Yup! This Certina DS Action Diver in 38 mm C032.807.22.041.10 is more accurate and more wearable than a Rolex Submariner. Yes, It does not have the crown on the dial, but this Certina has the turtle on the caseback ;) Enjoy!
I really got into smaller watches and for me 38mm hits a sweet spot. I got mine in a black dial a year ago and I absolutely love it. The watch has a great fit for smaller sized wrists and has a really nice presence on the wrist. You just feel quality and everything is just perfectly balanced. I would say that the quality of this watch is probably better than some of the “luxury” watch brands out there. Highly recommend this to anyone!
Great review! What a beautiful diver. For me, Certina is just about the best out there considering what you get for your money. My favorite brand. Turtle on!
It’s definitely not better, the finishing of the case and bracelet of the submariner is superior, there’s no arguing there. Is the Sub worth 10 times the price though? Objectively speaking surely not. Certina offers amazing value for money here, it’s an amazing, great looking watch.
I bought a DS action diver (black dial, black bezel) about 8 month ago and it was love at fight sight. Went to an AD to buy a watch to celebrate a milestone I achieved and though its been 8 months, I’m still in the honeymoon period. Solid watch
Thank you, for bringing to us this very nice piece. Love the colours and the blue sunburst overall! Amazing especifications. The video editing and realisation great as well! Thank you!!! Saludos!!
Great vid Andrei! I want to get the DS ph200m on mesh this year. I bought the Mido Ocean Star Tribute in black after seeing your review. Love that both the Mido and Certina look a lot like the vintage ancestors only with modern internals. Keep up the great work. 👏
I bought this as soon as it was available and I love it! There's something about this dial, the reflections, the flat sapphire crystal, the applied markers, it just looks awesome. So wearable and yet so robust and water resistant, it's just a perfect daily wear. This and the DS Super PH500m are my favorite diver watches. Certina offers a lot for the monney, nice to see more reviews of them!
Getting the full green this next week! A 38mm diver really is something to praise nowadays. When it comes in a swiss-made, ISO certified to 300m WR form, even better
I'm a big Certina fan and this DS Action Diver is one I really like. I find it very nice looking and at this price it's hard to beat everything you get with it. Thanks for the review and for showing a bunch of different brands that are great value for the money.
Nice review on a most interesting watch. Seems like Certina jumped in the small diver sector before others, like Tudor this year, and that's great. They packed many features and good decisions in this DS. I have skinny wrists and don't mind a traditional 42mm by 47mm diver, so this may be an outstanding fit.
Cracking review! I was willing to buy a much more expensive watch but when considering all the factors, I couldn’t justify that amount of money just for the brand and less spec comparing to other cheaper competitors. Ended up buying this Certina and it is an amazing diver watch - 300m, 80h power reserve, 25 jewels, amazing accuracy and very comfortable on the wrist. Also, a very nice looking watch. For the price of it, much more to offer compared to a Tudor Pelagos.
I wish Certina was more prevalent in the states. Both the new DS1 and this 38mm action diver are really solid offers (not to mention the ds2 quartz chrono), though I would like to handle them in person.
With my 7.4inch wrist I can pull a supercase sub size and shape off, but it still feels kind of big and heavy. It is not just about lug to lug and casewidth. It is more about how the watch sits, and what it weighs. Balance is also important, the supercase is top heavy with its tapering bracelet and wobbles around on your wrist when worn looser. The most comfortable watches I own are the SNA411 Flightmaster on a MN strap, and the Maen Hudson 38mm Mark 1 diver. The first is no wonder, an MN/NDC/parachute style elastic strap is something you can wear tight and still feel super comfortable, as if you didn't have a watch on almost, and the fligthy is quite compact lug to lug, and also quite light as it is quartz. The latter is mainly due to size(38mm with quite compact 45mm lug to lug for the Maen Hudson), thinness(12mm) and the fully articulating bracelet. The weight and balance is just spot on, I tend to wear it tighter then most bracelets, just slightly above the knuckle.
