It’s the end of the summer over here in Montreal, and today I had the chance to scour through some of the remaining sample watches I received and hadn’t completed reviews for. In-between a couple family vacations and the rush of maintaining fourth quarter stock levels for WATCHPOD, I managed to let the new Doxa Sub 200T slip between my fingers.
I knew I had this watch in the office, and I wore it and inspected it for at least a few weeks, but it’s review schedule kept getting pushed back for various reasons out of my control. I’m glad to say that today’s the day we document the experience with this new under the radar summer 2024 release.
Whats the Difference
Ok, so what’s the deal here? We know that Doxa already has a Sub 200 in their catalogue, and we know all about the Sub 300T which we reviewed here. Well, it turns out that adding the T on the end of the Sub 200 really makes a huge difference, because this time Doxa has revamped the already outstanding Sub 200 to fit better on wrist without compromising their iconic diver aesthetic.
The new Sub 200T we have here today is now made with a 39mm case size size, and a mind blowing 10.7mm case thickness. I wondered for a moment if perhaps Doxa moved to some kind of in-house movement to accommodate the slimmer case, but it appears they’re using the automatic Swiss-made Sellita SW200-1 with 38 hours of power reserve. It does mention the movement has been decorated by Doxa, to what extent is hard to say as I have not remove the solid caseback to have a look.
Stupendous fit on Wrist
The main point of this new release was to take an already well established reference and size it down proportionally for a more tailored fit on smaller wrists, or for those who just prefer a smaller fitting watch. In this regard, the Sub 200T was aced – as the watch has one of the best fits on wrist for a robust sporty diver with great specs and at it’s very reasonable price point of $1490 CHF.
Upon first inspecting the watch it appeared nearly identical to the already established and now larger brother Sub 300. It’s not the first time a watch brand has attempted to downsize a popular model, it’s seen quite frequently actually – but not every brand gets the downsizing correct. It appears as though Doxa did indeed succeed this time though, as not only is the watch smaller and more wearable but the rest of the components have not been neglected. The dial of the watch is still rather large and prominent in appearance despite the overall smaller dimensions, so while the watch is quite a bit smaller it certainly is nowhere close to feeling like a ladies watch – and it maintains a masculine rugged appearance.
The overall fit is really close to what you’d expect from a vintage diver from the 1970’s, although ironically not from Doxa, since most of their older originals were actually on the larger side to begin with. What I find really interesting about this specific reference is that it retains its very sporty design but is sized down to a more elegant size, allowing you to pull this watch off with a neater smart casual look. What really takes it to the next level for me is the very slim case, allowing the watch to sit very close to your wrist for a slender appearance and excellent comfort.
Dial and Cushion Case
I’m not putting too much emphasis here, if you’re familiar with Doxa you’re most likely very familiar with their case and dial designs that have been used for multiple decades now. I’m happy to report that not much has changed here despite the fact that you can now get this great looking watch in an extended selection of colors, some of which are sunburst, marking a first for the brand.
The markers on the dial are not applied, which I think actually helps keep the dial feeling uncluttered and more roomy, especially important for this smaller reference. The minute and hour hands still retain their big sporty wide design, and the seconds hand keeps the square lollypop pointer.
The case is of course unmistakably a strong cushion design, but because it’s so slim now I’m able to notice a more pronounced curvature from the case leading into the lugs. It’s outstanding looking and blends sporty and classic like I haven’t seen in some time from a well established brand like Doxa. One last thing I’ll squeeze into this little sub-section is that I’d absolutely go for the beads of rice bracelet on this watch and not the rubber band that my sample arrived on.
Final Thoughts
I review many watches, and it’s quite rare for me to say downright that I really want to purchase the watch without further testing. The Sub 200T happens to be the exception to the norm for me, I love it. It’s truly straddling a fine line between functional tool watch, and chic everyday wear diver. I can see myself wanting to travel with this watch since it’s not overly expensive, feels hardwearing enough to take on the stresses of daily use, and most of all simply looks amazing with it’s new size dimensions.
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