Does anyone know about the quality of the "Certina" Watch brand?

I have a DS-1 and in my opinion they make good watches for the money. It's nothing overly spectacular, but it's a solid brand with a long history. I haven't had any issues with mine. The Powermatic 80 movement is good too, if you go for one of those.  

I have three Certinas, I'd say the quality is on par with the other Swatch brands Hamilton and Mido, above Tissot. Depends on the specific watch you want of course.

A bit disturbing for me is that my older DS Action Diver 43 is better made than the later released 38mm variant. The clasp is more substantial, crown action is smoother, the double ar coating is a feature I miss on the new models.

I had one issue with my DS Action Chronometer - misaligned bezel insert - and the Certina service was exceptionally great.

Even at ADs you get Certinas way under MSRP a few months after release and some models go for really low prices in the grey market.

Fantastic quality for the money you pay, apart from having the DS (Double Security) system which makes them being super tough. For me Certina is above Hamilton or Tissot in terms of quality, and I have owned both Hamilton and Tissot in the past. Here is my Certina DS4 small seconds:

Lots of history. I think the brand is better known in the continent  (certainly known in Switzerland) than in the UK. It’s been marketed in the US only recently & there is little brand awareness here. Since it’s a Swatch brand it should be pretty solid. 

I think they are much underrated hence writing the post below. I have the DS8 moonphase and I think it's pretty damn fine for the money...

Certina - Where is the love? https://www.watchcrunch.com/Gasworks/posts/certina-where-is-the-love-4738

Certina makes excellent watches. I place them right along Tissot and Hamilton in terms of value and quality.

I own the 2018 release of the PH200 and it’s a solid watch. The build quality is top notch, the finishing is pretty simple but very clean. If you don’t care about the acrylic crystal then I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend. My reference has an aluminum bezel, so I can’t speak to the domed-ceramic version but I suspect that it offers far more durability than my own. The other big construction difference is the solid case back on mine vs the sapphire on your reference - I am sure the latter is fine.

The only thing I personally wasn’t a fan of was the mesh bracelet and it’s butterfly clasp. The bracelet utilizes links on either side of the clasp in order to size… which seems like a very stupid implementation for sizing on a mesh bracelet and I could never get it to fit right for me. Additionally the butterfly style clasp can rot in hell - I know, hot take. I personally say skip the bracelet and save some cash - the watch looks fantastic on pretty much any strap.

They’re an entry level Swatch Group brand that gets far more promotion in Europe than the US. On par with Tissot and Hamilton.  I wouldn’t have any quality concerns whatsoever.

I didn't know the DS PH200M, it's sooo good looking, the FF vibes are really cool. It just went to the top of my "may acquire" list

Certina is a great brand and seems to fit in around Mido and close to (or just under) Rado in the swatch group’s level of quality and finishing. Really great value for what you get. especially the DS divers. And I love their new heritage inspired chronograph. 

I have a DS-1 and it's one of my favourite watches - well built, rock solid. Certina has a reputation for being tough, hence the trademark turtle. 

See my review here: https://www.watchcrunch.com/ElTomstro/posts/certina-ds1-the-ultimate-gada-toolwatch-review-18801

I want that exact watch!

And rightly so! Enjoy the hunt! Halali, as we say in Germany :)

I buy the movement and not the brand. Since they use the 2824 movement in one of its forms like the other Swatch brands that makes it a solid brand. The only thing different about most of the Swatch brands is the lettering on the dial.

I've had two PH200's which were very impressive value for money with good build quality and the Powermatic 80 in both was within COSC tolerances. I've since traded both but still have an orange PH500 which is equally good if not even better. I'd highly recommend Certina.

My favorite brand. DS is for real. Great heritage, great watches

A tier

Certina is really good value. For one, except the gold Priska models (not listed on their website), all of them use the DS system, which means a thicker crystal, a larger case back gasket, an additional gasket that acts as a shock-absorbing ring around the movement, plus two gaskets on stem and crown. So, even their dress watches are built like tanks. Just about all of their quartz are of the ETA Precidrive family, plenty are COSC-certified as quartz chronometers. 

One beef I have with Certina are some of the rotating bezels. In my experience, that on the most basic DS Ph200M is just unacceptably loose, with a ton of play to it. However, the DS Action Diver - in all sizes and materials - doesn't have the same issue, so I assume it's immanent to the Ph200M.

The build quality on this is really good and it looks cool. The best part is the movement, it’s an ETA 251.264 “super quartz”. https://calibercorner.com/eta-caliber-251-264/

A wee bit late to this discussion.... 

The #certina DS-3  Super Ph1000m was the standard issue #divewatch for the Royal Australian Navy in the 1970s: 

That's a cool bit of history - I ended up biting the bullet and getting the DS-2. Loving it(can be surprisingly dressy too)