Certina, my favourite since 40 years.... great Portfolio, great designs, technical perfect...it needs no more....a mechanical watch needs not to discuss about 10 seconds plus or minus a day.....be good
Was pondering the DS vs Mido Ocean Star Tribute. Both great sizing & quality. the Mido has the unique blue dial and sliding extension.. which tipped me to getting it. No regrets as both are incredible value. Its a wonderful time for wonderful time-pieces at attainable prices.
One of the most comfortable watches I ever owned. Got the green one and even if I had the money for a Hulk 🤣 I feel like I'd still go for my green 38 mm turtle 🐢...if that isn't high praise, I don't know what is.
Certina gives you most value and most watch for your money. Certina watches are high quality watches that you can't get for the same price anywhere else among the other watch brands.
Hey Andrei! If you don't mind a suggestion for a brave beater, I saw the Yema Navygraf Maxi Dial on sale on Yema EU webpage for 450euroes. I wonder what that is like in person, would love to see a nice detailed review of it. Thanks either way if you choose to review it or not, your channel is great!
38mm too small for me (7.5" wrist) but it's a pretty piece! Not considered a two tone before, but that does look damn good... Blown the budget for a while, managed to pick up a true Pogue after hunting for one for a couple of years - love it, tho pretty disconcerting not seeing a running second hand! (Running within Seiko's pretty wide spec so happy with that for a nearly 50 year old piece) Do like Certina, a cool brand that doesn't get the recognition they deserve, will have one one day. Cheers mate 👍🏻👍🏻
Got mine after wearing 38mm DS PODIUM for 12 months. Found one of these on Jura. If they improved the stainless material and polished the back edges of the lugs & case back edges it would frighten Rolex, their profit goes on huge advertising campaigns, Certina saves endangered 🐢! Love mine, eye catching and totally wearable with top notch time keeping. Buy one!
@@BraveBeaters it feels like I'm not wearing a watch... I've collected watches for years but this is really my favourite. Total class. I'd love to do a review on it as there's not much on this model yet.
@@jinxUKBK there isn't one mine is a 43mm. I have nearly an 8 inch wrist so this size watch suits me perfectly but I think it will wear well on a slightly smaller wrist, although be warned it has male end links so the lug to lug is near 52mm. The only one draw back is the titanium is a real scratch magnet but I have a polishing pad abs I just keep on top of the scuffs.
Great video and review as usual. I'm torn between the black DS Action Diver 38mm and the PH500. I wish I could handle both of them. As I have time to make a decision, I might wait for the new 43mm Action Diver. As you have handled both the Action Diver 38mm and the PH500, which do you prefer?
Hi Andrei. Another great video and I really want to buy one. I just wanted to know do they do a ceramic version in this size or can it be modded for a ceramic bezel. Thanks again
Certina is sleeped on heavily , you can get insane value ds action models for under 300 euros. Heritage swiss brand, great specs and a mildly decorated ETA movement for that insane price. Its my most acurate piece actually and i own Doxas, Zenith, Tudor among other.
Which is your wrist size? considering the new 43mm ceramic bezel version, I have an 8 inch wrist, with sweet spot between 40 and 42 for a diver. Does it wear smaller, bigger or TTS?
Neat hair cut. You can't argue that the Rolex isn't a beautiful watch. Stunning. But I'm always unsettled by the perennial question, am I buying a great watch or a gold crown ?
It's a great looking watch, Too bad it doesn't have the same strap as the 43mm version, it has a very practical adjustment system. Maybe it's a question of proportion, who knows. I bought two watches last year from Certina, it's my fav brand and after... Tissot ;) Great review.
I love my 300M tag aquracer but it's starting to feel "heavy" and give me "crown bite"... 43mm is pushing it, but 39 -40mm is a great sweet spot I think.
