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Bezel insert

No-decompression bezel insert

Probable

The Doxa bezel insert carries the US Navy no-decompression limits — depth against maximum bottom time — instead of a plain sixty-minute scale. It makes the bezel a calculating instrument rather than an elapsed-time indicator, and it is the most distinctive single component on the brand.

Part reference

Brand
Doxa
Material
Printed or engraved metal insert
Introduced
1967

Documented variations

Classification

FactoryDocumented as shipped from the factory for this reference and period.PeriodNot original to this watch, but correct for its production period.ServiceFitted by the manufacturer's own service network. Not a defect.AftermarketThird-party part. Affects originality, not authenticity.ModifiedGenuine parts in a configuration the factory did not sell. Affects originality and value, not authenticity.CounterfeitDeceptive reproduction intended to pass as genuine.UnknownEvidence on file does not settle the question.
  • Original insert, faded consistently with the case

    FactoryProbable

    Whole production

    Period inserts fade, and the fading should be consistent with the case's wear and with the dial's aging. Consistency across components is the evidence; the insert alone establishes little.

  • Replacement or reproduction insert

    AftermarketProbable

    Whole production

    Crisp, unfaded printing on a case with decades of wear. Inserts are consumable and replacements — genuine service parts and reproductions alike — are widely available. A restoration finding, very common, and not evidence against the watch.

  • Table figures inconsistent with any published US Navy table

    CounterfeitProbable

    Whole production

    Because the insert reproduces an external published standard, it can be checked against one. Figures that correspond to no table, or to a table not current in the watch's claimed period, indicate a reproduction made by someone copying an appearance rather than a document.

Documented on these references

Provenance of this record

Sources & Evidence

Primary sourceTechnical documentation

United States Navy no-decompression limits and diving tables

United States Navy

Accessed
2026-08-19

Cited for

This referenceHigh confidence
Secondary sourceCollector research

Doxa collector research on SUB variants, dial signatures and the Synchron era

Collector communities and specialist dealers

Accessed
2026-08-19

Cited for

This referenceProbable

Last verified: Not yet reviewed