DS Action Diver 43mm Powermatic 80
I had been in the Swiss watch game for 4 years and quite junior in my collection journey in the fall of 2023. This is not to completely disregard the plethora of watches I had owned in my first 30 years on this planet. My collection was what I would say consumable back then. The career I held was brutal on watches and for that reason I predominately wore G Shock and Casio. The odd Seiko SKX 007 had adorned my wrist from time to time but for the most part I was stuck in the digital time piece world.
In 2018 I was able to purchase a watch second hand to commemorate my time in service. That watch was an Omega Seamaster Professional 300M Diver. A “Bond” watch. It felt fitting considering all the lore of it being issued or gifted to special forces soldiers of coveted units like the SAS. Over time I had branched out into the subculture of watches the very widespread entry level watch world. From Seiko to Squale to more recent CWC there were many watches that I considered “Keepers” and so far, they have been.
When I had a trip planned to Switzerland to travel to Interlaken, I had made sure to collect some funds and truly research potential Swiss time pieces. Before leaving I had sold my Omega Seamaster since well it was now dated and would be hell to upkeep. I wanted something modern, reliable, robust, classic looking, a true under the radar watch that wouldn’t drag to much attention from unwanted eyes. An important thing for me as well would be the history of the watch brand as a whole and the specific model. A Blend of history and functionality that would be fitting for my adventurous lifestyle. Enter Certina.
History and Milestones of Certina
It should be noted that in between this Milestone dates there were many other achievements
1888 Certina is Born
Adolf and Alfred Kurth had created their own watch production facility in the Swiss town of Grenchen. Settled at the bottom of the Jura mountains between Solothurn and Biel, the brothers set off on building watches with their family. It was not long before the business began to grow exponentially.
1959 The Turtle Emblem
Robustness and Longevity – Characteristics that Certina holds near and dear to their heart. The turtle shell has been the brands personal symbol since 1960. Till this day the brand can be found on most case backs and in the Certina Brand Logo. If you were to think of an animal in the sub surface world that showcased toughness and longevity its clear that the Turtle is right up there at the top.
1959 The Double Security Concept is born.
In 1959, the company brings out the first Certina watch with DS Concept. The Certina DS is an extremely shock-resistant automatic watch with water resistance up to 20 bars. This design concept now sets new standards for a whole generation of wristwatches.
1960 Expedition to the Himalayas
The Certina DS accompanies an international expedition on the first successful ascent of the 8,167-metre-high Dhaulagiri in western Nepal. We all know that Rolex and Smiths were showcased on Everest but that is not to overshadow other companies’ achievements. Certina was putting in the work and trusted by many explorers around the world. The brand had overcome all the challenges of mountaineering from strong temperature fluctuations to considerable height and pressure differences.
1965 The Bottom of the Ocean
The Certina DS takes part in the US Navy's Sea Laboratory II underwater project, which involves scientists and divers living and working in a diving station in different areas of marine research. They confirm that the Certina DS is dependable under all conditions.
1969 Deep Dive
The innovative DS-2 Super PH 500 M joins the Tektite underwater experiment. During which four scientists live in two underwater residential tanks for two months under NASA observation. The Certina models worn by the scientists achieve the absolute best scores. You want to talk about test of patience and time keeping sit under water for 60 days. An automatic movement that was frequently going in and out of pressure and not seeing the sun for months is quite impressive.
1983 SMH Group Now Know as Swatch Group
Certina joins the newly founded SMH Group, which is led by the visionary entrepreneur and watch-lover Nicolas G. Hayek. SMH is renamed the Swatch Group Ltd. in 1999. Certina sport watches are in the middle-price segment of the corporate group's range.
2004 1000M DS-3
The DS-3 1000m recaptures the heritage of Certina’s famous diver's watches. This automatic timepiece is water resistant to a record-breaking depth of 1,000 metres.
