The collaboration between the Swiss watchmaker Doxa and the California-based retailer Topper Jewelers represents a continued partnership that bridges the gap between historical horological significance and modern enthusiast culture. Their latest joint effort, the Doxa SUB 250T GMT Great White Topper Edition, arrives as a follow-up to their highly successful collaborative projects from the previous year. This new release is not merely a cosmetic update but a functional expansion of the Doxa lineup, utilizing the recently introduced SUB 250T platform to offer a travel-ready dive watch that pays homage to the specific maritime environment of Northern California. The watch is designed to capture the stark, predatory aesthetic of the Great White Shark, a creature synonymous with the cold, nutrient-rich waters off the coast of the retailer’s home in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The geographic muse for this timepiece is the Gulf of the Farallones, a stretch of the Pacific Ocean that holds a mystique quite unlike any other coastal region in North America. Jutting out from the sea roughly thirty miles west of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Farallon Islands are a cluster of forbidding, rocky sea stacks that have earned the ominous nickname "the Devil’s Teeth." These islands are often shrouded in dense fog and battered by rough swells, making them visible from the mainland only on the clearest of days. It is a wild, untamed ecosystem that serves as a sanctuary for massive populations of seabirds and marine mammals. However, beneath the surface, it is perhaps most famous for being one of the most significant gathering spots for Great White Sharks on the planet, particularly during the autumn months when they patrol the waters in search of seals.
Courtesy of DOXA
This specific environment provides the aesthetic foundation for the "Great White" livery found on the watch. The design choices are deliberate and stark, avoiding the warm, vintage-inspired creams or bright oranges often associated with Doxa’s historical catalog. Instead, the watch utilizes a crisp, cold white paired with a deep navy blue, mimicking the high-contrast coloration of the apex predators that inhabit the Gulf. The white dial represents the shark’s underbelly, while the blue accents on the bezel, hands, and markers evoke the dark, deep waters of the Pacific Ocean. This color scheme does more than just look attractive; it serves to reinforce the connection between the tool watch and the harsh, aquatic environment it is thematically built to survive.
Doxa itself brings a formidable history to this partnership, with roots stretching back to 1889 in Le Locle, Switzerland. While the brand produced various types of timepieces in its early years, its identity became irrevocably tied to the underwater world in 1967 with the release of the original SUB 300. That watch was a watershed moment in dive watch design, introducing the now-iconic orange dial for better underwater legibility and the patented bezel that incorporated a US Navy no-decompression limit table. This heritage is not just marketing fodder but the functional DNA that informs every modern Doxa release. The SUB 250T GMT Great White Topper Edition retains these core characteristics, ensuring that despite its modern updates and travel complications, it remains a dive watch first and foremost.
Topper Jewelers, the partner in this creation, is a fixture of the Silicon Valley luxury retail landscape. Located in Burlingame, California, the family-owned store has operated for over three generations, carving out a niche as a hub for watch enthusiasts rather than just a traditional jewelry retailer. Their approach to collaborations is typically characterized by a respect for the manufacturer's history mixed with a distinct local flavor. By focusing on the Gulf of the Farallones, Topper grounds this Swiss-made product in American soil, or rather, American waters. This local connection is further solidified by the retailer’s commitment to donating a portion of the proceeds to the Greater Farallones Association, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting the marine sanctuary that inspired the watch.
The physical architecture of the watch is based on the DOXA SUB 250T GMT platform, a relatively new addition to the brand's hierarchy that was introduced during Geneva Watch Week 2025. The case dimensions are kept versatile and wearable, measuring 40mm in diameter with a lug-to-lug length of 42.90mm. This compact footprint is a significant draw for collectors who find the larger 42mm or 45mm cushion cases of other Doxa models too imposing for daily wear. The case is crafted from 316L stainless steel and features a predominantly brushed finish, which is appropriate for a tool watch designed to take a beating. The smaller size does not compromise the watch's presence but rather refines it, making it an ideal candidate for a travel watch that needs to transition from beach to boardroom.
