking feature of this edition is the black Sharkhunter dial. For, you see, when we think of DOXA dive watches, we usually picture bold orange, yellow, or turquoise dials.
 

Here, the dark dial suggests a decades-old patina (much more so than the aged-parchment color of the 2023 model’s dial ever could). Of course, the dial is still quite legible, with striking white hands and indices.

The aged effect even carries over to its off-white lume and the parchment-colored tone of the date window background. Moreover, like the 2023 model, each dial is ground by hand, creating the illusion of dings and scratches created over a lifetime of escapades.
 

The other element that stands out is the compass rose that marks the four cardinal points – North, South, East, and West. This universal emblem of adventure and exploration is an elegant reminder of the mysteries awaiting us beneath the ocean surface.

Vintage-inspired French chore coats and denim repaired using “sashiko,” a traditional Japanese embroidery technique, have been “in” for a few years. More recently, beat-up leather jackets had a strong showing on the Fall 2024 runways in Milan. These styles and finishes evoke a lived-in, well-worn charm that can’t easily be replicated.
 

With all this in mind, it would look super weird if DOXA paired its antiqued dial with a shiny case. To give the 42.5 x 44.5mm SUB 300T Sharkhunter Clive Cussler that same lived-in feeling, its stainless steel surfaces have been oxidized and scuffed up (but not enough to make the decompression markings on the bezel illegible; it is a working watch, after all).
 

Plus, the case is water-resistant to 300 meters (984 feet), so you can safely execute most underwater excursions.

The DOXA SUB 300T Sharkhunter Clive Cussler is kitted out with a Swiss automatic movement featuring exclusive DOXA decorations. It operates at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations/hour (4.0 Hz) and serves up a comfortable power reserve of approximately 38 hours.
 

Finally, the beads-of-rice bracelet is a period-appropriate style for a dive watch (with each component being individually aged). The clasp has also been roughed up a little so that there is nary a sliver of shiny metal to be found, even when the diver’s extension is fully open.
 

The SUB 300T Sharkhunter Clive Cussler also comes with a black FKM rubber strap for those times when you want to choose your own adventure.