Why Men Still Love Their Watches
by Nick Mariano, a writer with Power PR
Combining rugged durability and elegance, the DOXA Sub exemplifies the appeal of watches for more than simply telling time
Why do men still love their watches? Why spend thousands of dollars on a timepiece when time is everywhere: cellphones, computers, cars, the treadmill, the microwave, digital watches so on and so forth, like time?
There is clearly more to the luxury timepiece than meets the eye. To many, whether on a Hollywood set or in the jungles of Central America, whether at a presidential ball or 5,000 feet underwater, the high-end luxury watch tells more than time.
It makes a statement.
For TV and movie star Holt McCallany, the watch he wears – a DOXA 5000T – is a reflection of the person he is or wants to be: to others yes but more importantly to himself.
“My watch feels indestructible when I wear it,” said McCallany, now filming the FX hit Lights Out. “And I feel like it adds to and is an extension of my own confidence. It is rugged, but it is also elegant and makes me feel like I am ready for anything.”
The only piece of jewelry McCallany has ever worn, DOXA watches are high-performance timepieces originally designed for professional SCUBA divers when they were first released in 1967 by Swiss watch-maker DOXA Watch Co., founded in 1889.
It is best known for its distinctive orange face, thought at the time of the watch’s release to be the best color for readability under water. Today, it comes in a variety of dial colors staying true to the needs of professional divers, adventurers and sportsmen.
A diver himself, introduced to the watch on the set of the 2000 film Men of Honor based on the true story of Carl Brasher, the first person with an amputated leg to receive diver certification and the first African-American to become a Master Diver in the U.S. Navy, McCallany says the watch speaks to the range of his personality, his outgoing side as well his stylish side, and to the rugged sophistication of the characters he plays.
It is because of that statement that McCallany plans on wearing the watch in the lead role of Lights Out, a retired heavyweight champion struggling to support himself and his family in life after boxing. The watch represents his character’s perseverance despite head injuries he suffered in his previous profession.
Although first attracted to the watch for its functionality and looks – “it looks great in a suit,” the actor said – McCallany discovered a more meaningful connection to the watch as he learned about the brand’s history and about those who have previously worn it.
Including one of his heroes, renowned diver and explorer Jacques Cousteau with whom DOXA collaborated to design the first DOXA dive watch. Up to that point, the DOXA Watch Co. crafted fine, luxury watches.
Upon its release, the DOXA SUB quickly became a standard piece of equipment for professional divers the world over – and remains so today – because of a number of technological advances in the dive watch industry.
The bright orange dial was one such advancement. But it was also the first watch engraved with DOXA’s patented U.S. Navy Air Dive no-decompression table on its rotating bezel (US patent N. 3505808) and the first to include a valve to release helium build-up. Today, some models of the brand can withstand water pressure at 5,000 feet deep.
So popular was the watch that it became part of literary folklore in the long-running action-adventure novel series from international best-selling author Dr. Clive Cussler. The hero of the series, Dirk Pitt, was never without his orange-faced DOXA; not even when Matthew McConaughey starred as Pitt in the 2005 film Sahara, based on the novel of the same name.
Archeologist and associate professor Chris Begley, who is also the director of The Exploration Foundation – an organization that leads guided expeditions and cultural exchanges in some of the world’s most isolated locations – is often amused by the number of people who frequently ask about his orange-face DOXA Sub 750T, whether whitewater rafting in Honduras, surviving the jungles of Central America or mountain climbing in Peru.
Considered a high-end watch along other Swiss-made mechanical luxury brands, the DOXA watch is not always familiar to those curious of Begley’s timepiece. “The attention it draws isn’t because it is a high-end watch,” Begley said. “They may not know it’s high-end; they just know it looks cool.”
Yet, Begley doesn’t wear the watch for the attention. And though the watch continues to perform despite some of the beatings it takes during Begley’s outings, his need for a timepiece in the wilderness is also not the only reason for his commitment to the watch. To him, his watch often represents something more personal and more significant than the time of day.
Cousteau was also one of Begley’s heroes, wanting to grow up to be like him and raise awareness about the environment and different cultures. Another was his father, J.T. Begley, a Vietnam veteran who passed the same watch Begley grew up asking about onto his son.
The DOXA Begley now wears reminds him of both role models, especially when long outings begin to take their toll on him.
“Just looking at that orange dial is inspirational,” he said. “It reminds me of things it represents, the classic adventurers like my dad. That keeps me going when I don’t feel like it. It can fire me up because it reminds me of my dad, and I know he would never give up.”
And to Begley, that’s a statement you just can’t put a price tag on or find in time alone.
For more information about DOXA, please visit www.doxawatches.com.