Doxa Steel Triple Calendar, early 1950

Dealer description — Analog/Shift

To watch collectors, and to anyone who’s been following us since the start, DOXA should mean one thing: dive watches. The bright-dialed, cushion-cased Sub 300T is beloved of Clive Cussler fans, divers (both professional and otherwise), and a certain individual here at Analog/Shift. Make no mistake, for the brand whose name means “glory” in Greek, the glory of DOXA has and probably always will be the Sub 300T. However, DOXA has a long-established tradition of making other watches; ones that would look out of place when paired with a wet suit. Established in 1889, DOXA kept abreast of the rapid technological advances of the late 19th and early 20th century. When other brands began introducing wrist-worn triple calendars in the mid-20th century, DOXA did as well. Like many of the brand’s time-only watches, these utilized robust movements made by ETA, but with bridges modified by DOXA itself. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, DOXA housed these movements in a variety of cases, from chrome- or gold-plate to solid gold. They were available in a variety of sizes, from the minuscule (28mm) to the “jumbo” (38mm). Those on the smaller size, clad in precious metals, were as elegant as they were intricate. But in the 1950s DOXA made the transition to steel cases in its non-sporting watches, making a triple calendar wristwatch like this one ideal for the man about town. This particular example dates from the early 1950's — it has all the charm of a triple calendar of the period, with a svelte 35mm case in stainless steel. The beautiful dial—with its gold applied markers and hands—has an added touch of whimsy: an Italian calendar. Elegant and refined, yet sturdy enough for daily wear, it comes with a textured leather strap and DOXA hangtag—the perfect complement to a tailored blazer.