Doxa has a few interesting pieces this year coming out at Baselworld 2013. They have strayed a bit from their usual style and having introduced a few new models, including a womens model. Very cool materials will be present in this years new models including Carbon Fiber, Ceramic and Titanium. Check ’em out!
Doxa Trofeo TC-Evolution – Limited Edition of 999 Pieces
43mm in titanium and carbon fiber with rubber. Sapphire Crystal, 100m WR, and a bezel in titanium, rose gold or yellow gold PVD. Movement is a Swiss automatic Sellita and the rubber strap has carbon fiber and titanium inserts.
Doxa Into the Ocean XL Diver – Limited Edition of 1200 Pieces
48mm stainless steel and ceramic case. Sapphire crystal, 300m WR. Movement is a Swiss automatic Sellita.
Doxa Oceanelle
36mm stainless steel. Sapphire crystal, 100m WR. Mother of Pearl bezel with 12 pearl inserts.
Hamilton H-20-S
The Hamilton H-20-S Hamilton is an exclusive skeleton movement, uniting proven craftsmanship with relentless accuracy. Contemporary decoration, ranging from brushed, skeletonized rotors to an intricate ‘H’-pattern on individual elements, add a sense of theater to traditional precision timekeeping. The H-20-S is making its debut in the Hamilton Jazzmaster Viewmatic Skeleton Lady and Gents watches in 2013, with the open dial design offering it a strong position center-stage for hours of fascination featuring skeletonized rotors and beautiful barrel drums and main bridges.
Hamilton H-12
This regulator movement opens up new doors for the Hamilton design team to create original ways of presenting the passage of time. The Hamilton H-12 acts as a facilitator of eye-catching design architecture. Behind the movement is the objective of modernizing a traditional horological complication, a true and proven symbol of accuracy, and turn it into a contemporary design object. The separation of the three hands creates new possibilities for design, in this case the off-center positioning of the hour and second hands for asymmetric appeal. Its first execution is inside the Hamilton Jazzmaster Regulator. The regulator complication first appeared in the late seventeenth century and was used by watchmakers for verifying the rates of their creations. Close to the heart of the brand celebrated as the “Watch of Railroad Accuracy” in the 1890s, the regulator was also relied on by railroad staff and made a huge contribution to safety.
See a Video on the Hamilton H-21 and H-31 calibers that were released a couple years ago.
To be introduced at Baselworld 2013, the new Linde Werdelin SpidoLite II Tech is sure to turn some heads. With their innovative styling and unique materials, these are going to be favourites for the gadget crowd that Linde tends to draw. Produced in extremely limited editions of 75 pieces each, MSRP is $14,800 for Tech Green and $19,300 for Tech Gold.
I personally dig the Tech Green.
These two series come in a new case, Alloy Linde Werdelin (ALW) which is comprised of carbon, ceramic, gold and a ceramic coating for titanium. ALW is an alloy of metals which is 50% lighter than titanium. The inner case, which originally retains the same strength as steel, receives 25 microns treatment to harden its surface, while achieving a radiant red or green color visible through the angular hollows of the skeletonised outer case sides. 2/3 of the treatment goes into the ALW, while 1/3 is applied onto the surface, resulting in a composite stronger than steel.
During the last two years Linde Werdelin (LW) has tested and developed new materials and composites that best suit the purpose of each timepiece. The new SpidoLite II Tech is a result of this experimental approach.
For weight reduction the new ALW, a strong composite of metals, has been conceived for the inner case, while the outer case is crafted in forged carbon. The inner and outer case and the bezel have undergone numerous tolerance tests to find the optimal relation between the three materials. A further challenge has been to establish the correct balance between the strength and lightness of the skeletonised carbon case.
Movement is the Swiss automatic Linde Werdelin caliber LW04 with a power reserve of 42 hours, which is custom made by Valérien Jaquet of Concepto.
The dial consists of two skeletonized layers. The Côtes de Genève decorated lower dial carries the LW logo and is laser-cut, revealing angular hollows conveying depth to the dial. The upper dial bears the Luminova indeces. The red or green date wheel, with opening at 3 o’clock matches the second’s sub-dial numerals at 9 o’clock.
For all you dive watch lovers out there, I’ve just gotten my hands on the flagship Doxa 5000T Seaconquerer, and man is it a nice watch! This is the Sharkhunter version, with the all-black dial. While it might be a bit boring, it is the ultimate subtle, dress-up-dress-down multi-use Doxa. You can wear it with a work suit, and you can wear your dry suit.
There she is, in all her 45mm of stainless steel glory. The 316L Stainless case is 45mm in diameter and 15mm thick, featuring a helium escape valve to aid in its 5000ft water resistance. The case is thicker on this model than other non-chronograph Doxas, contributing to the more substantial and higher-quality feeling of the watch. I’m not always one to believe that heavier is better quality, but in this case it really does make it feel better. Part of that is due to the solid Stainless Steel modern style bracelet which has screw links rather than pinned – a substantially higher quality feeling bracelet than the beads of rice.
Features the trademark two-tone polished and brushed dive decompression bezel that is synonymous with the Doxa Brand, and executed perfectly as always. The sapphire crystal on the 5000T is slightly curved, which also adds to the level of sophistication.
Notice the very large SuperLuminova indexes on the watch dial – these allow the lume to glow brighter and last much longer than other Doxa models which have less SuperLuminova. Make no mistake, this bad boy glows like a torch. The dial is marked with “Seaconquerer” in orange text, which gives the dial just orange enough color to give you a taste of Doxa, but not too much to take away the class.
On the left side at 9 o’clock you’ll see the helium escape valve, which is tastefully placed with a recess on one side of the case. The Lugs are screwed-in as well as the bracelet links, which is also a very nice touch and adds to the small but not insignificant details that add up to this being such an awesome watch.
There you can see the new stainless steel ratcheting adjustment clasp, which allows you to enable the dive suit extension without taking the watch off. Very cool feature. You can also see the screwed-in links, which look much better than pins. The watch comes with a Swiss Made Bergeon screwdriver, but unfortunately these screwed-in links are not like Breitling or similar links where you only need one screwdriver to adjust… these links require two screw drivers and a vise ideally since they just spin in place unless you have a second screwdriver to hold the other end. The vise helps with particularly tight screws. I needed a vise and two screwdrivers to adjust my bracelet.
There you get a great shot of the watch, and you can see the slight curve in the Crystal. The crystal is labelled as 3mm thick, with an anti-reflective coating. The coating is probably only on the inside as it doesn’t give off that strong blue hue that many AR coated crystals do. The movement in the Doxa 5000T is a Doxa decorated base ETA 2892, with hours, minutes seconds and date function. Power reserve is 42 hours.
Finally, the wrist shot, as shown on my 6.75″ wrists. Nice large face, but not too large to pull off. Doxas are known to wear smaller for their size, and the 5000T is no different. While it is thicker than most Doxas at 15mm, the 45mm watch still wears smaller than a 44mm Panerai in my opinion. Overall its a great size, and a great quality piece from one of my personal favourite dive watch companies out there. Good job Doxa, and keep them coming!
Specs:
Case Diameter: 45mm
Case Thickness: 15m
Case Material: 316L Stainless Steel
Movement: Base ETA 2892
Crystal: Domed AR-Coated Sapphire Crystal 3mm Thick
Water Resistance: 5000 Feet