Courtesy of DOXA
Dominating the visual profile of the watch is the dial, which features a full-lume application. In daylight, the dial presents as a stark, matte white, providing a high-contrast background for the dark blue hands and indices. This legibility is critical for a professional dive watch. However, in low-light conditions, the entire face of the watch transforms. The dial is coated in Super-LumiNova BGW9, which emits a bright, long-lasting blue glow. This "full lume" execution is a signature of the Topper Great White editions, ensuring that the watch remains readable even in the pitch-black conditions of a night dive or a dark hotel room. The silhouette of the hands and markers against the glowing dial creates a reverse-negative effect that is both visually striking and highly functional.
The hands and markers themselves are finished in a blue lacquer that matches the bezel and strap options. The handset includes the standard hour and minute hands, a seconds hand, and a dedicated GMT hand. The inclusion of a GMT complication on a dive watch is a practical combination for the modern adventurer who is likely flying to their dive destination. The GMT hand, distinct with its arrow tip, works in conjunction with a 24-hour scale printed on the dial's inner chapter ring. This allows the wearer to track a second time zone simultaneously, a feature that elevates the utility of the watch beyond simple time-telling or dive timing.
Surrounding the dial is Doxa’s signature unidirectional rotating bezel. This component is perhaps the most recognizable element of the brand's design language. It features a dual-scale layout, with the outer ring marking depth in feet and the inner ring marking time in minutes. This setup allows a diver to calculate no-decompression limits on the fly, a backup safety measure that dates back to the early days of recreational scuba diving. On this specific edition, the engravings are filled with navy blue lacquer, maintaining the coherent color scheme. The bezel's edge is serrated with deep sawtooth grips, designed to be easily manipulated even when wearing thick neoprene gloves, a necessity in the cold waters of Northern California.
Courtesy of DOXA
Protecting the dial is a flat sapphire crystal treated with an anti-reflective coating. This choice of material ensures scratch resistance while the AR coating minimizes glare, a crucial feature when reading the watch under the harsh sun or through the distortion of water. The flat profile of the crystal is a nod to the original 1968 designs, maintaining a vintage silhouette while utilizing modern materials. It sits flush with the bezel, creating a seamless line that contributes to the watch's hydrodynamic profile. The integration of the crystal into the case structure helps secure the watch's water resistance rating of 250 meters, or roughly 820 feet, which is more than sufficient for almost any recreational or professional diving application.
The movement powering the SUB 250T GMT Great White is a Swiss-made automatic caliber. While the specific base caliber is often not the primary focus of Doxa's marketing, the performance metrics are solid. It offers a power reserve of approximately 50 hours, allowing the watch to be set down for a weekend and picked up on Monday without needing to be wound. Crucially, this movement has been modified to remove the date function. This "no-date" execution is a specific request often made by enthusiasts who prefer a symmetrical dial layout. By removing the date window, the dial remains unbroken and perfectly balanced, and the luminous surface area is maximized. The movement drives the four central hands, providing reliable timekeeping for the local time, home time, and running seconds.
Turning the watch over reveals one of the most unique features of this limited edition: the custom caseback engraving. Unlike standard production models that might feature a simple logo or serial number, this caseback displays a detailed relief map of the San Francisco Bay Area and its relation to the Gulf of the Farallones. The engraving includes landmarks such as Point Reyes, the Farallon Islands, and the Farallon Escarpment, along with a compass rose and the "SF" initials on the mainland. This artwork serves as a hidden easter egg for the owner, a permanent reminder of the geographical inspiration behind the watch. It connects the Swiss manufacturing of the object with the specific American locale it celebrates.
The watch is secured to the wrist by Doxa’s iconic "beads-of-rice" bracelet. This bracelet design is legendary in the watch community for its comfort and articulation. The small, individual links allow the bracelet to drape effortlessly over the wrist, conforming to the skin in a way that stiffer oyster-style bracelets cannot. It is constructed from stainless steel and features a folding clasp with a wetsuit extension. This extension allows the bracelet to be quickly expanded to fit over the sleeve of a diving suit, a practical feature that reinforces the watch's status as a piece of diving equipment. The polished center links of the beads-of-rice design add a touch of refinement, catching the light and giving the watch a jewelry-like quality that contrasts with its tool-watch specs.
