De broers Adolf en Alfred Kurth openen hun eerste fabriek
voor horlogeonderdelen en uurwerken in Grenchen. Hun werkplaats bevindt zich naast het woonhuis. Daar voeren ze samen met drie medewerkers de werkzaamheden uit. Dit vormt de hoeksteen van het merk dat later wereldwijde bekendheid zal verwerven onder de naam Certina.
In 1906 the Kurth brothers introduce a brand name for their watches: "Grana", short for "Granacus", the Latin name of Grenchen. The quality of this timepiece is immediately recognised and earns several awards. In the 1920s Alfred Kurth’s sons Erwin and Hans join the company and see it through the difficult time of the Great Depression.
Der Markenname „Certina“ wird offiziell registriert. Er geht auf das lateinische Wort „certus“ zurück, was „sicher“ bedeutet und damit perfekt zu den zuverlässigen und präzisen Uhren passt, die unter diesem Namen gefertigt werden.
The turtle shell symbolises robustness and longevity – characteristics borne by all Certina watches, without exception. It's therefore no wonder that the turtle shell has been the brand's personal symbol since the 1960s. To this day, the characteristic outline can still be found on almost every Certina timepiece, as well as on the brand logo.
It evokes the extraordinary durability which characterises every Certina watch.
De eerste Certina met het DS-concept wordt geïntroduceerd. Dankzij dit ‘Double Security’-concept is het horloge onder meer waterbestendig tot 20 bar (200 meter). Deze uitzonderlijke bestendigheid zorgt ervoor dat de Certina-horloges aan de hoogste eisen voldoen.
Een expeditieteam onder Zwitserse leiding bereikt als eerste de top van de Dhaulagiri (8167 m). Tijdens dit avontuur draagt elk lid van het expeditieteam een Certina-horloge, dat bestand is tegen alle druk- en hoogteverschillen.
Tijdens het vermaarde Sealab II-onderwateronderzoeksproject worden de eigenschappen van de Certina-horloges tot het uiterste op de proef gesteld vanwege de extreme omstandigheden op de zeebodem. De horloges blijken een betrouwbare metgezel om de pols van de diepzeeonderzoekers te zijn.
Onder leiding van de Amerikaanse marine en de NASA vindt in de Caraïbische Zee een reeks geologische en biologische onderzoeksprojecten plaats. Tijdens het onderwaterproject Tektite worden met camera’s en microfoons bewegingen en geluiden vastgelegd. De betrokken duikers dragen een Certina-horloge, dat alle beproevingen met vlag en wimpel doorstaat.
Certina-chronografen vergezellen een Japanse expeditie op de Mount Everest, waar ze zelfs onder extreme omstandigheden feilloos werken. Ze weerstaan de grootste temperatuurverschillen en verschaffen het project de vereiste nauwkeurigheid en betrouwbaarheid.
The Certina Biostar is the first watch in the world to display a person's daily biorhythms. At a glance it shows the wearer's physical, mental and emotional biorhythms.
The Belgian rider Roger de Coster wins the motocross world championships 500cc class for the third time, proudly wearing his Certina DS 288.
Wereldkampioen boxen in het zwaargewicht Muhammad Ali, die zelf ook bekendstaat om zijn perfecte timing, krijgt tijdens een bezoek aan München in mei 1976 een Certina-horloge.
Als onderdeel van de Zwitserse horlogegroep ASUAG wordt Certina een stichtend lid van de SMH Group (Société Suisse de Micro-Électronique et d’Horlogerie) wanneer deze fuseert met SSIH. Deze SMH Group gaat enkele jaren later verder onder de naam Swatch Group
With its new Cascadeur models, the Certina brand's skill in making sport watches can be seen at very first glance: the strap of this timepiece is designed like the chain of a motorbike, and two eye-catching metal rods over the sapphire crystal provide extra protection.
Certina continues to extend its involvement in motorsport, and can now be seen on the wrist of the popular rallying world champion Colin McRae.
The DS-3 1000m recaptures the heritage of Certina’s famous diver's watches. This automatic timepiece is water resistant to a record-breaking depth of 1,000 metres.
As the official sponsor of the Sauber Petronas team, Certina celebrates its debut in Formula 1, a discipline to which it will remain loyal for many years. At the same time, the brand is delighted at the 125cc class world title win by motorcyclist Thomas Lüthi, whom it has sponsored since the beginning of his career. These sporting successes are reflected in the launch of the DS Podium, whose sporty design and precision make it one of the most popular and successful Certina watch families to this day.
The Norwegian Ole Einar Bjørndalen, most successful biathlete in sporting history, joins the international Certina family as an official brand ambassador.
On the occasion of its 125th anniversary, Certina presents not only a completely new and fresh corporate identity, but also three new watch movements. The Powermatic 80 automatic caliber is a highly precise movement with a power reserve of up to 80 hours, and the C01.21 makes a name for itself as an extremely reliable chronograph; the innovative trio if rounded off by the Precidrive™ calibre, representing a new generation of quartz watches whose precision is comparable with that of chronometers.
The brand also continues its intense involvement in motorsport and is now the official timekeeper at the FIA World Rally Championship
A material causes a sensation: The DS Podium Chronograph, made from ultra lightweight and robust aluminium, adds stylish touches and combines them with high technical quality.
Certina is expanding its presence in motor rallying, as the official partner of the Abu Dhabi Total World Rally Team, one of the most famous and most successful teams in this sport. It is also entering into partnership with the renowned ADAC GT Masters. As the official timekeeper in one of the most exciting racing series in Europe, the brand is consolidating its reputation as an authentic sport watch, which is at home at the world's major motorsports events.
Their names are music to the ears of motor sports fans around the world: The high-tempo GT4 European Series and the FFSA GT G4 France. Certina now guarantees maximum precision at both racing series in its role as a partner to the race promoter SRO Motorsports Group.
Certina shares its love of the underwater world with the Sea Turtle Conservancy. This Florida-based charitable organisation is dedicated to protecting sea turtles and was founded in the same year that Certina launched the DS Concept for double security: 1959.
Our long-term involvement in motor sports is enhanced by our partnership with up-and-coming Swiss motocross racer Jeremy Seewer. In the following year, 2018, Certina also becomes a partner to Jeremy's Wilvo Yamaha MXGP Team.
Het merk getuigt van zijn inzet voor een duurzamere wereld met belangrijke maatregelen. In aanvulling op de lancering van recyclebare materialen kondigt Certina een samenwerkingsverband aan met de Sea Turtle Conservancy, die zich inzet voor de bescherming van zeeschildpadden.
CERTINA revives a historic diver’s watch that is still as actual as when it was launched for first time: The new DS PH200M seamlessly takes up the timeless design of its namesake from 1967 and combines it with a powerful automatic movement from the latest generation.
The underwater world has always been close to the brand's heart. This is why Certina has become a partner to the Association of German Scuba Divers (VDST), one of the world's largest and oldest scuba diving associations – and is learning from the association's expertise.
On our tireless search for sustainable solutions, the brand came across #tide ocean material®. Made from plastic waste fished from the oceans in an innovative process, it is the raw material for stunning, high-quality and extremely durable watch straps.
