Nanuq Posted January 24, 2020 Report Share Posted January 24, 2020 Has anyone seen this offering? https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F372909984124 So tune up your magnifying glasses and put on your Inspector Gadget hats and tell me why I’m not at all confident this is an actual, real BL? We’ve talked about these at length here. Thoughts? Hint: https://www.vintage-diving-shop.com//gifts/aqua-lung-us-divers-decal-sticker-aufkleber.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hologramet Posted January 24, 2020 Report Share Posted January 24, 2020 The mouthpiece is supposed to be black and not yellow... right?Skickat från min iPhone med Tapatalk Nevermind... I’ve been sittning and comparing like crazy...I give up....Skickat från min iPhone med Tapatalk The differences I find are not related to the logo... Skickat från min iPhone med Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanuq Posted January 24, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2020 Here’s mine. I see some differences in the logo. And check the backs of his lugs.... no engraved numbers. Finally, why would you ship a $15,000 watch for $8??? Last high end watch I shipped was $80 door to door. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panerai153 Posted January 25, 2020 Report Share Posted January 25, 2020 I think this is a refinished dial, very skillfully done but not perfect. Another thing, the overall condition of the hands and dial look too “new” to me. I never had a 300, but I’ve had at least one of practically every model the 300T and everyone had a serial number, plus all of mine were obviously used as tool dive watches and had a helluva lot more dings and dents!!Definitely a Doxa, but I would bet that the case back is not original and the dial has been refinished.Like you said, who ships a 15K Watch by USPS Priority Mail. Definitely cannot get full insurance. This one definitely sends up a few red flags to me. Sent from my iPad using TapatalkAnother thought, the seller says this was a “prototype” which is not true. The prototype 300 was not a BL, but a 300 professional (orange dial) the BL’s and regular Aqualungs were made especially for US Divers co. to sell in Dive shops.They were only available new in shops that sold US Divers equipment.Another factoid, off the topic a bit, guess what other now famous watch was being sold alongside the Doxas? The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms. Guess which was the more expensive? Did you guess Blancpain? You would be wrong!! The Doxa 300 was a little bit more expensive. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanuq Posted January 25, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2020 A really good way to tell if the dial has been refinished: look for the *tiny* lume dot inside the date window, on the center pinion side. If it’s missing, it’s likely a redial. Here’s mine: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hologramet Posted January 25, 2020 Report Share Posted January 25, 2020 A really good way to tell if the dial has been refinished: look for the *tiny* lume dot inside the date window, on the center pinion side. If it’s missing, it’s likely a redial. Here’s mine: Thats what I noticed too + date aperture location, visible date disc width and date disc typeface is a tiny bit off. But honestly... I compared the logo (which I thought was the hint) and I would say it’s spot on. Color. Location. Proportions. Composure. Where do you are differences there? And also I agree, the prototypes were without logo and with this logotype. The black lungs are the first batch of 30 or so they could also be considered ”prototypes”. So this would be the 2nd prototype in order of 3? Seems very unlikely. Skickat från min iPhone med Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanuq Posted January 25, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2020 You have a remarkably good eye! My hint referred to an ebay seller years ago who had decals made exactly like the sticker I posted in the link. Back then I guessed it would be easy for someone to take a SUB300 Pro and turn it into a "Black Lung" by putting a decal on the dial. As long as he had the FT bezel (not the Meters piece) he could get away with it. But when Vargas (lawyer for Doxa LTD) ran this project, making the Black Lungs and sending them out to the coastal dive shops, he had them engraved, probably as part of the project to track where the watches went. So the backs of the 4 lugs should have tiny hand engraved markings. I don't see them on this piece. Here's how they should look: So, a legitimate Black Lung should have these hand engraved markings. As far as I can tell, Vargas released about 15 of these pieces for the west coast, and I've tracked down 12 of them. Remarkably, four of them live here at good old RWG. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panerai153 Posted January 25, 2020 Report Share Posted January 25, 2020 That’s really interesting. Funny that Vargas was involved with this project.for several years I was very involved with the Doxa forum on WatchUseek.at that time Vargas was the USA guy for Doxa. I found him to be a pompous ass who reveled in loudly letting everyone know about his huge collection of every valuable dive watch known to man, his illustrious Military career and all his connections to people in power. He and I got into a pretty heated argument over my old pre 300 Doxa.he claimed it was a fake, because he had never seen one and his claim was Doxa’s first entry into the dive watch business was the 300. After listening to him ad nauseum n the forum, I sent the watch to Doxa and it was authenticated by them. Later, the folks at Doxa finally got enough of him and terminated their relationship with him. I heard that he wanted Doxa to give him the first watch of every model they introduced in the USA! This is really interesting about the BlackLung. So my question is were any Black Lungs made by Doxa in Switzerland, are we’re all of them just upgraded 300’s with a Black Lung decal? Also was this an official Doxa / US Divers project to promote Doxa watches, or was this something Vargas cooked up? Would have been easy to get 300’s with the Ft.bezel, as the watches coming to the US were Ft. rather than meters. Too bad most of Doxa’s records and information got trashed every time the company changed hands.Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike on a bike Posted January 26, 2020 Report Share Posted January 26, 2020 Well all you Doxa guys what do you think: https://doxawatches.com/products/sub-200 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panerai153 Posted January 26, 2020 Report Share Posted January 26, 2020 Nothing wrong with the 200. This is basically the entry level Doxa dive watch.ETA 2824 nice dial, hands and the new version of the old beads of rice bracelet. Not quite the historic “cachet” of the 300’s but never the less, still a very nice watch. there have been other earlier versions of the 200, back during the Syncron and Aubrey eras, back in the day. I believe that at one time it was offered in a quartz version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanuq Posted January 26, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2020 Maybe you’re thinking of the lovely SUB 250 with the crown at 4:00 and that big sexy domed plexi crystal? What a looker! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ephry73 Posted January 26, 2020 Report Share Posted January 26, 2020 Such a beautySent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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