Today we are looking at the brand new Certina DS Action 38 in Titanium, Exactly a solid alternative to the Tudor Pelagos 39! Enjoy :) Link to Certina watches: www.certina.co... Where to buy worldwide: www.helenkirch...
Just ordered the DS Action 38mm with the blue dial. Certina are probably my favourite brand currently. The quality for the price is amazing. I have a DS1 already and love it.
Glad you bought those are good ones, as my first model only the push pins are bit cheap, and that 43 case it’s bit huge all that said a lot of hard bitten all day watch only the stern had issues under the warranty all that said still in the box now have new beauties on the wrist Sinn U50 , 104 and 105 models what an amazing bad ass watches! Congrats to your review about Certina very underrated watches like the Longines Hydroconquest versions now bit more expensive but still very own design and well made watches, but again push pins come on Swatch Group…
Agree, I prefer the Pelagos by far. Maybe the Certina is a great watch, but I don't like the final result. I know tha the proportions and measurements are fine, and everything seems to be right, but is there something that I don't like.
I'm glad they shrunk it to 38, it's a great size. Like the design as well, under the radar but fun at the same time. But the 19mm lug width makes it a no go. I don't understand why brands insist on this.
Love the subtle color! I've been looking to add a 38 to my collection, and even next to a Pelagos 39 this will be a strong contender for wrist time, very pretty and again, the subtle color pop makes it very interesting. Really love Certina pouring some love in their line-up for smaller diameters.
This review is rather timely. Mine just turned up a few hours ago and is on my wrist already. I think the weight or rather lack of will take some getting used to. I was shocked to see this in the recent Easter bank holiday sale and took a blind pun on it. Picked up for £620 so I was lucky to get such a steal, I wonder if they misspriced it given how new to the market they are.
@BraveBeaters UK retail price is £860. I got it from a UK AD so nothing to do with tax. They now have it at full price. I honestly think they miss priced it and I have been extremely lucky and I will enjoy the watch, thank you
the turquoise really makes this watch. without the luster of stainless steel, titanium can look too dark for my taste. however the hands and hour markers make this watch a winner. love your enthusiasm for Certina - a fantastic brand with great quality and great value.
The DS Action 38mm is so close to perfection. If they use a ceramic bezel, increased the lug width to a more common 20mm, use a female end link, add 2 more micro-adjust holes, and pushed the hour markers so slightly towards the center (it looks too close to the edges), it would be so much better IMO.
I have the stainless steel one in green. It's my favourite watch. I've had it for a year now and use it as a daily. It's unbelievably accurate and gains only 0.8 seconds per day! Seriously amazing accuracy for an automatic at any price
I was saving for BB58 925. But now this release caught my eye. It hits much of the same "desk diver" boxes as bb58 but at much more affordable price point. Those turquoise markers give it some identity too. I just might opt this one now instead of 925 later down the line.
If you want the BB58, keep saving. If you buy the Certina, at the beginning everything is fine, but a few months later you will start to think about the Tudor and possibly, you end up selling the Certina.
Just remember the BB 925 has a silver case. You will see tarnishing over time even though they say it doesn’t tarnish. Literally tried one on display at an AD with tarnishing on it!
Excellent review! Another watch brand to watch for is Mido, IMO. Their Ocean Star Heritage (40.5 mm dia.) seems to be another "hidden gem" in the watch world.
Recently, we talked about Certina's leading innovation compared to other brands in the Swatch group. Certina was one of the first to release fully legal diving watches with true ISO in small sizes. In addition, professionally made with a ceramic bezel in a size 34.5 mm that is deadly for the competition and a tasteful clasp. These are truly luxury watches without compromise. The snobby concept of a crude tool watch can already be put between the books. The competition is lame and has trouble catching its breath. There is a tendency to go back to smaller sizes. No one follows the path of INVICTA watches anymore. Let's hope the era of small UNISEX watches will return. Rolex still sells these models.
