my Doxa sub 300 no T need a bezel (please help me)

[kleidist]

hi everyone,

i want to show you the condition of my doxa sub 300 nT.

the watch works great and keep time perfectly,

the case, crown, plexy and mouvement are stunning.

i bought the original bor bracelet.

the only missing is its original bezel.

i know is very difficult to find and for this reason i'm writing here in this forum to take halp from you.

[tyrantblade]

well, i tried a quick google search and checked a few of the results, it seems like you will have a tough time sourcing the bezel, but good luck, maybe if you post your inquiry on the right watch forum somebody will respond

[Nanuq]

We went through this exact exercize maybe 10 years ago when Lanikai picked up a SUB300 "no T" and needed a bezel.  An extremely generous member here had 3 spare bezels and sent them, willing to throw the dice that maybe, just maybe one would fit.

The gods were smiling on Lani and unbelievable as it may seem, one of the bezels worked.  Here it is posing with my Big Crown.  Keep your hopes up, be patient, and consider sacrifices to Pele' ... maybe she can find you a bezel.

 

[kleidist]

thank you very much Nanuq,

i hope every day i can find one..

thank you very much Nanuq,

i hope every day i can find one..

[steve3sc]

I know this thread is ancient, but I wanted to throw this one out there for anyone who might be searching the forums for the elusive doxa bezel for their vintage sub.

I have found a solution. It will definitely  [censored] off the purists, and I'm sharing this info with the disclaimer and warning that nobody should ever try to counterfeit a bezel secretly to try and dupe a buyer without full disclosure. In other words, if anyone uses this bezel fix, you MUST state it clearly and honestly to any potential buyers of that watch.

 

So, here's the solution I have come up with......

I had 2 vintage 1960s era Doxa Sub cases, both missing their bezel assemblies. I tried to source any NOS or gen vintage bezels without success for over 2 years, searching on ebay, wus, the rep forums, etc etc etc.....and couldn't find a single one that would fit my cases.

So I decided to make my own. The 2 Doxas were planned to be mine and my brother's personal pieces, so I wasn't worried about pedigree or strict adherence to original spec. We just wanted them to wear and enjoy ourselves, not for resale.

In my searches for bezels, I came across the Zeno army diver watch that was sold with a bezel closely resembling the modern Doxas NodeCo engravings and shape. They are generally easy to buy for $400-$500-ish online, and I contacted the manufacturers and was able to order the case/bezel/crystal set for $125. (They only sell cases with bezels and crystals installed, not seperately)

So I ordered 2 and scavenged the bezels from the Zeno donor watches, and had them machined on a lathe down to very nearly exact dimensions and shape of the vintage Doxas.

So now I had 2 cases with bezels that look 100% legit gen from the outside....

On the inside, I had to make an insert ring from stainless steel to bridge the gap between my new bezel and the original mounting ring on the cases.

Using that insert method allows the bezel to turn and function properly,  while not damaging the vintage Doxas case. So it can be removed easily if I ever find a gen vintage bezel that would fit my case.

 

So there it is, gentlemen. Not a"real" doxa bezel from the doxa factory, but it looks and works exactly the same. All u need is the Zeno donor bezel and have a machinist fab you up an insert that will mate with your case. Easy!

 

Hope this can help somebody!

Email me if u have questions. .......

Steve3sc@gmail.com

 

[Nanuq]

That's a great result.  Thanks for sharing!  And we have enough people here with mad machining skillz it ought to be easy to do.