The name Certina is derived from the Latin certus meaning “worthy of confidence”. Their watches are well-known for their precision, reliability, and sporty character.

Founded by Swiss brothers Adolf and Alfred Kurth in Grenchen in 1888, the brand was originally established as a watchmaking movement and supplies factory, but 18 years later, in 1906, the company produced their first complete timepieces under the name Grana. Though the brand’s name wasn’t officially changed to Certina until 1955, it was trademarked in 1928. The brand’s logo, the turtle, was developed in the 60’s and still symbolises values of robustness and longevity today.

In the late 1950’s, Certina launched the innovative “floating movement” engineering concept named DS, short for Double Security. The idea was to offer the most robust and water-resistant watch ever. Through six decades, the DS has assumed a thousand different faces, but the underlying ideal remains unchanged. A DS has even adorned the wrist of boxing legend Muhammed Ali. He became an ambassador for the brand in 1976 when he was the reigning world champion.

Although not a luxury brand like Panerai or Breitling in its own right, Certina certainly keeps good company as part of the huge Swatch Group along with other big names, including Omega, Longines, and Tissot.