Certina have expanded their deep diver range with the introduction of the new DS Super PH2000M in four colour options. It doubles their previous water resistance record of 1,000m from the DS Super PH1000M to achieve a 2,000m water resistance rating. It also incorporates the recent suite of quality of life upgrades that Certina have been rolling out across all their dive and tool watch collections in the form of the DS Concept Extreme Shock Resistance.
Water resistance is one of the most confusing specifications in watchmaking. In terms of practical application, the majority of collectors do not need a highly waterproof watch. 30-50m for splash resistance and 100m for if you accidentally fall into the swimming pool – and that’s about all you need. If you’re an actual professional diver (which I doubt you are) then maybe 300-600m has a practical application. There is pretty much no one on Earth that actually needs a 1,000m+ dive watch.
However, when you look at brands and collectors’ obsession with water resistance, I would suggest that this specification has gained a secondary function beyond its practical application: quality assurance. Modern watchmaking has become so good at case design that there is no excuse not to build water resistance into your watch and if you don’t then people might start to question the build quality of your watches. As technology improves further, the benchmark of customer expectation increases with it.
Certina is a great litmus test for that because they specialise in accessible tool watches. They are generally one of the first brands to make those quality improvements when the technology becomes widely available enough to make it cost efficient. Which is why the new DS Super PH2000M is cool because it’s another advancement bringing a 2,000m Swiss dive watch at a price of just £1,230, competing with a plethora of lower spec watches.
In order to achieve that level of resistance, it does have a very large case measuring 43mm diameter x 16mm thickness. A larger size allows you to have thicker case walls that are better at resisting the crushing force of high pressure environments. It also incorporates a helium escape valve at 9 o’clock which helps protect the watch from helium rich saturation diving scenarios if you are a professional (the date window for tracking multiple days spent underwater is also useful in this scenario). It’s also made from Grade 2 titanium which helps to offset some of the weight of a large watch thanks to its lightweight properties.
Aesthetically, it follows the core principles of dive watch design very well. The dials are very clean with a choice of matte white, yellow or black with a fourth limited edition version in gradient teal. That limited edition is part of Certina’s work alongside the Sea Turtle Conservancy to support the protection of turtles and marine habitats. The DS Super PH2000M is also equipped with a unidirectional diving bezel with ceramic insert for boosted utility underwater and plenty of scratch resistance.
Inside the watch is a movement everyone who has bought a Swatch group timepiece will likely be familiar with, the Powermatic 80 with its 80-hour power reserve. It achieves that extended power reserve by reducing the frequency of its base calibre to 3Hz instead of 4Hz, so there is a bit of a trade-off. But for day to day convenience, the added power reserve is the more impactful option. The movement is also protected by the DS Concept Extreme Shock Resistance which absorbs vibrations between the movement and the rest of the watch to keep it running accurately.
As already noted, the Certina DS Super PH2000M is £1,230 offering really solid value for a deep diver and perhaps bringing us closer to a time when water resistances like this will become the industry norm regardless of whether we need it in daily life – I think the industry will need to develop smaller deep diver proportions before that becomes practical though. The STC special edition is limited to 1,959 pieces in honour of the year the group was founded.
Price and Specs:
More details at Certina.
