Hi everyone!
I got asked today if Im interested in this (little) thing. I trust the seller, but neither of us know enough about Doxa to figure out a fair price.
All I can contribute with is this:
- Its been with the seller since the 80s.
- It looks to be an early version.
- I think it has a cal. 118 movement (The seller gave this info)
- The case has a serious ding but looks to be in (almost too) good condition? The bezel also looks to be a bit too shiny.
- I dont know if the dial and hands are original, they have a very light patina
- The caseback lacks a serial number, is it original?

As you guys can clearly see, I dont know enough about Doxa to take a qualified guess regarding the authenticity and price.
I appreciate all and any advice

 

Non-expert here. My feeling is that the dial and hands are ok, although I guess the lume has been lost from the seconds hand. Still the dial and hands are the highlights of this piece, and the reason you might want to buy it. On the other hand, the case and bezel are seriously polished, the original brushed finish is gone from the case and the bezel shape has been badly softened. The ding is pretty bad, but honestly, the condition of the bezel bothers me more than the case. I think the numbers have been polished off the back. The bracelet adds value. I am always suspicious of unsigned crowns on these pieces, and I suspect it's not original. Originals are basically impossible to find. Someone may chime in and say that the unsigned crown is original ... who knows. The crystal is also probably a replacement; if so, it's not a big deal.

So ... good news and bad news. Personally I'm having a hard time getting past the polishing; if I owned it I would constantly be looking for a replacement bezel. Others will put more emphasis on the condition of the dial, and this dial is really nice. However, it's the most basic version of the dial, orange, with no "AQUALUNG" or other logos. Maybe $1,500-$2,000 is the right ballpark given the nice dial and the condition of case, bezel, and back. Sellers are asking outrageous prices for these in good condition, but if you look at selling prices on eBay for flawed pieces, they are often selling in this general range. I think the most important thing to decide is if you're satisfied with the condition, or whether you'd rather wait for a better one.

 

The dial is from a 300, not a 300T - so if the case is a 300 case the watch is worth significantly more than a 300T. My knowledge of these isn’t good enough to be sure from eyeballing it, but looks like a 300 case to me. I also believe an all black, non lumed second hand could be correct for no-T 300. If that’s true then a little bit of orange enamel in the bezel would give you a great looking early Doxa Sub!

As to the question of the caseback and crown (and the movement - definitely worth getting a movement shot) - I can’t say with any confidence but I’m sure someone will be along who can...

 

As you say, it's an early piece so the non-lumed hand is correct.

 

Thanks guys!
I got a bit excited and didnt do my research properly. I didnt even see that this was a "300" and not a "300T".
I have a habit of beeing blinded by watches I really want... Im like a child

You are of course right, everything points to that every part of this is correct for a "non-t" 300.
The case is polished but after comparing it to other examples it could be worse. The bezel is awful...
As already mentioned the dial and hands are beautiful and looks to be original compared to other examples

Ive found a couple of pictures of the caseback of two other "non-t" 300s. Neither of them had a serial number or anything other than the Doxa vessel, but I dont know if it should be a serial number there or not.

Im struggelig finding much information about these online.

 

Information is hard to come by on No Ts in general. They were made for only a pretty short amount of time before they were replaced with the larger 300Ts.

The good news is that the dial and hands are nice. But the watch has issues.

Crown isn't original. And with how uncommon they are, I don't know how you go about finding a replacement. It should be signed Doxa. Case obviously has a big dent. Bezel is missing its infilled paint in the letters. Some not great polishing. And on the bracelet, the springs are completely worn out. On either side of the clasp there are expanding sections that are filled with little springs. The fact that I can see one in the completely expanded position without it being wrapped around something lets me know those springs are shot.

If for whatever reason you end up passing on this one, PM me the seller's info

 

I love how you shoot the watch completely down in your last paragraph, but are still asking for the sellers info

Thanks for the information I spoke with the seller again today (Im getting it tomorrow) and he had in a drawer since the mid 80s (might explain the light patina). The bad polishing has been done by the original owner.

 

Haha, not shooting it down. Just making sure you're aware of the work it needs/issues it has. Some of it is fixable with time, money, and the right people to work on it. As you said, not a lot of info out there, so you should know what you're getting yourself into. Normally for most watches I'd pass and wait for one in better shape. But No Ts are somewhat uncommon which is why I would personally put the work into it.

The dial and the hands are the saving grace of this watch.

 

Nice find! The hands and dial are pretty immaculate for a 300 no-T and seems weird compared to the case which has such a large gash.

However, more concerning is that I’m not sure that’s a thin-case for the original 300 no-T. Could you post a better side picture of the watch?

It may still be a decent pick up considering, but I’d also want a picture of the movement/rotor on the automatic movement. We’ve seen some Franken watches where movements have been switched and you should go into this eyes wide open.

I’ll see if I can get some pics of my 300 no-T to give you a case comparison later tonight.

 

Haha, yeah Im just joking
Do you have any thoughts about the missing serial number on the caseback?

