Doxa Sfygmos ref. 7003-4, Silver 'Pulsations' Dial, c. 1960

Dealer description — Oliver & Clarke

DOXA is without a doubt best known for their dive watches — the Sub 300 range in particular. And while today their entire range is dive watches or dive-watch adjacent, the full story is so much richer than that, stretching all the way back to the company's founding. Founded by Georges Ducommun 1889 in Le Locle, Switzerland, DOXA wasn't chasing depth ratings, rather expertly engineered dress watches and pocket watches. They even received a gold medal from the International Exhibition in Milan in 1906. From there, DOXA spent the better part of the 20th century all over the map, producing just about everything and anything that a large manufacturer might be during the first half of the twentieth century, including: opulent cocktail watches, precision chronographs, travel clocks, dress watches, and straightforward watches built for everyday use. The piece that we have here is is a very uncommon chronograph dating to circa 1960 that has a few interesting quirks and functions. The stainless steel case measures a very nice 35mm in diameter and features a snap caseback, a signed, 'domed' crown at 3 o'clock, and a single 'pump' pusher at the 2 o'clock position — more on that later. The dial within is a silver in color with a satin surface, applied 'faceted' indices, a matching non-luminous 'faceted' handset, and a printed 'pulsations scale on the outside. The dial itself appears to have a 'pie-pan' or 'domed' shape to it, but in reality the crystal uniquely functions as a massive cyclops, creating the effect that you see when viewing head-on. The chronograph hands natural resting and reset position in at 9 o'clock, rather than virtually every other chronograph that rests at 12 o'clock. Why? We cannot seems to find out exactly, why, but it is likely for legibility when reading the pulsations scale. Last but not least, it is powered by DOXA's gently breathed upon Valjoux Cal. 23 monopusher chronograph movement. DOXA may just be the single worst victim a brand being associated with one particular watch model... Mid-century gems like this versatile chronograph prove it.