It may be of no surprise, that after a few months of winter, many of us over here in the north crave a tropical escape. With this in mind, a mid-winter getaway was booked to the Caribbean island of Barbados. Doxa was kind enough to lend me their very cool and military inspired Doxa Army, a re-edition of one of their rare divers from the 1960’s. I thoroughly tested it while exploring the island, both above water in places like their wildlife reserve, as well as under the water with extensive snorkeling sessions at their world famous Carlisle Bay, and some more quaint and hidden gems like Reeds Bay.
I brought along with me my Fujifilm XM5 equipped with a 27mm pancake lens for portability to help me document some of the moments, but to be honest, in the heat of things, I ended up using my iPhone 17 Pro for much of the imagery and video out of sheer convenience.
First Impressions and Arrival
I’ve reviewed numerous Doxa watches in the past here on the WRB, like the Sub 300T, 200T, and even the Sub 250 Ahmed Seddiqi Edition. I have an adamant belief that they’re the best Swiss dive watches you can buy at relatively reasonable pricing, one step above Longines’ Legend Diver, but certainly under icons like the Submariner. Their sturdy tool like build quality seems to be shared across their entire range of watches, including the Doxa Army, which truly inspires confidence for use during strenuous outdoor activities, with the watch having frequent contact against the elements such as sand, salt water, and even general use like contact against your rucksack as you travel.
For some reason, I was under the impression that the Doxa Army was going to be slightly oversized for my 6.5 inch wrist, but I was pleasantly surprised when unboxing it and checking it out the day before our departure. While the 200T is probably the more ideal size for me as an everyday wear, the Doxa Army at 42.5mm, felt just perfect for a more active trip that was going to involve time in the ocean. The 42.5mm case size provided a nice presence on wrist, and the dial was ever so slightly easier to read. Doxa’s smaller offerings lean classy, while this 42.5mm leans slightly towards the sporty side.
I brought along my Submariner 114060 for the trip as well, which felt odd since I’m usually a “one watch guy”. This gave me a really neat impression though between both watches, and I’ll come out and say that the Doxa Army on the rubber strap was the more comfortable to wear between the two. Not only was it simply lighter, but the rubber strap contoured my wrist very well, and I was able to achieve a perfect fit due to their quick adjustment system on the clasp similar to the Glidelock system on the Sub.
Dial Design and Bronze Hints
I was on the fence when I had originally chosen the Doxa Army to bring to Barbados with me, originally I was leaning towards a more colorful dial from Doxa, like their Caribbean blue. I’m very happy I ended up choosing this specific model, which felt a touch outside of my comfort zone in terms of its dial layout and dual-metal case and bezel construction. The dial itself almost has a “checkerboard” look to it when viewed from a small distance, but as you bring the watch in closer to time reading proximity the fat markers become more apparent with its alternating black and cream color combo.
The cream of the inner dial portion works very congruently with the bronze outer portion of the bezel, both of which are a nice play on khaki/brown. Under a palm tree, or while enjoying a late night Banks beer on the balcony, the earthy color tones blend into each other well – and during the day they pop in the sun. No matter what lighting you’re in, and even underwater while snorkeling, the bright orange hour, minute, and seconds hands make themselves very visible and actually work very well with the bronze/natural hue of the watch colors. I’m particularly fond of the seconds hand, with its big orange triangular tip that glides around the dial, curiously without the need of a counter weight on the other side.
The date window at the 3 o’clock position is small, and perhaps useful for some people, but I didn’t personally use it at all during my trip. Knowing this now, perhaps I would prefer a Doxa Army no-date version of this watch. The classic retro cushion case of the watch is amazing and extremely comfortable on wrist due to the very short lugs that follow the oval curve of the case – I can see why Doxa has made this their signature. Not only is the case design utility driven, but I simply love the look, and wearing the watch through the airport, and right up until I dove into the Baja waters, it gave me a fun sense of adventure, and a little bit of a “risk taking” vibe for lack of a better term.
Daily Wear While Travelling
One big aspect I look out for with a dive watch is its daily wearability, which in my opinion should exceed that of a regular “at home” daily wear watch. For example, I don’t believe chronographs make great travel watches, a big reason why my Daytona stays behind on most trips that don’t involve flexing at a watch event. A dive watch is going to most likely live on your wrist for the entire travel journey, it needs to be comfortable, durable, and provide at least some useful functions even if it’s just clear time reading. Field watches also make great travel watches, they’re simple, robust, and usually well sized. The Doxa Army was perfect in all regards for me, and nothing stuck out as cumbersome or burden worthy during my travels.
One interesting aspect I noticed, which I’ve never experienced before on a watch, was the near instant patination of the bronze bezel. After my first day of extensive snorkeling with the watch at the shipwrecks at Carlisle Bay, I noticed some green oxidization building up on the outer edge of the bezel, mostly between the knurling. I’ve always made a habit of rinsing my dive watches in fresh water after salt water exposure, but in this one instance I forgot. The patina was building within 24 hours! I now wonder if bronze is an ideal choice for a dive watch that could potentially be exposed to salt water extensively for its entire life. Of course the 316L steel used by Doxa held up just fine.
The watch is using the Sellita SW200-2 automatic movement (sometimes ETA 2824), which only has a 38 hour power reserve. Not really an issue since the watch was on my wrist frequently enough to keep it wound, but for those who travel with multiple watches you may want to take note, or just be prepared to hand-wind a little more.
The overall look of the watch fit right into the beach setting of Barbados, but if you wanted a slightly more upscale look for dinner by the sea, that’s when something like the Submariner really came in handy and was able to pull off double duty just a little more seamlessly than the Doxa Army. Mind you, Barbados was littered with Submariner’s, I noticed them everywhere, and the Doxa made for a nice unique contrast against that stereotype.
Snorkeling On-Wrist
You can take this section with a grain of salt, as I’m not a professional diver as I am a watch journalist, reporter, or perhaps simply a watch enthusiast and collector. Snorkeling with the watch was fairly simple, and I ensured the clasp was fastened correctly, and the crown screwed down securely before submerging into the water with my made in Italy Cressi gear. With a rating of 300 meters of water resistance, and a helium escape valve, I was not too worried of any mishaps.
With my goggles on underwater, reading the dial was magnified and extremely clear, the crystal clear turquoise water also helped here. I used the timing bezel to simply time my sessions and to know when to head back into shore. I was snorekling what I’d guess was about 200 meters offshore at varous ship wrecks and coral reefs, and probably did not free dive down more than 6 feet during these sessions to retrieve the occasional seashell. No discomfort was experienced while swimming and usability was just fine.
Final Thoughts
I’m very impressed with the Doxa Army, and after wearing it for my entire trip in Barbados I’d be hard pressed to say that I haven’t built a sentimental connection with the watch – a very rare thing to say for a watch that I don’t actually own. The Doxa Army excelled at everyday wear, whether I was exploring the island inland in our Suzuki Jimny, visiting local rum distilleries, or free-diving in the ocean, the watch was there with me and provided an enjoyable, fun, and seamless experience.
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