Writer Clive Cussler spotted wearing a Doxa

Photographed at what appears to be a bookstore signing event, adventure novelist Clive Cussler poses with his wrist prominently displayed, revealing a Doxa SUB diver with the unmistakable burnt-orange 'Professional' dial. The steel bracelet and mid-size case profile point strongly to the SUB 300T reference — the 'T' denoting the decompression bezel variant. For a man who has personally funded and led over 70 underwater shipwreck expeditions through his National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA), this is arguably the most contextually appropriate watch a celebrity could wear.

Doxa introduced the SUB 300 in 1967 at the Basel Fair, and it immediately changed the dive watch category. The SUB 300T added a unidirectional rotating bezel graduated with no-decompression stop times, allowing divers to read safe ascent information at a glance. The orange dial — one of four original colorways alongside yellow, white, and black — was designated 'Professional' and became a counter-culture icon when Jacques Mayol and the diving community adopted it. The case measures 42mm and houses a reliable ETA automatic movement, rated to 300 meters water resistance.

From a collector standpoint, the Doxa SUB occupies a fascinating niche: historically important, genuinely functional, and chronically undervalued relative to Swiss peers. Steve McQueen famously wore one in the 1971 film 'The Hunters,' cementing its place in watch mythology. Modern reissues have generated significant collector enthusiasm, and original vintage examples in good condition command strong premiums on the secondary market.

Cussler's connection to Doxa goes beyond aesthetic preference. His Dirk Pitt adventure novels — the series that made him a bestselling author — center on an oceanographer-adventurer whose life mirrors Cussler's own marine explorations. Wearing a Doxa SUB 300T Professional is entirely consistent with that identity: it is a diver's watch chosen by an actual diver, not a red-carpet prop.

Current grey-market pricing for modern Doxa SUB 300T Professional references sits in the $1,400–$1,800 range, making this one of the most accessible pieces in serious dive-watch collecting. Retail on current production models runs approximately $1,490. For the watch's heritage and genuine tool credentials, it remains one of the hobby's best value propositions.