"It all started with my great-grandfather..."
Where does the story begin? In an attic. There's a case of old souvenirs, a young man – Peter, and his grandmother. The man is in his twenties. His great-grandfather has passed away, and he must deal with his affairs and his estate. That includes his attic.
And it's here that he finds a pocket watch from his great-grandfather's era. A beautiful mechanical piece over a century old. How much does Peter know about it? In a word, nothing. However, his grandmother gives him the watch, so he places it in a bag and returns home.
Imagine his astonishment when, as he turns the crown to 12 o'clock, he hears a ticking sound and the small second hand begins to move – as if by magic. How could this century-old mechanical watch just start up again right away, as if it had stopped only the night before?
And that could have been the end of the story, but Peter is a very curious man... Despite his great-grandfather's watch appearing to work perfectly, he decides to take it to a watchmaker. And that's when the spark turns into a flame. Peter discovers a workshop, a workbench, and a whole world of mechanical marvels. And since the century-old pocket watch isn't exactly a piece to be worn every day, he acquires his first mechanical watch. Swiss Made? No, German Made. He has a love of extraordinary things. And that includes the ocean depths – Peter is a PADI-certified diver.
It's 2019, and the foundations are in place: a curious man, a lover of fine mechanical workmanship, of the aquatic world, of rare and authentic pieces. While driving on holiday in Switzerland one summer, he passes a fully independent brand that was already on his radar – or rather, his sonar. Its name? DOXA.
"I had sent them an email two days before I arrived in the area, asking if I could come and see the legendary brand. It was the middle of summer", explains an amused Peter. He is fascinated and somewhat obsessed by DOXA. He pulls over and stops the car. He looks at the little link road just outside Biel/Bienne that leads to DOXA. He indicates... Peter pulls into the visitors' car park and gets out of the car.
Imagine a company in the middle of summer, around dinner time. Now imagine a young man, curious and audacious in equal measure. He enters the building and wanders through the corridors. A member of the DOXA team approaches him. "Hello Sir, can I help you?" Peter answers: "I'd like to visit your workshops". Surprised, the employee nevertheless recognises that this is a sincere request, and goes to find his manager to pass on the message: "There's someone in the office. I don't know him, but he says he'd like to find out more about DOXA".
Intrigued, the DOXA sales and marketing manager, Boris Ankli, leaves his dinner... He shows Peter the collection of historic pieces, the new products and even some of the brand's little secrets. Passionate, curious... Peter takes it all in. Boris decides to postpone his next meeting to spend a little more time with this truly unique young man. Yet this is no ordinary meeting; in fact, it is the start of a long friendship. A friendship built on a passion for diver's watches. But "not just any diver's watches: those that are authentic, with a history, like DOXA", explains Peter, who, then and there, decides to purchase his first SUB 300T.
And you can guess what came next. Peter became more and more involved in the brand's adventure, opening an Instagram account dedicated to his passion and adding to his collection of DOXA watches. He developed a lasting friendship with Jan Edöcs, who took over the brand in 2019. From private visits to previews, Peter and DOXA nurtured a warm and intimate relationship. Peter reoriented his career to pursue a path better suited to him, in light of what he had learned from watchmaking: a willingness to learn, good relationships, passion. He also trained as a watchmaker and completed an apprenticeship in after-sales – a field in which he still works – alongside his new career. And he still dives – with his trusty DOXA on his wrist.
His friendship with DOXA has brought a characteristic colour and emotion to his life. Day to day, he wears the DOXA Army Watches of Switzerland Edition in black ceramic, limited to just 100 pieces. And it was on his wrist a few weeks ago, when he got married. A history of authenticity, you might say.
