Karl Shreeves and the Diving With Legends SUB

Once again, Karl Shreeves has been good enough to share a story about one of the watches in his collection.  Karl and his story were featured in the Diving with Legends book this past year.

The DOXA 1200T HRV DWL

Besides being high-quality, robust and functional automatic dive watches, the DOXA line holds a special place among timepieces. It enjoys an historical legacy as the dive watch for serious enthusiasts – a recogition DOXA earned with innovative features, not the least of which was the first helium-release valve watch available for general purchase in 1969 – the SUB 300T Conquistador.

For those not familiar, commercial divers sometimes work under pressure in helium atmospheres.  Helium itself a very small atom, over time and under pressure, slowly penetrates seals that are perfectly water and air tight. Upon surfacing and releasing the surrounding pressure, a dive watch can burst due to the build up of helium gas inside, unless it has a release valve.  Historically this has been the fun visual of the crystal popping right off of the watch!  Of course, apart from commercial divers very few divers need a helium release valve, and what does this have to do with DOXA today? Glad you asked.

This past spring, DOXA rolled out the limited-edition (99 issued) DOXA 1200T HRV DWL (Helium Release Valve, Diving With Legends) with the publication of Dr. Peter Millar’s Diving With Legends. The book features the biographies and stories of two dozen divers, many of whom are well-known in the underwater community (www.divingwithlegends.com). In celebration, DOXA graciously gave a 1200T DWL to each of those featured, with the remaining available to collectors at www.doxawatches.com.

Those familiar with the DOXA line will recognize the 1200T DWL’s heritage immediately. It is a hefty, solid watch (approx 171 g/6 oz with bracelet) that sports DOXA’s trademark orange dial (with DWL logo) and one-way bezel with USN no decompression limits. Those familiar with its cousin 1000T will find it similar, though the T1200 is rated to 1200 metres versus 1000 (hence the names, of course), with the DWL inscribed with its release number (shown is 50/99).

Arguably, the 1200T DWL’s standout feature is the recessed helium-release valve at the 9:00 position. You probably don’t need an HRV, but that’s besides the point. Beyond the cool-factor, the valve subtly reminds us that DOXA engineered this watch for leading-edge divers – not a small statement coming from a company that has engineered top-end automatic dive watches for hardcore divers for more than 40 years.

More at www.doxawatches.com