I have two of them 43mm dia in stainless steel. And you are right, they are heavily discounted and there is a reason for that. The movement is virtually impossible to regulate. One of my watches went to Swatch service 3x and the other 4x (both 2 days after purchase from Certina dealership) ... and it took 3 months to accurise the watches in 3 positions ... not 5 positions, as other watch makers (as Rolex, or Breitling do). You have mentioned 3Hz and 21600 beats per hour, to achieve the 80 hour power reserve. The key to the 80 hr power reserve is the longer, thinner main spring as well as low beat rate. One thing that you need to realise is that longer you leave that watch without winding it up, the less accurate it is. Hence if you rely on the 80 hours power reserve? That watch will likely lose 2 minutes 1st day, additional 3 minutes 2nd day and 5 minutes day after (72 hours after it was fully wound, it would have lost 10 minutes). With an automatic watch .... unless you wave your hands around all day? You will still have to wind it a few times a day (10 - 12x) to keep the main spring fully wound and watch to stay accurate. The powermatic 80 movement inside those Certina watches is a pig to adjust. It is heavily modified ETA 2824 movement. It has gears, fork and balance wheel made of plastic .... which is what makes it "slightly more antimagnetic" and it has Nivarox spring, wasted on that movement. In the infinite wisdom, ETA have removed the standard 2 lever rate and beat error adjustment setup, and instead ... they have replaced it with 2 screw arrangement on the balance wheel. And that makes it virtually impossible to adjust correctly. I would recommend to everyone wanting to buy any watch that has powermatic 80 movement, not just Certina, to "have it tested on Timegrapher", before he or she parts with the money.
I agree Certina has super durable reliable watches. The quartz chronometer is the best most accurate watch there better then much pricier watches. Build is phenomenal . Bang for price is outstanding. Swiss movements only made in the swiss motherland . Much Much better the seiko , Tissot , Citizen ... Must have in any collection.
What I'm wondering is how this Certina compares to the 38mm Trident Pro from Chris Ward 🤔 On paper they are similar, but the Ward has better finishing + bezel material while Powermatic seems like a superior movement.
In your video you talk about being happy with the powermatic 80, despite watchmakers complaints. What exactly are these complaints? I currently own a le locle, with I think the same movement as this watch, and i am hesitant of buying another watch with the same movement because of serviceability.
The watch is nice and can't say it's small, I remember 20 years back anything under 43mm used to think it's small with the only exemptions the Sub an SD. Past 3 years I opt for max 42mm with the 40mm as the ideal size. Looking at this Certina, I think I might try 38mm. I've got a few field watches at 38mm and dress pieces. I do want to try 38mm diver. This watch would have been ideal if it weren't the plating. That's a bad idea for any type of watch, I hate materials that wear out, which is why I never buy anything g/plated, pvd, dlc etc. Will check for a plain steel version, if there is any.
The specs are great but for me a bit too small with 38mm, i dont like this goldtone, last year i went to buy the blue dial version with sunburst also ive checked the 43mm version which looks more like Omega.
Good day, everyone! You know l've got the same type of Certina divers just in blue colour. But my one has one mm playback in any position you turn the bezel and when I make a slight push on it, the bezel also has a small backlash. After I discovered that, I came to the shop, and tried other certinas they all have the same thing. I'd like to know is that ok or not?
Does it wear bigger than its size? My sweet spot is 40-41mm with a max of 50mm and am considering this as a daily and for that sub look and feel. Had the 39 Steinhart and loved how it was wearing, dunno about a 38
No it doesn't, it wears just like a regular 38mm watch. My sweet spot is 40-42 just like you (7 and 3/4 inch), and this watch shows too much skin on my wrist/arm. Nothing ridiculous but enough bothering, to me at least.
I'm pretty sure it's not more accurate. Don't think certina comes close to superlative standards. Just because it ran great for a week or more doesn't mean it's more accurate lmao. I've also had a Seiko shitter run at +0.1 a week after a service.
Am I the only one who hates 19mm lugwidth? (or 21 for the 43mm big brother..) I think that is the only thing stopping me from getting one from both sizes.. I have a ton of 20 and 22 mm straps, and nato's. It's gonna cost me a fortune to get a comfortable level of replacement straps and bands again in these odd sizes again. If I where a bracelet guy I'd go for these in a heartbeat. the new ceramic and titanium!? that one is pretty amazing. but yeah.. 21mm
