1968 CERTINA DS-2 Automatic Ref 5801 300

History & Double Security (DS)

In the 1920s, the Kurth brothers decided to develop a new brand name, which became Certina, from the Latin certus, meaning “certain.” This reflected the family’s dedication to reliable and well-made timepieces. But you could say it was the introduction of the Certina DS in 1959 that cemented the brand’s spot in history.

A team at Certina had been working on designing an extremely durable wristwatch. They developed the Double Security system. This meant that the watch movement would be floating inside the case thanks to an elastic shock-absorbing ring in addition to an Incabloc shock absorber inside the movement. Furthermore, there was a gap between the dial and the case so that the movement could physically move in all directions.

The robustness of the DS was further proven in a 1960 expedition by a Swiss team who took these watches to the Himalaya and climbed to the peak of Dhaulagiri, which is over 8,000 meters high!

To reflect the protective nature of these case designs, the DS series of watches had the image of a turtle engraved on the back of the watch, hence getting the name “turtleback” in some watch-collecting circles.

The Certina DS-2

Introduced in 1968, the Certina DS-2 carried on this tradition of robustness and maintained the DS system with improvements and a more durable stainless steel case design. These tonneau-shaped cases shared the turtleback feature and some further innovations. The crown is partially guarded by being set within the flow of the case flank, and it is secured with a twin seal.

This particular example features a rare and spectacular deep emerald sunburst dial which transforms it hues depending on the lighting conditions. It is powered by the in-house, Certina cal. 25-651.   Dimensions are: 38.5 x 42 x 12mm.

Condition

This example has been checked by our watchmaker and is in overall excellent condition.  The dial, hands and lume are original and in mint condition.  The case has been lightly polished, retains it factory finish and is without scratches.   It is noted that the caseback has the engraving of the original owner “Fred Fischer Malters”.  The high domed, plexi-glass has been polished but some tiny imperfections remain.

It comes together with a matching (and unworn) strap made from vintage leather (value $90), 

Overall a fantastic 50 year old vintage timepiece, beautiful on the wrist and frankly incredible value for money!

IMPORTANT NOTES FOR BUYERS:
1. For shipping purpose: we will mark lower values at the Buyer’s request. We ship with discrete packaging.
2. We use DHL Express for international shipping. Shipping to most destinations is normally 2-3 days.
3. Preferred payment method is via bank transfer/wire.
4. For purchases under $1000, Paypal is acceptable, however please note a fee of 4% applies (which is what is charged to us).