DOXA SUB 200T Afterglow: when the setting sun sets the depths ablaze

DOXA has always had a special relationship with colour. Ever since its famous orange dial of 1967, the Swiss manufacture has never hesitated to shake up the aesthetic conventions of dive watchmaking. With the new SUB 200T Afterglow, created in collaboration with the American retailer Exquisite Timepieces, it now invites us to gaze at the horizon. A pink watch inspired by the final moments of a sunset over the Gulf of Mexico, produced in just 50 pieces. Enough to bring a touch of poetry to an instrument that has lost none of its original purpose.

When the Florida sky meets Swiss watchmaking

There are moments we wish we could hold still. Those few minutes when the sun has already slipped below the horizon, yet the sky seems to refuse to give way to the night. The light softens, the colours intensify and the atmosphere takes on almost unreal tones. In Naples, on the west coast of Florida, facing the Gulf of Mexico, this spectacle is especially cherished. Every day, its sunsets draw strollers who come to admire the shifting colours that set the sky ablaze.

Yet it is sometimes after the sun has gone that the show becomes most striking. Americans call this phenomenon Afterglow, literally the light that lingers after sunset. A blend of pink, purple and magenta that dresses the horizon before night finally settles in. This is precisely the atmosphere that Exquisite Timepieces, a watch retailer based in Naples, wanted to immortalise through a creation made with DOXA. The result? A SUB 200T whose pink dial evokes those fleeting lights, as if a fragment of sky had been captured and placed on the wrist. An original source of inspiration, but ultimately a rather natural one for a brand whose history is so closely tied to the marine world.

DOXA, a story of colours and depths

At Passion Horlogère, DOXA is no recent discovery. We have long followed the developments of this Swiss house founded in 1889 in Le Locle, whose modern history remains inseparable from scuba diving. In 1967, the unveiling of the SUB 300 marked a turning point. With its cushion case, its orange dial and its bezel for reading no-decompression dive limits, DOXA offered a resolutely functional approach to the dive watch. The choice of orange was no mere aesthetic whim. It was driven by the quest for legibility, at a time when underwater exploration was booming. Nearly sixty years later, this colour remains one of the brand’s most instantly recognisable signatures.

But DOXA has gradually broadened its palette. Sharkhunter black, Caribbean blue, Divingstar yellow, Aquamarine turquoise and Whitepearl white: so many variations proving that a dive watch can perfectly combine functionality and personality. We have had several opportunities to appreciate this diversity, notably during our month-long test of the DOXA SUB 300. An experience that showed how pleasant this historic diver could also be in everyday life, far beyond underwater activities alone. We also devoted an article to the DOXA SUB 300 and the pleasures of summer holidays, as well as to the SUB 600T Aquamarine, another demonstration of this ability to combine sporty character with aesthetic freshness.

With the Afterglow, DOXA explores a new facet of this identity: watchmaking that can tell a story through a colour.

A pink dial that owes nothing to chance

The first thing that naturally catches the eye on this SUB 200T Afterglow is its dial. A luminous pink, it features a sunray finish designed to shift its hues depending on the angle of the watch and the intensity of the light. This treatment plays an essential role in the model’s personality. It is not simply a matter of applying an unusual colour to an existing watch, but of seeking a visual effect reminiscent of the changing sky after sunset.

Under some lighting, the pink looks delicate, almost pastel. Under other conditions, it should gain in intensity and reveal more depth. The indexes and hands retain the legibility expected of a genuine dive watch. The unidirectional rotating bezel, for its part, carries DOXA’s famous markings, with its scale for reading no-decompression dive limits. Its coloured markings create aesthetic continuity with the dial.

The contrast between the steel, the dark markings and this pink tone gives the whole a particularly assertive personality. It took some daring. But after all, why should a dive watch necessarily be black, blue or orange? The sea has many other colours. And so does the sky above it.

The SUB 200T: particularly appealing proportions

While the dial is the main distinctive feature of this Afterglow edition, its appeal also lies in the choice of the SUB 200T as its technical base. Offered in a more restrained format than the brand’s large historic divers, this collection boasts proportions that are particularly well suited to everyday wear. The 316L stainless steel case measures 39 mm in diameter, 41.5 mm from lug to lug and just 10.7 mm thick. Dimensions worth highlighting.

In the world of dive watches, where cases can quickly become imposing, DOXA manages to retain 200 metres of water resistance while offering a relatively compact watch. The short lug-to-lug length should in particular help it sit well on wrists of different sizes. The case design naturally keeps the brand’s characteristic cushion silhouette, with its brushed surfaces and its prominent bezel. The whole remains instantly identifiable as a DOXA, despite a colour that might have seemed unexpected just a few years ago. A sapphire crystal protects the dial, while the stated water resistance reaches 20 bar. This combination of restrained dimensions and serious technical specifications is probably one of the SUB 200T’s most convincing arguments. Because a fine dive watch does not need to be bulky to be credible.