Nice review as always 👍🏻👍🏻, and the 38mm DS is the way to go, love mine 😇, wearability is top, steel or titanium.. Luckely it’s only you as YT that has reviewed this one. Thanks 👏🏻👏🏻
Actually the Certina DS Action Diver in 43 came out around 2011 (can't remember exatcly). Case and hands were similar but it had a date display at 4.30 (colour matching dial) and had a bezel with glass inlay. Also the Powermatic movement wasn't released yet so it had ETA 2824-2. I sold mine when the newer models were released and bought a new black dial one. Sold this one when the ceramic updated version came out and bought the 38mm as soon as it was available. Now I want the titanium one 🙄 How many Certina DS Action Divers does a man need I wonder 😅 Great review, hello and buona serata from the swiss 🇨🇭✌️
A great review of a great looking watch from an incredible brand. Thanks! I'll be soon be adding the 43mm version to partner my DS 1 Himalaya. Thinking of getting the DS 2 as well. Keep them coming.
I like it, would remove ‘Titanium’ from the dial, and possibly lose the date (but not too fussed about this tbh) and they need to come up with a way of indicating the power reserve without having ‘Powermatic 80’ unnecessarily cluttering the dial of a dive watch. But an interesting option for sure.
I'm not a fan of titanium, but this Certina is awesom! I mean, the colors (titanium and turquoise), the case, the handset, the dial, the bracelet and most important the availability...If I ever buy a titanium watch, this is the one. Thanks for the presentation. Greetings from MX.
Great watch, great video 👍🏼 the things some people are saying about the powermatic80 movement are not accurate and true, they are good reliable movements and they can be repaired and regulated too. Ask any legitimate watchmaker about that movement and they'll all tell you what I just said.
Great looking watch... move the date to 6 o'clock add on the fly adjustment... lume looks solid. Might wait for the price to drop on this before considering purchasing it. Great review as always!
I’m in love with the DS action 38mm in green, the only reason why I never pull the trigger on that is because I’m waiting/hoping on the version with the ceramic bazel, for me that around £800 would be a killer! This model is a good value but it’s simply not my thing.
I bought one of the green 38mm ceramic watches last year. I’m very doubtful at this point that they will make a ceramic bezel. Even if they do, the 43mm version went from a nice bright green to a flat olive drab colour. The current green 38mm DS Action is a nice, vibrant sunray green that looks way better than the 43mm ceramic olive drab green version.
Yep, this is the titanium version I got. Very compact, comfortable and extremely accurate too: definitely under 0.5s per day deviation in my 24/7 wearing mode.
I tried it on today, I had great expectations and was ready to pull the trigger, spolier alert: I bought another Seiko 😂 it looks cool but the case is chunky, the bracelet is good but the clasp very average, the bezel action is probably the worst I ever experienced: sometimes too hard, sometimes mushy and a plastic "feel", I was so disapointed I asked for others model to test the bezel and they were all absolutely awful.
The only thing I would possibly ask for is a dateless version, but a part from that it’s the perfect modern dive watch by definition. Perfect size, great material, original look and design, not to mention a good move,ent and a pretty honest price.
I have 43 mm version and sometimes I regret not having smaller one but then I think you also need some bigger watches in collection. Also I believe bigger watches will be trendy again when everyone will wear watches under 40 mm
Honestly. I am oscilating between the 38 and 43. I equally love the bigger version as I like the presence of it and the versatily of buying rubber straps for it.
Almost perfect watch. But I would like for it also having conventional silver/white markers. Those turquoise markers don’t sit well with a discrete personality like mine.
The colour (?) scheme is stylishly superb. My concern is with titanium it has had to have treatment for protection against the world. Even the Pelagos 39 , I think, doesn't have hhe highest rated protection. I just got a DS38 & it's just inside tolerance (27 secs.+) , which give the movement is disappointing, especially when every one on RU-vid is almost COSC like. The bracelet- I've given up sizing -the pins are immovable ( great!) but the company pre- adjusts it &.. (!?) .The hands have more lume than the indices. The 19mm is proving more PITA . Forget other bracelets- some rubber and basically basic natos , oh well , it looks fab though. Close but not quite the full cigar, yet ( I neither smoke or encourage the habit) Cheers .
