Hands-On: Doxa SUB 250T GMT Watches

For most collectors, Doxa is synonymous with dive watches, although one of the most common requests from enthusiasts has been for the brand to create another GMT-equipped model. Back in 2006, Doxa launched the SUB 750T GMT as a limited edition of 1,000 pieces, and for nearly two full decades thereafter, a GMT watch remained notably absent from the Swiss brand’s contemporary catalog. However, joining the lineup for 2025 is the Doxa SUB 250T GMT, which reinstates the ever-popular GMT complication, and rather than being a fleeting limited edition, the new series of travel-ready sports watches will be standard-production offerings in a full range of nine different colorways.

Before we get into the details of the watch itself, it’s worth quickly outlining what the Doxa SUB 250T GMT is and what it isn’t. Instead of being a dedicated GMT watch primarily intended for navigating multiple timezones, the SUB 250T GMT is first and foremost a fully-fledged dive watch, and it simply expands upon the blueprint of Doxa’s signature cushion-case diver with the added functionality of a secondary timezone display. Instead of having a bezel marked with a 24-hour scale, the SUB 250T GMT is fitted with Doxa’s classic dual-scale “No Deco” bezel that has both elapsed time and maximum depth markings. In short, rather than being a GMT watch that is also capable of scuba diving, the Doxa SUB 250T GMT is a proper professional diver that also has the ability to simultaneously track the time in two different locations.

As part of its inaugural launch, the Doxa SUB 250T GMT is being offered in the brand’s full range of colorways, plus a new vintage-inspired variation that is making its debut appearance on the new GMT-equipped collection. In total, the series spans nine different variations, which include Professional (orange), Searambler (silver), Sharkhunter (black), Caribbean (navy blue), Divingstar (yellow), Aquamarine (turquoise), Whitepearl (white), Sea Emerald (green), and a vintage-themed version of the Sharkhunter that pairs a brown gradient dial with a white-finished handset and beige-colored lume. As mentioned in our original news article about the launch, some of the colorways showcase dials with Doxa’s “iconic” (aka matte) finish, while others have sunburst-finished dials, and the vintage-inspired Sharkhunter also receives a different GMT hand than its siblings, which appears as a thin needle with a bright red arrow-shaped tip.

As for the dials and hands themselves, the core design and layout of the Doxa SUB 250T GMT’s display remains more or less identical to what can be observed on the brand’s standard three-handed divers. However, two key additions separate the SUB 250T GMT from its time-and-date siblings, and joining the trio of centrally-mounted hands is a fourth skeletonized 24-hour hand, while an angled chapter ring with a 24-hour scale and a split-color finish surrounds the outermost periphery of it display. As you would expect, the hands and hour markers are finished with Super-LumiNova to aid with visibility in low-light conditions, and the zero marker on the bezel also receives a luminous dot, just like what you will find on all of Doxa’s dedicated dive watch models.

If I am being completely honest, I initially wasn’t the biggest fan of the skeletonized 24-hour hand on the Doxa SUB 250T GMT, and when I first saw images of the watch, I couldn’t help but feel that it looked slightly out of place. That said, I must admit that the 24-hour hand looks far less awkward in person than it comes across in photos, and while my personal preferences still favor the style of 24-hand that appears on the vintage-inspired Sharkhunter model, I am not longer scratching my head and wondering what on Earth the Doxa designers were thinking. Since the SUB 250T GMT is, first and foremost, a dive watch, its 24-hour hand plays a secondary role to not detract from the legibility of its display, and the highly skeletonized shape of the hand makes it fairly easy to ignore when you are just glancing down to reference the local time.

Crafted from 316L stainless steel with brushed and polished surfaces, the case of the Doxa SUB 250T GMT offers the same cushion-shaped profile that characterizes long-standing models such as the SUB 300 and SUB 300T. Measuring 40mm in diameter by 10.85mm thick, with a lug width of 18mm and an overall lug-to-lug profile of 42.9mm, the case of the SUB 250T GMT is slightly bigger than the brand’s midsize SUB 200 dive watch. With that in mind, the 1mm larger case also comes with an increased depth rating, and the GMT-equipped series offers an ample 250 meters of water resistance, which should be more than enough to handle any real-world scuba diving applications. Sitting within the unidirectional saw-tooth bezel is a flat anti-reflective sapphire crystal, while the reverse side of the watch receives a solid screw-down caseback, and partially recessed into the 3 o’clock side of the case is a screw-down crown that is signed with Doxa’s fish emblem.