Proven Swiss mechanics

Inside this SUB 200T Afterglow, DOXA relies on a Swiss automatic mechanical movement well known to enthusiasts: the Sellita SW200-1, in Elaboré finish. This self-winding calibre beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour, or 4 Hz, and offers a stated power reserve of around 38 hours. It displays the hours, minutes, seconds and date.

On paper, there is nothing spectacular about this choice of movement. And that may well be its main strength. The SW200-1 belongs to the family of movements widely used across the Swiss watch industry, valued for their proven architecture and ease of servicing. DOXA thus opts for a solution consistent with the watch’s purpose: a mechanism designed to accompany its owner every day, without piling on complications.

It is simply worth noting that the 38-hour power reserve now looks fairly standard, even modest compared with some competing offerings. This takes nothing away from the movement’s relevance, but deserves to be mentioned.

An iconic bracelet and an exclusive caseback

It is impossible to talk about a DOXA without looking at its bracelet. This Afterglow edition comes on the traditional steel “beads of rice” bracelet, an aesthetic signature that contributes greatly to the charm of the brand’s divers. Its structure of alternating small metal links immediately recalls the golden age of sports watchmaking in the 1960s and 1970s. But this bracelet is not only interesting for its looks.

Its articulated construction makes it supple on the wrist, while its folding clasp incorporates an extension that allows the watch to be worn over a wetsuit. We particularly enjoyed this type of bracelet during our extended test of the SUB 300, notably for its comfort and versatility.

Another distinctive feature of this limited edition: its solid caseback. It bears an original illustration along with specific engravings recalling the collaboration with Exquisite Timepieces and the limited nature of the production. A way of extending the watch’s story onto a part that usually remains hidden when it is worn. And for collectors, one more detail that sets this Afterglow apart from the models in the permanent collection.

Just 50 pieces to immortalise a sunset

Launched on 16 October 2026 at the opening of the Windup Watch Fair, this DOXA SUB 200T Afterglow is produced in a strictly limited run of 50 pieces, each individually numbered. It is sold exclusively by Exquisite Timepieces, on its website and during its presentation at the American show.

Its retail price is set at 1,990 US dollars.

The choice of exclusive distribution and such a small production run naturally places this creation in the realm of collector’s editions. It is nonetheless important to distinguish rarity from speculation. The limitation to 50 pieces is a real characteristic of this watch, with no bearing on its possible future value. To us, the appeal of the Afterglow lies elsewhere.

It lies in its ability to combine a local story, an immediately understandable aesthetic inspiration and genuine watchmaking legitimacy. The collaboration with Exquisite Timepieces makes perfect sense here. It is not just about putting a retailer’s name on an existing watch, but about translating into the language of watchmaking a feature of the place where that retailer is based. And this approach deserves to be applauded.

DOXA Afterglow: diving in a different light

DOXA could have settled for yet another colour variation of its SUB 200T. After all, the collection already has enough personality to accommodate new colours without losing its identity. But this Afterglow goes a little further. It reminds us that a watch can be a technical object while also carrying an emotion, a memory or a landscape.

With its pink dial inspired by the light of Florida, its compact proportions and the architecture of a true diver, it offers a lighter, almost contemplative interpretation of underwater watchmaking. Make no mistake, though: behind this summery appearance there is still a DOXA, with its signature bezel, its Swiss automatic movement and its 200 metres of water resistance.

That is undoubtedly where the charm of this creation lies. A watch that can look up to the sky without ever forgetting where it comes from: the depths of the sea. And in the end, what could be more natural for a dive watch than to remind us that the ocean’s most beautiful colours are sometimes found just above its surface?

---

DOXA SUB 200T Afterglow, Specifications

Feature	Description
Brand	DOXA
Model	SUB 200T Afterglow, Exquisite Timepieces Edition
Case	Brushed 316L stainless steel
Diameter	39 mm
Lug-to-lug length	41.5 mm
Thickness	10.7 mm
Lug width	18 mm
Crystal	Sapphire
Dial	Pink, sunray finish
Bezel	Unidirectional, no-decompression dive scale
Water resistance	200 metres / 20 bar
Movement	Sellita SW200-1 Elaboré, automatic
Frequency	28,800 vibrations/hour (4 Hz)
Power reserve	Approx. 38 hours
Functions	Hours, minutes, seconds, date
Bracelet	Beads of rice steel, folding clasp with diving extension
Caseback	Solid steel, specific illustration and engravings
Limited edition	50 numbered pieces
Retail price	1,990 USD
Distribution	Exclusive to Exquisite Timepieces

Frequently asked questions

Order your DOXA SUB 200T Afterglow