Doxa Sub 1200 & Jefferson's Ocean
In this edition of Whiskey and a Watch, we look at a watch that is purposefully made to be in the water and some whiskey that spent quite a bit of time at sea. We give you the Doxa Sub 1200 and Jefferson’s Ocean.
The Watch
Doxa Sub 1200 Professional
Back in the late 60’s, the Swiss watch brand named Doxa came out with their legendary Doxa Sub 300. Scuba diving was experiencing a huge uptick in popularity and their watch was custom made for the sport. This watch had features that were seldom or never seen on watches, such as a bright orange face for visibility, a bezel with the U.S. Navy decompression table built in and a clasp that expanded to fit over a dive suit.
After the success of the Sub 300, Doxa released the Sub 300T Conquistador, the first diver’s watch with a helium release valve that was available to the general public. This allowed the watch do be used in saturation diving without the crystal popping off, which would subsequently ruin a watch. For further reading, I highly recommend this article on the Conquistador watch and helium release valve.
In 2010, Doxa released the watch featured, the Sub 1200 as an homage to the Sub 300 Conquistador. It is almost identical to the original and was limited to just 1200 examples. My watch is #687/1200. Note the unique “beads of rice” bracelet, decompression table and helium release valve. As a further nod to the use of diving, the minute hand is very large, dwarfing the hour hand, since minutes matter most when diving. I also placed a picture of my watch on a rubber nato strap, which not only looks great, but is also great for scuba diving.
Pictured above, is the watch, along with its packaging, which resembles a round scuba tank. Specs of the watch are as follows:
Movement-ETA 2824-2
Automatic, self-winding
38 hours Power Reserve
Stainless steel case
Diameter 42.50 x 44.50
Height 14.00 mm
Screw in crown
Water resistance 120 bar / 1200 meters / 4000 ft
Solid stainless steel, engraved with limited edition number xxxx/1200, screw down case back
Sapphire glass
Unidirectional rotating bezel
Helium Release Valve
Availability: Currently sold out. The Doxa Website says that the Sub 1200 will not be made again, but you can get a Doxa Sub 300, which is very similar. Pricing comes in at $1,890, which is quite a bargain for a Swiss watch with this kind of heritage.
The Whiskey
Jefferson’s Ocean Voyage 3:
I am so thankful that my wife got me this bottle a few years ago. It was purchased from a local store called Spec’s and this was a barrel pick for their stores. Honestly, the label they slapped on this with a cartoon bunny kind of takes away from the regal bottle with a ship full of bourbon barrels. Jefferson’s is still doing this release and numbers their Voyages on the bottle. This one is from the third Voyage. They have released other Ocean’s bottles as well, such as cask strength and wheated bourbon versions.
This unique bourbon started out when Trey Zoeller from Jefferson’s whiskey took some barrels of their whiskey on an ocean research ship to discover what would happen if the bourbon was exposed to temperature extremes, a rocking boat and saltwater air. This bourbon is the fruit of their efforts.
I have to tell you, the hang tag pictured above is one of the coolest things about this bottle. The red dots on the map above indicate a port stop for this voyage. As you can see, it has been to 5 continents and crossed the equator and through the Panama Canal. Not many bourbons can say that.
Specs/Tasting notes:
90 Proof
Appearance / Color:
Rich amber.
Smell / Nose / Aroma
I get sweetness. little bit of caramel and vanilla. I don’t know if it is psychological, but it smells a little briny ocean smell.Flavor / Taste / Palate
Taste/Finish
Sweetness again. Fruity, banana, dark chocolate as well. Little bit of spice at the end, followed by saltiness.
Availability/Price. This is widely available where we are in Texas for around $80 a bottle. Expect to pay over $90 for the cask strength version
The Connection:
If you read about the watch and bourbon, the connection here is quite evident. Both have strong ties to the sea. Doxa and Jefferson’s both take common items and put their innovative, unique spin on them. The watch and whiskey are definitely conversations pieces.
Below is the actual ship that Jefferson’s takes their bourbon barrels on and my Doxa Sub 1200 fresh from a dive in the gulf. Now, if I can only talk the good folks at Jefferson’s into a “research trip,” I promise I will wear the Doxa!
Above: Jefferson’s Ocean Container ship and Doxa Sub 1200 fresh off a dive
Thanks so much for reading, feel free to add your comments or questions below.