Courtesy of DOXA
In addition to the steel bracelet, the package includes an integrated navy blue FKM rubber strap. FKM, or fluoroelastomer, is a high-performance synthetic rubber that is significantly more durable and resistant to heat, chemicals, and UV light than standard silicone. The blue color of the strap perfectly matches the blue accents on the dial and bezel, offering a more casual and sporty look. This strap also utilizes a stainless steel folding clasp, ensuring that the watch remains just as secure on rubber as it does on steel. The inclusion of the second strap option adds value and versatility, allowing the owner to switch between the classic vintage look of the bracelet and the modern, functional look of the rubber.
The partnership between Topper and the Greater Farallones Association adds a layer of philanthropic purpose to the release. The Association works to restore coastal habitats, protect wildlife, and maintain the ecological health of the sanctuary. By tying the sale of the watch to the support of this organization, the project moves beyond simple consumerism. It acknowledges the fragility of the ecosystem that inspired the watch's design. The Gulf of the Farallones is a biodiversity hotspot, home to whales, seabirds, and the sharks that give this watch its name. Supporting the conservation of this area aligns with the ethos of the dive watch community, which generally holds a deep respect for the ocean environment.
The limited nature of this release is a key factor in its appeal. Only 100 individually numbered pieces will be produced. This scarcity ensures that the watch will remain an exclusive item, likely to be sought after by collectors of Doxa and fans of Topper’s collaborative series. The individual numbering is typically engraved on the caseback, marking each watch's place in the production run. Limited editions of this size often sell out quickly, driven by the passionate community of "Doxa-holics" who track the brand's releases religiously. The exclusivity is not artificial; it reflects the niche appeal of a white-dialed, GMT-equipped dive watch inspired by a specific shark sanctuary.
Courtesy of DOXA
The pricing of the Doxa SUB 250T GMT Great White Topper Edition is set at $2,990 USD. This price point positions it competitively within the luxury dive watch market. It sits above the entry-level microbrands but below the mass-market luxury giants, occupying a sweet spot for enthusiasts who value heritage and build quality. When considering the Swiss provenance, the inclusion of a GMT complication, the two strap options, and the limited production run, the value proposition is strong. It is a specialized tool for a specialized audience, priced to be accessible to the serious collector while retaining a premium feel.
Availability is exclusive to Topper Jewelers, emphasizing the retailer's role in the watch's creation. As a "Topper Edition," it is not a watch that will be found in the windows of standard Doxa retailers worldwide. This direct-to-enthusiast distribution model allows for a tighter narrative and a closer connection between the seller and the buyer. For those interested in acquiring one, the window of opportunity is dictated by the limited supply. Once the 100 pieces are allocated, the primary market for this specific configuration effectively closes.
Case: 316L stainless steel, brushed finish; 40.00 mm diameter x 42.90 mm lug-to-lug; AR-coated flat sapphire crystal; unidirectional rotating bezel with blue lacquer "no deco" engravings; stainless steel caseback with custom relief engraving; water resistance 250 meters (820 feet).
Movement: Swiss-made automatic mechanical movement; no-date configuration (date click removed); 24-hour hand for second time zone indication; approximately 50 hours power reserve.
Dial: Fully luminous white dial with Super-LumiNova BGW9 (blue emission); blue lacquer hands and hour markers; high-contrast "Great White" colorway.
Strap: Stainless steel "Beads-of-Rice" bracelet with folding clasp and wetsuit extension; includes additional integrated navy blue FKM rubber strap with stainless steel folding clasp; 18 mm lug width.
Price: $2,990 USD
Notes: Limited Edition of 100 individually numbered pieces; Topper Jewelers exclusive; portion of proceeds donated to the Greater Farallons Association; features custom caseback art depicting the San Francisco Bay Area and Gulf of the Farallones.