I had the 43mm DS action it was an awesome watch with the ceramic bezel and deep glossy black dial however it was way too big for my wrist so I sold it on. I almost bought this one but I passed due to the aluminium bezel. Seeing dents in the macro shots validates it for me. If they upgrade it the same as they did for the 43mm I'll be there for it
This is a great alternative to the Seiko Shogun at $1500 USD. I own two versions of the Shogun and absolutely love them but this watch is very similar at a much lower price.
Shogun is very cool, especially the leatest ones. This is more towards the smaller size, where shogun is 43.5 mm, can be compared with the 43 mm titanium ds action
Going to buy this watch. It's funny, though, the way the marketing is done. I would actually love this with their Precidrive. Love accurate watches and the whole mechanical thing isn't such an attraction. If you're making less on quartz, increase your price to suit. Instead we're offered less and literally forced to take the mechanical version. Certina has already staked out super precise quartz movements. Pity they don't follow up on it.
I think this Certina DS Action is more than able to stand on its own two feet... sorry hands. The design and value for money it is hard to beat. I've not owned a Certina yet but as usual I will be looking around the AD's at some point when I feel the itch. So far I've had no issues with the PM80 movement either in my Tissot watches, not the most accurate but from my experience are consistent and close to COSC but different brands within the Swatch group have different requirements. Servicing costs do not seem too hostile to the wallet either according to the Tissot web prices the last time I checked.
Its very inviting to buy again... That urge of collecting..The desire to have the 43mm and this one. How would the titanium on this model handle scratches? Would it be least to scratch than stainless? Thank you as always sharing Certina watches.
Nice looking dial but with a clasp with only 2 micro adjusts it's a no buy. Half links may help but it's likely to be a poor fit with the bracelet. At this price point the clasp should have on the fly adjustment or at least a couple more microadjusts. Why no info on the lume or at least a lume shot. This was more like an advert than a review.
Yo tengo la versión de acero inoxidable que tiene UD. (Esa de la preservación de la tortuga) y esperaba con ansias la versión de titanio pero... sin la ventana de fecha, saludos desde México 🤙🏽🇲🇽
A very careful review. I will not go over all the things I mentioned much earlier and as the author points out, the product does not bring any new features. Weight and size are the most important factors here. You're right about the combo, it would be a hit along with a quick strap change that would have to be for the built-in telescopes on the nylon version. I agree that this is without a doubt a very good item if you are thinking of TUDOR at all. And I agree with you, redesigning to 30mm would kill the competition. There is no watch of this type in this segment, each manufacturer tries to sell the so-called women's watches in men's sizes. Reduces the cost of UNISEX models with shorter and thinner straps and cardboard boxes instead of display boxes. Regards
i think Certina is now what Seiko should have been before their price jump. Right now, Certina is the one to beat in the sport watches bellow 1000 eur price bracket. Step aside Seiko, you fcked up again!
I received the 38mm Stainless steel version and it felt low quality to me. The bracelet was jangly and the bezel action was loose and terrible feeling. The Powermatic 80 movement on my timegrapher was at -27 spd with a beat error of 0.8 so, I immediately sent it back. Very disappointing.
Hearing the powermatic 80 is "swapable" always makes me giggle. Had a seiko automatic from the last year that stopped working as intended under warranty. Seiko didn't see it worth to figure it out, so it was more economical for them to throw it in the bin and just swap the movement for a new one. Any none grand seiko, seiko movement is just as "swappable" as the powermatic 80. People need to stop falling for this marketing BS so hard.
Hi , have owned 2 DS 2 Action Certina one with 2824-2 ETA,blue sunburst dial from 2016 the other version is from 2019 powermatic 80 do like both models but they are little big should have sold it but as I like to keep my watches… they don’t get much of attention since other brands started launching smaller cases my opinion like lot the first version with kind of enamel bezel as for the Powermatic 80 it’s almost new I tried to flip it only gave me 400 € no thanks rather keep it ! There’s lots of micro brands out there with cheap NH-35 II movements more expensive then 400€ lots of lume and cheap calibres all that said prefer a Black Bay 54 if at the time they were available amigo !
