Certina DS Action Diver's

[lorsban]

Hey guys,

Got this watch as a Christmas gift to myself. Been scouring the net for months when this watch was announced but, unfortunately, couldn't find any online. So, you can't imagine my surprise to see it in a watch store in my country! There I was milling around and, there, amidst a sea of Certina's was this watch. Had to do a double-take cause I almost missed it.

Admittedly, I was a bit apprehensive with it's size since it's 43.5mm x 50mm. Usually, I can't go beyond 42mm but when I tried it on, it was right at the limit of what my wrist can handle. I have a 6.75in diameter wrist, 54mm wide.




I think the main reason why it still looks ok for my wrist is the case's curvature. So, because of that, the watch sits well on the wrist.

You'll also notice that Certina chose to forgo the common practice of polishing the case sides and the sides of the watch band, instead, they only polished the end part of the crown as well as the bezel - which to me, adds a bit of flair to the watch overall.




Styling cues of this type of diver follows the trend started by the Submariner and maybe the Tag Aquaracer 300M. Case design is actually very similar to the Aquaracer 500M. Good thing, however, Certina redesigned the bezel to be both more masculine looking and also easier to manipulate.

Markings are minimalist, choosing basic shapes for the hour markers. Hands are clear and functional, albeit sporty looking. They also follow the current trend of many manufacturers to place the date between the 3-4 O'clock zone. I'm still getting used to that since the only other places I like the date to be in is either the 6 or 12 position - looks more symmetrical that way.

Lume is also very clear and bright, with a bluish tint. Luminosity also lasts through the night, albeit with less intensity. Bezel is also lumed. Speaking of the bezel, there's no play and it's easy to manipulate but it's not quite as tight as, say, Breitling's or Omega's. Though, the bezel is secure once you set it. Admittedly, the bezel action of the Orient Mako XL is better as well.




The bracelet has solid end links as well as half links for adjustment purposes - I like this practice and find it very useful for customizing the fit. The links, however, aren't true multi-links like Rolex has. The clasp only has Certina engraved on it and it's held very tightly by the lock. It also has a nice diver extension, which again, tucks in very tightly to the clasp.




I've gone through many divers of this type, starting from the Steinhart Ocean 1 - which was great and pretty much followed all the main design cues of the Submariner, except for its size, which was 42mm. But, I found the lume disappointing and the bezel seemed of a lesser grade. Then, I actually got myself a blue Sub 16613 but couldn't get used to the gold. Much later, I got an Orient Mako XL - which I reviewed here. The Mako is a fine watch, bracelet is just so-so but the case is excellent. It was just too big at 44.5mm. I also got a Seiko Sea Urchin, which I gave to my father in law.

Prior to zeroing in on the Certina, I also looked into Marathon, Ginault, Sinn EZM3, as well as Tag's own Aquaracer 300M but the Certina always won out (this was way prior to me even seeing the Certina in person). Needless to say, the Certina lived up to my expectations due to it's overall design - which follows traditional cues yet adds it's own unique touches to make this original. Very close second was the Marathon, but due to it being 40mm and taller, it seemed a bit too chunky for my tastes. The DS Action is more versatile in that regard.

Overall, I really like this watch. It's priced very very competitively. You get true ISO 6425 certified resistance of 200M. It's comfortable to wear because of the supplied half links and curvature of the case. Predominantly matte finish makes it more sporty, yet the bezel polish adds just the right amount of flash to make things interesting. Great work and play watch, though I don't think this will make a good companion in black tie affairs due to it's utilitarian nature and size (but if you were a big guy, it could work).

That's it for me. It's been a long search and I've gone through a lot of watches to finally end up with this. Hopefully, I'll be able to write a long term review in a year or so.

Thanks for reading!

regards,

lorsban