Certina

History

In 1888 Adolf and Alfred Kurth opened their first movement workshop in Grenchen, attached to the family house. In 1906 they launched the brand "Grana", short for Granacus, the Latin name for Grenchen. In 1938, by then with some 250 employees, they adopted the name "Certina" — from the Latin certus, "sure", "certain" — for export. In 1959 they presented the DS concept (Double Security), with the movement mounted on an elastic shock ring that multiplied its resistance to knocks and water, a principle that came to define the brand. Through the sixties the DS models went on extreme expeditions, and in 1970 a Japanese Everest expedition used DS-2 chronographs. In 1971 Certina joined General Watch Co., a subsidiary of ASUAG, in the thick of the quartz crisis, and launched the Biostar, presented as the first watch to display biorhythms. In 1983 it passed to the SMH group, renamed the Swatch Group in 1998, of which it remains part.

Iconic models

• DS (Double Security)

  The 1959 model that founded the brand's identity: extreme robustness through a shock-mounted movement, and the turtle emblem.

• DS-2 Chronolympic

  A late-sixties sports chronograph tied to timekeeping duties and to the 1970 Japanese Everest expedition.

• DS PH200M

  A diver whose 1967 original was reissued in modern form with its vintage looks intact; the house's diving icon.

• Biostar

  Launched in 1971 and presented as the first watch to display the wearer's biorhythms.

• DS Podium

  A contemporary sports line closely tied to the brand and to its role as an official timekeeper.