Purchase and Unboxing
As stated earlier I was searching a specific price point considering I had just sold my Omega Seamster which had funded the trip to Switzerland and left me some cash to acquire my first Swiss time piece in Switzerland. I walked into the shop in Interlaken and was immediately taken back by my hands on experience between Doxa, Certina and Tudor. At the end of the day the Tudor was at a level that I personally felt would be along the lines of my Seamaster, so I set it down. The Doxa Sub 200 and the Certina was left on the table. After some strong mental battles, I laid the Doxa down and the Certina DS Action was left in my hand.
I was shown great hospitality while purchasing the DS Action and the in house watch maker ran me through the time piece thoroughly. I unstrapped my Squale Militaire 500M Diver which had been my travel companion around the globe for years and strapped on the Certina. It does not disappoint.
Since leaving Switzerland the DS Action is my go too when I am home from work and has been there for many milestones of my life, like getting married in the mountains of Alberta to passing my Red Seal as a Construction Boilermaker.
The DS Actions classic look of a true diver with modern angles and updates is certainly a package to behold. Here are some specifications to go with my initial thoughts.
The 43mm Stainless Steel Case and Bracelet
The 316L Stainless Steel is what Certina uses for their cases, bracelets, and clasps. It is extremely resistant to corrosion and hypoallergenic. I should interject that Certina now makes a Titanium DS Action, and it is in my sights as well. The size originally put me off but then grew on me overtime giving me the feeling of robustness that Certina markets. My go to for a diver is 39mm to 41mm so the extra 4mm was something I had to get used to. The case is 90 percent brushed, and 10 percent polished. The finish was also a deciding factor to my purchase. In my humble opinion I believe tool watches should be brushed. The bottom has your typical specs along with an engraving of the Certina Sea Turtle which in their words depicts Robustness and Longevity. For some reason Certina opted for a 21MM lug width which I can say is honestly my only gripe with this watch. Making it 22MM would have been easy and it would have opened the door for many other watch strap options. Although I do cram in a 22MM Watches of Espionage Nato in there from time to time with ease it just does not feel right, and Id like to see that changed. Speaking of lug width, the Bracelet is very well done and robust. Having a milled clasp and easy deployment it functions well and feels like it can take a beating. There is a slide adjusting diver extension that I do enjoy for those more active and hotter days if I am wearing it. Usually, I go with my above-mentioned WOE Nato Strap or a Silicone aftermarket dive strap which looks pure class on the wrist and helps the bigger case diameter sit a little bit lower and hug the wrist better.
Ceramic Bezel
The ceramic used by Certina is hardened in a firing process at a temperature of more then 900 Degrees Celsius. The engraved hash marks and numbers are done brilliantly and are very legible in low light conditions. Ceramic can sometimes be a smudge magnet but so far after two years of hard use I have found the Certina’s Ceramic to be almost print free.
The Bezel itself is one of my favourites with a positive action and very tactile feel it lends you to think under water you could not only operate it comfortably but hear the audible clicks and almost set the bezel blindfolded. The coin edge makes it a breeze to operate, and it has zero back play. At the 60-minute mark there is a white triangle with a bright lume pip for orientation and accurate time keeping. The first 15 minutes are engraved in larger rectangular grooves for those shorter dives and the rest of the markings in between 10-minute markers are small white dots with complete perpendicular rectangles at the 5-minute markers. Again, adding to the legibility all round.
Crown
The crown also made of stainless steel is done with a polish and some deep cut knurling to ensure proper purchase and function. Moving through the functions is a simple click and the winding motion is buttery smooth. You can tell your working a Swiss movement specifically the Powermatic 80. DS for Double Security is embossed on the face of the crown reminding you that you are in good hands. As mentioned above the Powermatic 80 is a work horse and has a hacking function which is perfect for syncing watches. Which leads me to make a point. This watch is a stunner and not just what some would call a homage to previous generations of “SUB Style” looking watches. It is a tool and should be treated as such it just coincidentally has the ability to be dressed up. Furthermore, the crown being a fully screw down crown gives this DS Action a Certified ISO dive rating. Leading to its overall street cred in the diving community. The DS Action is not a desk diver by any means.
