IFL Watches Introduces The Doxa Aquamarine Reef Turtle

IFL Watches has transformed numerous timepieces with hand-painted dials. Now, the brand has worked its magic on the Doxa Sub 200 to create the Aquamarine Reef Turtle. And while it’s not an official collaboration, Doxa has approved of IFLW’s work. Spoiler alert: this might be my favorite artsy edition yet!

One look at the IFL Watches website reveals a vast array of pieces that an artist’s brush has transformed. It’s certainly a unique experience compared to the run-of-the-mill watch catalog. With art, it’s also okay that not every release will appeal to every onlooker. This is why the brand offers so many different choices and the option to custom-create a bespoke piece on order. Today’s Doxa Aquamarine Reef Turtle is a production piece, albeit part of a small run.

The IFL Watches Doxa Aquamarine Reef Turtle

The IFL Watches Reef Turtle uses the Doxa Sub 200 as its canvas. This translates to a 316L stainless steel watch with a 42mm diameter, a 45mm lug-to-lug, and a 14mm thickness. All the requisite dive-watch goodies are here, including a screw-down crown, an external unidirectional 60-minute bezel, and a solid screw-in case back. As the name suggests, the water resistance is rated at 200 meters. The watch also dons Doxa’s traditional beads-of-rice bracelet featuring a clasp with a wetsuit extension. Inside each case lies the Sellita SW200-1 automatic movement with 38 hours of power reserve and a frequency of 28,800vph.

A closer look at the hand-painted dial

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s move on to the main attraction. Each dial is hand-painted by one of several artists at IFLW. This means that each watch will show minor differences. However, the theme of a reef turtle and a diver coexisting among the coral is consistent. What I love about the execution is that the watch uses Doxa’s Aquamarine dial as a background.

Yet, it’s difficult to tell where the base dial ends and the painting begins. In other words, I find this IFLW release to have one of the most seamless designs yet. Another detail worth mentioning is that all of the minute track’s lines are gone. Looking closely at the dial’s edge, it seems they have been covered by an artist’s brush.

The inspiration behind the Reef Turtle

The imagery on the Reef Turtle was inspired by ’60s and ’70s diving-exploration culture. This was when watches like Doxa’s Sub were necessary tools, so the use of a vintage-inspired model makes sense. Finally, the reef turtle was chosen because of its longevity and as a symbol of conservation.

Just 50 pieces available

IFL Watches has produced just 50 pieces of the Doxa Aquamarine Reef Turtle. The watches are available on the IFLW website for a price of CHF 1,790. For certain, that’s a healthy increase over a standard Doxa Sub 200, but I can imagine that the premium won’t bother 50 people attracted to the vibrant, colorful dial. In general, IFLW receives positive comments for its creations. How would you rate the latest release, and do you like the dial? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

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