Certina

Brand history

Founded 1888 in Le Locle by brothers Alfred and Auguste Schneider; Swatch Group since 1983. The Double Security (DS) concept, introduced 1959, gave Certina its technical identity: shock absorption and enhanced water resistance across the range.

Founded 1888 in Grenchen, Solothurn, by Adolf Kurth. Certina came under SSIH (later Swatch Group) ownership in 1971 and has operated as a Swatch Group entry-to-mid brand since. The modern identity is built on the DS (double security) concept, a patented case seal developed in the 1960s that enclosed the movement in a dust- and water-proof inner case with a separate crown seal. The DS Action (dive) and DS-1 and DS-2 heritage-reissue lines carry this DNA into the current catalog. Certina competes at CHF 500–1,200 against Hamilton, Tissot, and Mido, with ETA-derived calibers (the Powermatic 80 derivative is most common in the modern catalog) and a slightly more technical sport positioning than Tissot.