Certina

Certina was founded in 1888 in Grenchen, Switzerland, by brothers Adolf and Alfred Kurth as a small producer of Swiss pocket watches. Through the first half of the 20th century the firm produced reliable, unremarkable Swiss mechanical watches. Its defining technical innovation arrived in 1959 with the launch of the Double Security (DS) concept: a case architecture with a shockproof balance system, an oversized rubber gasket for water resistance, and reinforced crystal mounting. Certina marked DS-equipped references with a green turtle emblem, which has remained the house signature for 65 years.

The DS concept was applied immediately to professional and expedition references. The DS-1 (1960) was the anchor, a 200m water-resistant three-hander. The DS Super PH 500M (1970) extended the architecture to saturation diving. Certina sponsored Himalayan expeditions and Jacques Piccard's 1959 bathyscaphe dive, and the DS emblem became synonymous with robust Swiss tool watches in the 1960s and 1970s.

Through the quartz crisis Certina, like most mid-tier Swiss houses, was absorbed into the industry's consolidation. In 1983 Certina joined the newly-formed SMH (now Swatch Group) and has remained a group brand since. Swatch Group positions Certina as its value-focused Swiss Made line, typically priced below Tissot and alongside Hamilton and Mido, at the CHF 500-1,500 range, using ETA Powermatic 80 movements (with 80-hour power reserves) that share technology with Mido's 80-hour calibre.

The current collection includes the DS-8 (modern sports/dress automatic, since 2013), the DS Action (dive watch, 300m water resistance), the DS PH200M (heritage 1967 reissue), the DS Chronograph Heritage, and multiple vintage-reissue references tied to specific 1960s-70s Certina designs. The house also operates partnerships with the Sauber Formula 1 team (titanium Sauber Edition chronographs) and the Sea Turtle Conservancy (a percentage of specific DS-Action references funds marine-turtle research, tying back to the green turtle logo). Annual production is in the hundreds of thousands of pieces; distribution is global through authorised Swatch Group retailers.