The New Certina DS Powermatic 80 Collection

The new Certina DS Powermatic 80, a straightforward time-and-date collection joins the Heritage Collection with an initial offering of five dial colours and steel or golden PVD-coated cases. Inspired by the DS Chronograph Automatic of 2020 – a re-edition of a  Certina chronograph from the 1940s – the new Certina DS Powermatics borrow certain vintage codes of the chronograph and are fitted with the modern and robust Swatch Group Powermatic 80 movement. And in keeping with the brand’s commitment to offering robust quality at competitive prices, the price of the new Certina DS Powermatic watches is very attractive.

Double Security

DS at Certina stands for double security, a concept introduced by the brand in 1959 to make watches more resilient, reliable and water-resistant  What might seem like givens today were, in fact, quite novel in the late 1950s. Like the hard shell of a turtle (adopted as the brand logo in 1960), the idea behind the double security was to protect the mechanism from all sorts of external aggressions. The original DS concept, which is still applied to all DS models today, relies on series of O-ring seals on the setting stem and crown with a special seal on the reinforced caseback.

New Certina DS Powermatic

All the new models share the same case size with a 41mm diameter and a height of 10.90mm and are water-resistant to 100 metres. Made of 316L stainless steel, three models have rose or yellow gold-coloured PVD coatings. The ergonomic lugs and slightly curved caseback are designed to enhance the fit. Although the new Certina DS Powermatics are simple time-and-date models, they have borrowed some of the retro design cues from the DS Chronograph released in 2020. Like the DS Chronograph, the dial is slightly domed and topped with a sapphire box glass, and the applied arrow-shaped hour markers are faceted to evoke the mood of vintage timepieces. However, as a contemporary daily beater, the tips of the hour markers are highlighted with a dot of Super-LumiNova, as are the inserts on the hour and minute hands.

The new Certina DS Powermatic is available with white, blue, gold, green and brown dials, all with a refined sunburst finish and a date window at 3 o’clock. A discreet minutes/seconds track and a very thin and elongated blued central seconds hand complete the package

Quick-change system

In tune with today’s watch buyers who want versatility, the DS Powermatic 80 is equipped with a quick-change strap system. Presented on NATO straps and more traditional leather straps, these can be exchanged to alter the look of the watch in a jiffy.

Powermatic 80

Developed by Swatch Group and used by other mid-price brands like Tissot, Mido and Hamilton, the Powermatic 80 movement is as robust as they come. Equipped with an anti-magnetic Nivachron balance spring and substantial shock resistance, the 80-hour power reserve of the Powermatic is a real plus.

Price

The new Certina DS Powermatic models in plain stainless steel cases retail for CHF 850; the models with gold-coloured PVD cases are slightly more expensive and retail for CHF 890.

For more information, please consult Certina.com.