Channel Your Inner Navy SEAL With The Doxa × Belmont Watches SUB 300 Beta “Frogger”

Doxa and Belmont Jewelers collaborated on this limited edition SUB 300 Beta, which they are calling “Frogger”. This is the kind of watches that make a suburban Gen-Zer — yours truly — feel way more badass than he should. Because this collaboration of 100 individually numbered pieces gets its name from the Navy frogmen and Underwater Demolition Teams that preceded today’s SEAL Teams. But more on that in a bit. Built on the SUB 300 Beta, the Frogger is 42.5 × 44.5mm, 11.95mm thick, and 300m water resistant. The most important design aspects here would be the kelp-green dial, the black ceramic bezel, and the orange hands.

To give you a little bit of context, the SUB 300 Beta “Frogger” is a collaboration commemorating three firsts. The first being that “Frogger” is a celebration of Belmont’s first year as an official Doxa retailer. Second, the first Belmont-limited-edition. And three, Doxa’s first watch with both a fully sandblasted stainless-steel case and beads-of-rice bracelet. This watch needs to be understood from its “historical tribute” angle as well. It gets its name from the Navy frogmen and Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT) that preceded today’s SEAL Teams. The Frogger is deeply rooted in the retailer’s (Belmont) hometown of San Diego. So, to make it quick and easy to understand: UDT, AKA Frogmen. The US Navy established the SEAL Teams One and Two (1962). The first ones were in Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, California. Hence, the engraved map of San Diego Bay focuses on Coronado. I know, it’s almost too much for the European mind to comprehend.

A Doxa With A Rough San Diego Identity

Said ‘Identity’ is attributed to the very clever and IYKYK design choices. Allow me to fan-girl over this Doxa, or any for that matter, as a professional daily-Doxa-wearer. Although this is not a military-issued watch or even one that is presented as one, Belmont knew exactly how to make this SUB 300 feel “local”, in a way. Local, as in it’s not the equivalent of an “I Love San Diego” tourist t-shirt or accessory. The “Frogger” was designed to pay homage to the Frogmen. The UDT personnel (explained previously). The SEALs based in Coronado, which then made it the geographical center of Belmont’s concept. So when I say it doesn’t feel touristy, I mean it in the sense that, although it’s an homage piece, it really isn’t in-your-face like that. Let me expand.

What makes the “Frogger” the “Frogger”? When we talk about Doxa’s design DNA, most of us think of Orange, the color. In the early 1960s, Doxa worked with diver Claude Wesly to test underwater color visibility, and found that orange is the most effective. And since the SUB 300’s introduction in 1967, Doxa’s orange dial and patented rotating bezel have become absolutely iconic in the world of dive watches. The brand even describes it as the first pro-level diver watch for the public. However, the “Frogger” does it differently. The dial is matte kelp-green, but the hands and bezel markings are orange. The black ceramic dual-scale bezel places the elapsed-time scale in orange, the outer depth scale in green, and adds a luminous pip to match the dial and hands. The caseback carries an engraved map of San Diego Bay centered on Coronado, with no official military insignia.

A Doxa rich in details

Perhaps the most significant physical detail of the watch is one that could only be appreciated in person: the case finishing. The “Frogger” is the first Doxa with a fully sandlasted case and bracelet. Even the hardware of the sandblasted NATO strap is sandblasted. But why is that important? What does it add anyway? Well, steel is by nature a very reflective material, so sandblasting helps make the surface uniformly matte. That way, the watch starts to look like a tool rather than a shiny object you are paranoid about and scared to use. And although this sounds rather ingenious from both Bremont and Doxa, the decision was inspired/influenced by private feedback from a small group of active-duty and retired Naval Special Warfare and Navy EOD personnel, who participated in their individual capacities. Their feedback also influenced the dial, the oversized hands, the lume, the bezel, etc.

As you can tell, this limited-edition Doxa is rich in detail. But it’s an interesting collaboration because it’s built on an already-established SUB 300 Beta platform. The Beta is a contemporary version of the SUB concept. A modern one, while staying true to the 1967 roots. Not a vintage reissue, but Belmont’s way to tell a San Diego story. Speaking of which, the caseback is the canvas for said story. A map of San Diego Bay centered on Coronado, with individual numbering of the 100 pieces. Which, by the way, you can only get through Belmont watches. A portion of the proceeds is going to the Navy SEAL Foundation, which supports the Naval Special Warfare community and families. The foundation’s four pillars are Community, Health, Education, and Legacy.

Thoughts and Takeaways

To close this article on an honest note, I must answer a few questions: Does the military angle work? Is this a good collaboration piece? An effective retailer collaboration design?

When I started researching the context of this Doxa × Belmont SUB 300 Beta Frogger, I immediately thought of the “the European mind cannot comprehend this” meme. I mean, very few nations in the world are as military-oriented as the US is. But you gotta give credit when credit is due. This is a great way to pay tribute to your service men and women, on a local scale and independently from government interference. This is a San Diego homage that all of us, Doxa fans, can resonate with. So yes, the military angle does work. The watch is very much built for it.

Speaking of which, I really appreciated the fact that real-life SEALs weighed in on this. The “Frogger” being the first sandblaster Doxa is very cool to me. It fits incredibly well with a military-inspired piece. And that’s why I think Belmont did a great job of making this collaboration feel at home for both people and the city. The 42.5 × 44.5mm proportions are nice as well. I would’ve LOVED a 40mm diameter, but hey, SEALs are not known for their baby wrists. The green dial and orange hands are just sweet, and they play in the Doxa DNA range “effortlessly”, naturally, gracefully. So in my humble opinion, Belmont cooked.

What do you guys think of the Doxa SUB 300 Beta “Frogger”? Do you think Belmont handled all that military heritage responsibly? Do you like the watch itself independently of its background? Dear friends, let’s chat.