This summer, I headed to Zurich with Certina, the Swiss watchmaker that’s been dropping some of the coolest sport and dive watches around since 1888, for what turned out to be its most ambitious launch yet.
If you’re not familiar with the brand, Certina has a deeper relationship with the ocean than almost any other brand in the watch game. Its timepieces were among those worn during the 1970 Tektite II experiment, an underwater habitat project in the Caribbean supported by NASA, in which aquanauts lived beneath the ocean’s surface for multiple weeks at a time.
The new DS Super PH2000M is the latest chapter in that story, pushing the line’s depth resistance to a mightily impressive 2,000 metres across four new models.
One of them is a limited edition produced in collaboration with the Sea Turtle Conservancy, a Florida-based organisation dedicated to protecting endangered sea turtles and their habitats, and a Certina partner for the best part of a decade.
After the trip, which saw us putting the watches’ water resistance to the test and fishing them up from the depths of Lake Zurich, I sat down with CEO Dieter Pachner to talk through the design process behind the new DS and Certina’s refreshed identity as a sports brand built around the three pillars of diving, padel and cross-country skiing.
Square Mile: With the new DS Super PH2000M, what was the key engineering challenge in doubling the depth resistance from its predecessor to 2,000 metres?
Dieter Pachner: First, we chose titanium, because titanium is not only much lighter, it also has a better structure under water and allows us to protect the movement against that unbelievable pressure at depth. Second, we used a domed crystal on the inside, which helps keep the pressure under control. Third, there is our new Double Security system within the movement, which helps release and regulate everything. More or less three topics that allow the watch to be protected to 2,000 metres. Nobody should try diving to 2,000 metres – just the dream of going that deep is enough, but the watch can take it. The most important decision was titanium, because otherwise the watch would be far too heavy.
If you have the PH2000M on, you’ll notice it is incredibly light and comfortable on the wrist. It’s not a professional diving tool; it’s a cool watch that gives you the vibe and emotion of diving.
The Certina DS Super PH2000M (Reference: C050.607.44.051.02) is an elite, professional-grade Swiss diving watch engineered specifically to survive crushing hydrostatic pressure at historic depths of up to 2,000 metres.
SM: What does Certina’s rich diving heritage mean in a market that is crowded with dive watch releases?
DP: I think a lot of people don’t know about this heritage – only some experts do. That is something we need to communicate much more clearly in the future.
Certina was always a sports brand. Certina stands for adventure, for experience, for products that are outstanding. Forty or 50 years ago, our technicians and watchmakers were producing dive watches absolutely comparable with any other serious diving watch on the market. Certina was really one of the leaders in diving, and that spirit is still very much alive in our team today.
Everyone around me loves this direction: sport, diving, adventure, cross-country. We are very inspired by the history, and particularly by the diving experience. We just need to communicate it much more, because Certina is truly one of the oldest dive watch brands in the world.
SM: You mentioned the Tektite experiment. How did that influence the design of the new DS?
DP: It absolutely influenced us. The diving watch used during the 1969 Tektite I and 1970 Tektite II experiments was the DS Super PH500M. I actually have a historical example here with me. That watch was a direct inspiration. The original PH500 had a very special scuba bezel that could be fixed additionally to the case, which was very interesting. We have taken that design approach and applied it to the PH2000.
A vintage Certina DS-2 Super PH500M wristwatch, also known as the "Tektite" diver
So the design DNA comes from the PH500, as does the idea of going in a more robust direction, a watch with a little more edge, a little more character. →
SM: Certina has a long-standing partnership with the Sea Turtle Conservancy. How do you see that partnership developing?
DP: The Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC) is really important to us. The underwater world is, I think, the great unexplored frontier right now – not flying to Mars, but what is going on beneath the ocean.
For a brand dedicated to diving, that is a fascinating space to be in. Everyone who goes to a beach wants to dive down and see what is there. Our collaboration with the STC gives us a window into that world.
You can see the turtles, you can join them as they swim for miles. It keeps us connected to the fascination of underwater life. And it’s a long-term commitment, not a one-off marketing exercise.
We are very happy to be part of such an extraordinary organisation, and there is much more to come.
The Certina DS Super PH2000M Sea Turtle Conservancy Limited Edition watch, featuring a striking turquoise-fumé dial and a vibrant blue silicone strap captured mid-dive
SM: The DS Super PH2000M launches in four colourways. How did you land on that palette – and who did you have in mind?
DP: The STC colours speak for themselves. We have been working with the STC since 2017, and the turquoise you see on the limited edition has been part of our collaboration for a long time. You can see it in the PH 1000, which has been a very successful piece in the collection.
The black version was inspired by the original PH 500. It has a vintage feel that is getting a very cool response in the market.
The blue and white are new colourways, which feel right for summer, but there is also the practical reason of readability. Some people will use a diving watch as a second watch alongside a diving computer, and the most readable dials under water are orange, yellow and white. So we wanted at least two dials that a serious diver could actually read at depth.
SM: Where do you want to take Certina over the next five years?
DP: If you have fun, if you are creative and open-minded, you can go far. Our focus is very clear. The three pillars of sport are cross-country, padel and diving. Everything Certina does should have the vibe of sport, dynamism and adventure. Strategically, the United States is a very important market for us, as is the UK, alongside several other markets we have opened in recent months.
Certina is well known across Europe, like in Switzerland, Sweden and Germany, but there are many markets worldwide where we have a real opportunity to bring our sporting spirit. That is the direction.
The Certina DS Super PH2000M is available for £1,230. See more at certina.com
