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Today we are going to talk about chrono watch. Let’s take a break from all these divers and check new Certina DS Chronograph Automatic C038.462.16.037.00. Under this long model name you will find swiss watch with classic design. There are no unusual things on the dial, just pure clean dial goodness. All sounds great until you check price tag, so I decided to review this watch and see what is special in the new release.
Here you can read about another interesting watch.
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Get this chrono in Helveti webshop.
Dial
As usual, I suggest to start with the dial on this watch. It comes in white color silver applied indices and black writings plus blue-colored outer scale. All this creates quite serious-looking composition without unnecessary things on it. Writings are limited to brand name, movement type and place of birth for this watch. I am glad to see such busy and yet clean-looking dial in small size. It looks and feels more expensive than other counterparts on the market. In my opinion designers did great job by keeping everything in the same style.
Handset is also special – Certina DS Chronograph features blue-color hands. Yes, all of them come in such color and it creates beautiful composition while combined with clean dial. Legibility is also good, so it is pure joy to look at such dial.
One of the main features can be found on the dial – telemeter scale. Such thing was used for military purposes and now might be handy in calculating the distance. You just have to push button when you see something and then click when you hear the sound. As result, hand on the dial would show distance to the source of sound.
Case
Certina DS Chronograph comes in polished stainless steel with 42mm size and 13.9mm thickness. Altogether this creates relatively compact watch with slightly thick silhouette. Well, you can hide it under the shirt sleeve, but it won’t be that easy. 😉 Moreover, top section is completely covered with domed sapphire glass, so it is better to keep such beauty outside.
Water protection is measured at 100 meters. Frankly speaking, I was expecting smaller number here. Such specification would let you swim with this chrono without being afraid for its condition. Note that rear cover is full metal, so you won’t have a chance to appreciate the movement inside. Frankly speaking, I would rather sacrifice water protection on such watch and expose the caliber instead of plain metal cover.
Crown is quite big and can be found on the classic position. It also features Certina logo on top. Both pushers made as prolonged parts, a bit hard to press, but it should help you avoid accidental pushes. Note that those are also polished, so it is easy to scratch them. 🙁
Strap
Today’s watch comes with leather strap and steel clasp. Leather features crocodile pattern, what can be considered classic for such watches. Clasp also features Certina logo. In my opinion it looks fine, but this watch can also work with some textile NATO or ZULU strap. Such change would add some military feel to the whole timepiece. As for the metal bracelet – I am not sure if such option would look good. Who knows, maybe some rice beads option might work with today’s chrono.
Strap width is measured at 21mm, so you will be able to find some credible aftermarket alternatives. Standard option features quick-release mechanism which should make it easier to install something new.
Movement
This is fully automatic watch, it features ETA A05.H31 caliber inside. It is a well-known movement based on Valjoux 7753. As result, you get good power reserve which equals to 60 hours and chrono functions in one sleek case. It might be familiar to you because various brands installed it into their creations. Tissot is not an exclusion and soon we will check their Heritage 1973 Chrono.
In Use
Here I should remind about the size of the watch – 42mm is not that big and should look good on average-sized wrist. I didn’t have any issues wearing DS Chronograph, thank to leather strap and slightly angled lugs. The latter help watch “wrap” around your wrist and sit comfortably whole day.
Polished case would require due care and the same can be said about pushers. Shiny surface looks fit with overall appearance, but you get less grippy buttons as result. For the dial I can say that legibility is fine even though several scales might confuse you first. Main problem you might think you will encounter – silver indices and digits on the white dial. Well, in reality everything works nicely and these parts don’t get lost on the white background.
Leather strap is surprisingly comfortable and is flexible enough to reduce unnecessary pressure. We all know these thick stick-like straps which are not bending at all, but this is not the case. I wish Certina would add some textile option into the package… Well, at least you have quick-release here.
Certina DS Chronograph – Price
Price tag will be set at 1900EUR. In my opinion it is more than reasonable for such beautiful watch. While other brands churning out their “sports” watches and divers, Certina decided to go other way. Classic style would never get old and therefore should look great even ten years from now. Moreover, this is a chrono which would work with every outfit.
Yes, price tag puts it in a quite tricky market territory, but I think DS Chronograph has this special feel which puts it on top of competition. Good comparison would be all these resto-mod cars which are popular nowadays. They get some classic car and put all modern parts inside. Here we get retro outside and fine Swiss movement inside.
Keep in mind that Certina DS Chronograph is not a limited edition, so it should be available in all good watch shops. Get one in Helveti, these guys will provide you with best service and some nice gifts too. 🙂
