In a March 2025 interview, Certina CEO Marc Aellen described the brand as Swatch Group’s entry-level sports-watch marque, with dive watches at the center of its plans. He previewed a more resistant automatic DS Action Diver; Certina announced the 40.5mm model two months later, specifying 300m water resistance and ISO 6425:2018 certification. His broader picture also covered the rest of Certina’s collections, accessible Swiss mechanics, online sales, and the challenge of attracting younger watch buyers.
What Aellen said about Certina’s direction
Speaking to Monochrome Watches on 14 March 2025, Aellen said, “Certina is the Swatch Group sports brand at the entry level.” He presented the brand’s role as making Swiss watches accessible while retaining a strong sports identity and a longstanding connection to dive watches. His remarks are an executive’s account of the company’s strategy, not audited financial or sales reporting.
Aellen identified DS Action as Certina’s main collection and said the brand would keep developing its dive-watch offering. He also previewed a more resistant automatic DS Action Diver for May or June 2025. Certina subsequently announced the DS Action Diver 40.5mm on 23 May 2025. The announcement specifies 300m water resistance, ISO 6425:2018 certification, and the New DS Concept Extreme Shock Resistance. The interview preview preceded the launch; it should not be treated as a finalized specification sheet. Certina’s launch announcement.
What the collections say about the product mix
Aellen described several lines with different identities rather than treating Certina’s catalogue as a single dive-watch range:
#1 Best Overall
- Case size: 40.00 mm: Band Width: 20.00 mm: Case Thickness: 11.20 mm
- Quartz , Precidrive
- Band Type: Steel: Band Length: 179.05 mm
- Water-resistant up to 300 m / 990 ft: suitable for diving and/or snorkeling.
- 2 Year International Warranty
- DS Action: The principal collection in his account, with dive watches a continuing development priority.
- DS-7: A sports line based on a 1970s design, distinct from the marine-dive setting.
- PH family: PH100, PH200, PH500, and PH1000 dive watches inspired by historic models.
- DS-1: Certina’s classic automatic collection. Aellen said new functions or complications were planned for 2025.
A later product announcement gives a concrete example of the DS-1 direction: on 24 April 2025 Certina introduced two DS-1 Big Date variants. The company specifies a 41mm steel case, Powermatic 80.651 movement, 80-hour power reserve, and Nivachron balance spring. Certina’s DS-1 Big Date announcement.
The DS Action Diver preview and the model that followed
The later DS Action Diver 40.5mm launch turns Aellen’s preview into a specific product example. Certina’s official product page lists the steel Powermatic 80 automatic reference C048.407.18.051.01 with an 80-hour power reserve. Certina’s announcement also identifies steel and titanium variants, but pricing depends on the regional market and should be checked against the relevant current listing rather than inferred from Aellen’s interview. Certina’s product page for reference C048.407.18.051.01.
Rank #2
- Case size: 40.50 mm: Band Width: 20.00 mm: Case Thickness: 14.10 mm
- Automatic , Powermatic 80, Nivachron, Date
- Band Type: Titanium: Band Length: 179.64 mm
- Water-resistant up to 300 m / 990 ft: suitable for diving and/or snorkeling.
- 2 Year International Warranty
In the interview, Aellen used an ISO 6425-certified diver with a ceramic bezel and Powermatic 80 movement, priced at about CHF 800, as an example of Certina’s offer. That was an interview-era illustration, not a current price quote or a standard price for every Certina diver. He also said demand remained for watches below CHF 500. These remarks help explain the range of price points he was discussing; they do not establish current prices for specific models or markets.
Why quartz remains part of the strategy
Aellen connected Certina’s quartz offering partly to the strong Swiss franc and the resulting local-currency price increases in some markets. In his view, lower-priced quartz watches help the brand serve buyers for whom a Swiss mechanical watch may be out of reach. His comments frame quartz and mechanical models as parts of the same accessibility strategy, rather than suggesting that Certina plans to abandon either category.
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- Case size: 40.50 mm: Band Width: 20.00 mm: Case Thickness: 14.10 mm
- Automatic , Powermatic 80, Nivachron, Date
- Band Type: Steel: Band Length: 179.64 mm
- Water-resistant up to 300 m / 990 ft: suitable for diving and/or snorkeling.
- 2 Year International Warranty
Markets and online sales
Aellen said Certina had made significant progress in the United States, where e-commerce and local partners were areas of focus. He described France as a promising European market and Asia as a growth opportunity.
He estimated that online sales accounted for about 30% of Certina sales at the time of the 14 March 2025 interview, “split between our e-commerce and partners.” This is Aellen’s dated estimate, not an audited company statistic or a current sales figure.
Rank #4
- Case Size: 11.96 mm, Band Width: 41.00 mm, Case Thickness: 41.00 mm
- Swiss Automatic movement, Stainless steel case, DAY/DATE, Blue band
- Band Type : Synthetic, Band Length: 190mm
- Water Resistant: Up to a pressure of 20 bar (200m)
- 2 Year International Warranty
Promotion, conservation, and materials
Aellen cited padel and cross-country skiing as areas of sponsorship or brand visibility. He also linked Certina’s association with the Sea Turtle Conservancy to the company’s dive-watch history and turtle-shell symbol, which he dated to 1959. He described continued support for the organization and efforts to use Tide recycled straps and recycled materials where possible, while acknowledging that the brand was not perfect.
The interview does not quantify the environmental impact of those efforts or establish that buying a Certina watch triggers a donation. The conservation connection is therefore best understood as a brand commitment as described by Aellen, not as a purchase-linked giving program.
Best Value
- Case size: 40.00 mm: Band Width: 20.00 mm: Case Thickness: 11.20 mm
- Quartz , Precidrive
- Band Type: Steel: Band Length: 179.05 mm
- Water-resistant up to 300 m / 990 ft: suitable for diving and/or snorkeling.
- 2 Year International Warranty
The challenge Aellen sees for Swiss watchmaking
Aellen called making Swiss mechanical watches appealing to younger consumers a key challenge for Certina and the watch industry more broadly. His proposed context is the brand’s entry-level sports position: continue offering mechanical watches at accessible price points while retaining quartz options for buyers who prioritize a lower price. That is his strategic framing, not evidence of a measured change in younger consumers’ preferences.
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