The Secrets of the Night-Glowing Doxa SUB 300 Carbon Whitepearl

It is always extremely difficult to redefine a classic, a watch as emblematic as the Doxa SUB 300. Born during the 1960s, this watch has been instrumental in the growth of Doxa, as well as being an important piece of the history of the dive watch. And since then, most watch enthusiasts associate this very watch, whether its vintage expressions or modern iterations, with the brand and well, basically as the only model of the brand – which isn’t true, of course. Doxa has been clever in the past years, playing around with an emblematic design but making it relevant in today’s marker, notably by launching the SUB 300 Carbon collection and a variety of colours. The latest watch to surface from the brand’s collection is probably the simplest, with a white dial… But the Doxa SUB 300 Carbon Whitepearl has a little secret, which you’ll see in the video on top of this article!

This watch is the “Harvey Two-Face” model of the collection, a watch that has a softer and quieter personality during the day. But when the night comes, it has a mission. Illuminating your nights. Bear with us, as this isn’t only a gimmick to bring you joy during a friend’s party. The Doxa SUB 300 Carbon is first and foremost a tightly capable dive watch with all the equipment a seasoned recreational diver will need. And the white dial of the SUB 300 Carbon Whitepearl, which is entirely covered with white Super-LumiNova luminescent compound, will make an impact at night, but also reveal extremely contrasted and legible underwater. And when you use a breathing apparatus and expect to have decompression stages, such a feature can be rather crucial. So yes, the luminous dial is fun… but also quite relevant in diving conditions.

Doxa has long been about flashy colours. The Professional orange dial is sort of a signature of the brand, and the same goes for the Divingstar yellow or Aquamarine turquoise versions. This is how most of us will picture a Doxa watch. Bright and colourful. Following the 2021 SUB 200 Whitepearl, Doxa extends its entire range of models with Whitepearl editions, a colour that is now available on the Steel SUB 300, the SUB 600T but also the more modern, more robust SUB 300T and SUB 1500T. But, there’s another white dial model that has been released, one that genuinely has something extra, and that is the Doxa SUB 300 Carbon Whitepearl.

As we explained in past review of this watch, specifically when our resident diver Derek took the orange carbon version underwater, the SUB 300 Carbon is a rather surprising yet impressively cool mix of vintage design and modern materials. This model is primarily noticeable due to its forged carbon case. It is made of small pieces of carbon fibre composite material that are pressed into shape as the resin cures. The 42.50mm x 13.40mm case, with a relatively compact 45mm lug-to-lug measurement and comes with the emblematic bezel with 60-minute and no-decompression scales. The watch relies on a titanium internal container, caseback and crown, for obvious resistance reasons. Inside is a tried-and-tested ETA automatic movement, which has been chronometer-certified by COSC.

In today’s context, the real deal is of course the Whitepearl dial; a matte white background and black hands and tracks. No colour, only monochromatic tones. What makes this Carbon edition specific, and different from the other models in the Whitepearl collection, is the fact that it also entirely glows at night. Some will tell it’s a bit of a trick or a gimmick, but I personally like it. It’s fun and different, and after all, we want our mechanical watches to be emotional. Otherwise, better get a cold battery-powered diving computer.

The Doxa SUB 300 Carbon Whitepearl is released as part of the permanent collection. It is priced at EUR 3,890. For more details, check the video on top of this article or consult doxawatches.com.