Certina doesn’t really do loud. The brand built its modern identity on Double Security – the “DS” that anchors every reference in this collection – a shock-absorbing system introduced in 1959 that suspends the movement in a rubber ring inside the case, paired with a sealed screw-down crown. Engineering that matters enormously underwater but counts for little in a product shot, which is why the DS Action line has spent decades as the sensible, over-engineered option in Certina’s range rather than the exciting one.
Recently, though, that reputation has started to loosen. Certina has been introducing colour into the DS Action Diver 38mm gradually: this spring’s titanium models paired a black dial with pink accents, a grey dial with turquoise, and an electric blue dial with orange. What it hasn’t done, until now, is bring that colour – bright orange and teal – to the black PVD-coated case. That combination is new, and it turns the most serious-looking case in the range into the most playful.
PVD coating isn’t new to this collection – Certina already offered an all-black PVD version of the 38mm diver – but until now it only ever came in one configuration: black case, black dial, NATO strap; nothing to distract from it. On the two new references, the case itself hasn’t changed: same 38mm diameter, same 13.2mm thickness, same lug shape and lug-to-lug as the rest of the range, curving down enough to sit close to the wrist rather than perch on top. It’s water-resistant to 300m and ISO 6425-certified, so the dive credentials are all there.
What’s new sits around the dial: colour on the graduations of the matt ceramic bezel, the lacquered flange and the seconds hand. Orange is the louder of the two, unambiguous against the black case and the one you’ll notice first. Teal is subtler, and it’s the one I’d choose: it isn’t quite blue, and depending on the light it leans closer to green or closer to blue. In the metal that gives it a shifting quality a single-note colour wouldn’t have. The rest of the dial stays quiet: Super-LumiNova on the indices and hands, date window at three o’clock, nothing competing with the colour at the edges.
That colour also carries through to how you wear it. Each reference comes with a matching silicone strap and a black DLC-coated steel bracelet. Neither option was previously available on the PVD model, which came only on a NATO strap. Of the two, I’d go for the bright strap: carrying the colour through from bezel to flange to strap is what makes the accents work in a way the bracelet’s monochrome restraint doesn’t quite manage.
It’s worth being upfront, though, that this isn’t a light watch. On the wrist it’s noticeably heavier than its 38mm case size would suggest, particularly on the bracelet version, and there’s no micro-adjustment on the bracelet clasp – a real miss at this price point, and one that makes getting a precise fit more fiddly than it should be.
Why orange and teal specifically, and why now, is a fair question. Certina’s padel sponsorship since 2021 is the official story, and it’s plausible enough – padel is bright, fast-paced, visually loud, and the colours do nod toward that energy. So does the colour-matched silicone strap, which makes it far sportier.
Inside, the Powermatic 80 carries on as it always has: 80 hours of power reserve, a Nivachron balance spring for better shock and magnetic resistance than a standard hairspring, wrapped in the same DS Concept Extreme Shock Resistance package that defines this generation. Not an exciting calibre, but reliability has always been the point with Certina.
The clasp needs fixing and the weight is worth knowing going in, but as a first attempt at putting real colour on Certina’s toughest-looking case, this is a more interesting watch than the all-black version. That version – NATO strap only, no bracelet option – runs £760; these two colourways, the orange C048.807.33.051.02 and teal C048.807.33.051.01, add £100 for a far more versatile package, with a matching silicone strap and a black DLC bracelet both included rather than a single NATO option. It’s the better-equipped watch for not much more money, proof that Certina’s idea of fun still comes with a sensible price tag attached. The only real question is whether you want your DS Action blacked out and serious, or a bit more fun on the wrist.
Price and Specs:
More details at Certina.