Sapphire crystal
Sapphire watch crystal is made of aluminium oxide power (Al2O3) heated to over 2000°C. The result is a sapphire nugget which is cut with great precision into fine slices, trimmed then polished. Sapphire is extremely scratch-resistant as we all know, shock-resistant and is very transparent especially with the AR coating applied to the underside of the Sapphire. This is why sapphire crystal is an essential element in the Double Security Concept and is used by Certina in the DS Action.
The Dial
The Black dial on the DS Action is done very well even under a loop at closer inspection it is flawless. No trapped dust particles or uneven surfaces anywhere to be seen. The applied indices are polished stainless and filled with Super-Luminova give a great light Blue luminescent that last hours into the night. The Twelve marker is an inverted triangle with the tip cut off for better orientation. Working our way around the dial the 3, 6, and 9 are all also triangular, with the three being cut short for the non framed date window. Speaking of date window, they use a black text on white date wheel for high legibility and it works very well with the layout of the dial. Something I do like about the DS Action is how its bland but classy. The layout is tried and true and the black and white colour scheme makes it flow without feeling to busy. All the rest of the hour indices are circular filled generously with lume also. Moving to the text, printed on the dial in a perfectly contrasting white is the Certina “Whirlpool” logo at the Twelve with “CERTINA” in bold and the date of Certinas founding an astonishing “1888” just below. Above the six o’clock is a small Tudor Pelagos Style Paragraph that is not overdone. First line: “DS ACTION” Second line: “POWERMATIC 80” Third line: “DIVERS’S WATCH 300M”. All the pertinent information you need immediately at a glance to let you know your holding or wearing a true dive watch that is not just for show. The only other text on the dial of course to the flanks of the 6 o’clock marker is the “Swiss Made” and on the day of purchase looking down at that gave me quite the smile knowing I was buying a true Swiss made product in its home country.
Finally, the Polished Stainless-Steel Hands something that I believe is necessary if you’re looking for a diver that can do both LUME and No lume legibility at night. The lume may last long but has to be recharged at some time for those extended periods of darkness you might have the opportunity to be exposed to light here plays in the polished hands very reminiscent of my old Omega. The polish provides a solid reading with a slight glare to back up the failed lume in a pinch.
Starting from top down we have the seconds hand which reminds me of a 1960’s cold war era tower with a small ball of Super-Luminova two thirds of the way to the chapter ring. It reaches perfectly to the outside the dial and gives you the ability to track time to the second even in low light conditions. The versatility truly shows in this piece as you taker closer looks at the design. Next hand down is the minute hand which is what I would call pencil shaped. It reaches just like the second hand to the minute track and has a rectangular “boat” generously applied lume. The hour hand is short enough to not interfere with the date window but still accomplishes its task in aiding you to read the time with its “Traffic Arrow” design. The hour hand is also Lumed up in the full shaped of the Arrow to ensure you can tell the difference at any angle in low light.
Specifications from Certinas Website:
Case material
316L stainless steel
Bezel material
316L stainless steel
Ceramic
Super-LumiNova
Glass
Antireflection treatment on one side
Sapphire crystal
Water resistance
Diver's watch 300m according to ISO 6425:2018
Diameter
43.00mm
Height
13.10mm
Between lugs
21.00mm
Material
316L stainless steel
Conclusion
The Certina DS Action Powermatic 80 300M Diver is a piece I would recommend to someone looking for a diver that is not on everyone’s wrist. There are a couple other reasons why I would recommend Certina which are simple and straight forward, One: Based on the history of the company and all of their accomplishments prove they are a tested and true dive watch manufacturer that backs up their advertising and Secondly: The actual form and function is right up there with the bigger names. It has an extremely attractive price tag that I believe you get more then what you pay for. The DS Action is a killer Swiss time piece that you can spark a conversation over and show the world its not just the overpriced “God” divers that have the specs needed to perform. Company’s like Certina work in the shadows of SWATCH Group and provide a very trustworthy and reliable time piece.
I hope you have enjoyed this review. Certina will always have a place in my collection.
As Always,
Stay Sketchy
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