Doxa’s website offers very little information about the movements that the brand uses inside its watches; however, powering the various Doxa SUB 250T GMT models is the Swiss Sellita SW330-2 automatic movement, which runs at a frequency of 28,800vph (4 Hz) with a power reserve of approximately 50 hours. As a “caller-style” GMT-movement, the Sellita SW330 offers independent adjustment of its date display and GMT-hand, rather than opting for the more travel-oriented “flier-style” approach that features an independently adjustable 12-hour hand that can be jumped forward or backward in one-hour increments. Neither approach to the GMT complication is categorically “better” than the other, and the superior option simply depends on how each individual owner plans on using their watch.

For owners who frequently find themselves crossing timezones, a “flier-style” approach is often the more convenient method, but the lack of a quickset date can make this style of GMT movement somewhat of a pain to set when you haven’t worn the watch for an extended period and need to update the date by more than a few values. Conversely, a “caller-style” GMT movement is ideal for keeping tabs on a secondary timezone during everyday life, but this style of GMT complication cannot quickly be updated to display a new timezone without first stopping the movement and completely resetting the watch. Given that the Doxa SUB 250T GMT is first and foremost a dive watch, a “caller-style” movement feels like an appropriate choice, although part of me still wishes that it was equipped with a “flier-style” GMT movement to fully occupy the role of a dedicated travel watch within Doxa’s modern lineup.

That said, Doxa is a Swiss brand that exclusively uses Swiss-made movements inside its watches, and at the present time, there isn’t a readily available third-party option for a Swiss “flier-style” GMT caliber. Some of the Swatch Group brands offer proprietary movements that have been modified to offer this style of GMT functionality, but all of the standard options from the big-name Swiss suppliers like ETA, Sellita, and even La Joux-Perret all adhere to the more common “caller-style” approach. Had the Doxa SUB 250T GMT been fitted with a 24-hour bezel and been positioned as a purpose-built travel watch, I would probably feel more strongly about the type of GMT movement used to power it. However, as it is a GMT-capable dive watch (rather than a dive-capable GMT watch), I personally feel that either style of movement is appropriate in this particular instance.

Just like most of its models, Doxa offers the SUB 250T GMT with the option of either a stainless steel ”beads of rice” bracelet or a color-coordinated FKM rubber strap. Aside from being slightly narrower to accommodate the model’s 18mm lugs, the bracelet is otherwise identical to what can be found throughout the rest of Doxa’s modern lineup, and it is machined entirely from solid components with single-sided screws securing its removable links. Meanwhile, the FKM rubber straps are color-matched to the dial of each watch, and they feature a curved structure that organically wraps around the wrist. Regardless of whether buyers opt for the bracelet or strap, both options are equipped with the exact same style of folding clasp, which operates with a double push-button release and includes an integrated extension system that is accessed by pressing the two additional buttons located on either side of the clasp’s structure.

Despite being the first GMT-equipped Doxa model to emerge in nearly twenty years, the SUB 250T GMT is still very much a dive watch, and it simply expands upon the brand’s proven recipe with the ability to display two different timezones. When purchased on a rubber strap, the Doxa SUB 250T GMT has an official retail price of $2,450 USD, while opting for the stainless steel bracelet comes at a fairly negligible premium and brings the total up to $2,490 USD. Although I initially felt that Doxa should have spread its wings a bit more and created a GMT watch that represented a further departure from the rest of its catalog, I’m not actually sure that would have been what the public wanted. People look to Doxa for dive watches, and the SUB 250T GMT offers everything that people love about the brand’s cushion-case diver with the added functionality of a GMT complication. For more information, please visit the Doxa website.