This movement is hidden behind Certina’s signature turtle-engraved caseback, which has served as a mark of quality for the brand since its heyday. Inside the watch is the ETA C07.111, based upon the ETA 2824, though adjusted to achieve an impressive 80-hour power reserve.
At the top and bottom of the dial are the Certina corporate logo and the watch’s descriptions, respectively. Crossing at the center of the dial are the distinguished red crosshairs common on the original DS PH200M, complemented by a red seconds hand, and swept over by a sword-style minute hand and an enlarged hour hand. On the face of the watch are prominent rectangles for each hour marker, with thinner white tick marks for each of the minutes and a 3 o’clock date window. Today’s modern variant is a 42.8-mm diver complete with a thick, unidirectional 60-minute diving bezel, a prominent screw-down crown, and vintage-style “Hesalite” (or acrylic) crystal. During its time, this tech was one of the distinguishing factors of Certina dive watches, most prominently acting as a thick rubber water seal protecting the movement inside the case, but also working as a shock absorber to larger pressure changes common in deep sea diving. This is a divers’ watch inspired by a 1967 model of the same name, and one using the same DS (Double Security) technology originating from 1959 and used until its discontinuation in 1970.
This is a circumstance that is largely unchanged today, although the brand’s surprising 2018 release of the “new vintage” Certina DS PH200M certainly caught the attention of vintage-watch aficionados across the globe, including in the States. Yet, as was the reality for many historic Swiss manufacturers, the Quartz Crisis of the ‘70s and ‘80s forced the brand to reorganize and re-strategize, in the process largely withdrawing from the United States market.
Swatch Group-owned Certina is a Swiss watch brand that few American consumers are familiar with, but it is a company that has long specialized in sports watches, and even has an extensive history, both in the American market and among military personnel.
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