The Titanium Treatment: Introducing The Doxa Sub 300 Ti5 Clive Cussler
Doxa is marking what would have been Clive Cussler’s 95th birthday with a new take on its most emblematic dive watch. The Doxa Sub 300 Ti5 Clive Cussler keeps the shape of the 1967 Sub 300 but features a case, crown, case back, and even the dial crafted from Grade 5 titanium. This COSC-certified chronometer is water resistant to 300 meters and available in a limited run of 300 numbered pieces.
The Doxa-Cussler connection goes back quite some time. Cussler’s fictional adventurer Dirk Pitt regularly wore a Doxa Sub, and Doxa supports the NUMA organization Cussler founded to search for and preserve historic shipwrecks. I can vouch for the reach of this partnership. Earlier Doxa Clive Cussler editions sent me looking for the books, and I ended up reading several Dirk Pitt adventures. Thanks for that, Doxa! Okay, let’s have a closer look at the new watch.
The new Doxa Sub 300 Ti5 Clive Cussler
The Sub 300 is the logical starting point for this edition. Doxa introduced the model in 1967 as a dive watch for the general public that still met professional requirements. Its broad-shouldered shape and prominent decompression bezel remain central to the brand’s design language.
Grade 5 titanium is the most obvious novelty here, although the dial may be equally interesting. Doxa uses two superimposed titanium plates with a sandblasted finish. The lower plate carries the luminous hour markers, while the upper plate sits slightly above it and has laser-cut openings that reveal those elements below. The date aperture and minute markers use the same construction. A tiny gap between them creates visible depth and shadows without cluttering the display.
The Clive Cussler references are subtle. On the date wheel, the numerals 7, 15, and 31 appear in orange, spelling out his birth date, July 15th, 1931. The titanium case back carries the NUMA emblem, the COSC designation, and the individual serial number for this limited edition.
Doxa Sub 300 Ti5 Clive Cussler specifications
The Grade 5 titanium 42.5 × 45mm case has a 13.4mm total thickness and a 20mm lug spacing. A box-shaped sapphire crystal with an antireflective treatment reminds us of the original Sub 300’s domed acrylic. The screw-down crown and screw-in case back are titanium, too. As the name suggests, you get a 300m water resistance rating. Doxa pairs this edition with a black Dive Flex rubber strap. Its perforated Tropic-style pattern adds a period-correct note, harking back to the late ’60s.
Inside ticks the trusty Sellita SW200-1, a familiar automatic caliber with Doxa decoration. It runs at 28,800 vibrations per hour and provides approximately 38 hours of power reserve. More importantly for a watch at this price, the movement is a COSC-certified chronometer.
The Doxa Sub 300 Ti5 Clive Cussler retains the brand’s patented dual-scale unidirectional bezel. Its outer ring uses orange depth indications, while the inner ring shows dive time in black. Together, they correlate depth and elapsed time with US Navy no-decompression limits. The iconic, oversized orange minute hand remains, providing instant legibility. Super-LumiNova covers the dive-related displays, including the markers visible beneath the laser-cut upper dial.
Closing thoughts
The two-level naked titanium dial looks very cool to me, although the sandwich effect seems subtle. That’s a good thing, as a tool watch like this shouldn’t be a canvas for overly dramatic embellishments. The bead-blasted titanium is a good choice, echoing the case material in a way that suits a dive watch while preserving legibility and minimizing glare.
The lighter case should also suit the proportions. A 42.5 × 45mm watch can be cumbersome at times, so the lighter weight should compensate. That said, I have always found the Sub 300 quite comfortable anyway, thanks to the slim, curved, cushion-shaped mid-case giving it a low center of gravity. The gray dial, pale metal, black strap, and small orange accents make this a quieter Cussler edition than one might expect, which I applaud. This is easily my favorite Cussler Doxa to date. The thematic references are there, but they do not dominate the watch.
The Doxa Sub 300 Ti5 Clive Cussler is available from July 15th through Doxa’s website and, for the first time for one of these tribute editions, through authorized retailers. It costs €3,190 / US$3,390 / CHF 2,890. Each of the 300 watches is individually numbered, and part of the proceeds goes to NUMA.
What do you think of the new Doxa Sub 300 Ti5 Clive Cussler? Let us know in the comments section below!