Thanks for the input @Ninja2789
Im no expert, so I may be completely wrong, but I have been doing A LOT of comparisons the last 24 hours of examples found online.
There are especially some pictures in an article at Monochrome that's helpful. Ive noticed that the crown guard and backside of the lugs are very different when comparing "non t" 300 to 300t. Again I know far to little, but that seems to check out.

 

@palkastu no worries. Even “experts” should always double check when it comes to vintage.

So checking the case I think you’re good to go. Here are two side by side shots with a known example and it’s pretty kosher.

A couple of my other opinions:

Non-original Crown: as others have stated, a doxa signed crown would be best, but these do get replaced and I generally find it not a big deal in the big scheme of things. Unless you’re going for mueseum quality I personally wouldn’t ding the price too much considering the condition of the dial/hands.

Case: pretty rough, but I’ve seen worse and it’s certainly possible to laser weld and recut something if you want to spend the money on it. Otherwise, wear it as you see fit.

Dial/Handset: one of the better ones I’ve seen out there. And I’ve seen a lot.

Bracelet: this bracelet will be useless to you to wear unless you fix the extender springs. There’s a great guide on how to do this by cannibalizing an expandeo bracelet for the springs. Add in $50-70, about an hour, and nerves of steel to get this bracelet up and running.

Regarding price, I’ll let you DM me if you want my humble opinion. I’ve seen a lot of data points but they are quite volatile, and if you decide to pass the please do keep me in mind.

And if you decide to buy the watch then I’m calling dibs right here. Right now.

 

Thanks for the great advice everyone! This is why I love OF!

Thanks!
Im going to consider laser welding the case, but Im probably going to wear it as it is.

Do you have a link to the bracelet guide you are referring to?

Your dibs are noted

It would be great to see more pictures of your Doxa diver(s)!

 

ask and you shall receive. I was actually in the same boat as you a year ago with a bracelet that had no springs on the expandro extenders. I've since gone through and restored about 3 of these things, so give me a DM if you need any help.

Doxa Bracelet Thread:
https://forums.watchuseek.com/f34/changing-springs-expandro-4565807.html

However, I do have some unfortunate news. The third picture you posted that shows the clasp on the bracelet? You'll see that there is a slight notch on the side of the clasp. This is because the earliest 300 no-Ts had a side lever on the clasp that allows you to adjust the clasp length on the fly. However, you'll also note that your bracelet does not have this lever.

You can see examples of this lever on the link below, which points to a bracelet thread:
https://forums.watchuseek.com/f34/d...ally-same-what-doxa-40-year-book-4591795.html


Now, I know what your next questions might be.

1. "Can I still wear this bracelet?"
Yes, you should be ok as long as the ratcheting mechanism is ok and in a complete state. You can change the springs on the extenders, but if the ratcheting mechanism goes then you're going to need to find a completely new clasp.

2. "How hard is it to find this lever?".
My answer would be "harder than just finding another bracelet", because while I've seen a looooooot of doxa bracelet parts, I've never seen a lever specific part. My suggestion is to just wait until someone posts an extra early 300 bracelet clasp. This isn't as rare as you would expect given I've seen about 3-4 of these pop up on ebay over the past year.

In any case, I'd probably value the bracelet a bit lower than I recommended to you.

 

Caseback is fine. IIRC, they started putting serials on the casebacks with 300Ts, but a good portion of those today no longer have theirs just from wrist polishing alone wearing them off. I've heard of lung variants with serials scratched into the backside of the lugs, but for a standard No T you're fine.


Also I'm pretty sure "Let me know if it falls through" constitutes dibs, and I do believe I beat out @Ninja2789. Or else I'll be second on the list and he might have an unfortunate accident between now and then

I'd hate to do it as I like the guy personally, but No Ts are No Ts. And he has too many already. Really you'd be doing him a favor helping me save him from himself.

 

A little update everyone!
I picked up the watch today and it looks better in real life
I took some terrible pictures, but they are informative and will try to do better later tonight.

 

Looks great! Are you going to do any work on it? Please do update the thread if you do!

 

Ill let you guys figure who got dibs Im not familiar with the fine print in the rule book

Thanks!! I havent decided yet, the watch wears well as it is really
Heres a better wrist shot taken an hour ago:

 

Haha. I like you too @Kazyole . But if we are going to parse fine print "let me know if it falls through" specifically applies only if he doesn't buy the watch. Whereas my "dibs" assumes he buys the watch and I would be the first secondary should he resell it. So get in line buddy.

Just kidding. I know you've been in the market for a 300 no-T forever. In case no one realizes it, kazyole and I know each other well. But i also know he's got some other watches on his list which, if they happen, then may make it more likely I'll be a buyer . . .

Also nevermind on the missing lever on the bracelet. I'm an idiot as I didn't realize the picture was showing the clasp fully opened. You can clearly see the lever on the new pics.

 

I am having a couple of spare bezel for the Doxa 300 in my hands soon. Let me know if anyone is interested. Write to my email address please: [email protected]
Thanks and have fun with your Doxa
Elmo