Community Stories

WHO loves Certinas ?

b-lilja
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You'd think they would have at least picked some cool obscure samples, like 18k gold or unusual variant...but those?
 
D
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Hello OF members, thought I should try get some community interaction incase I ever see a lovely Certina watch in the marketplace. Low and behold, you lovely folks have a dedicated thread to show yours off! Many, many lovely examples which I hope to wear one day 😉.

This never leaves my wrist:
 
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b-lilja
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Drew, great watch, nice lume on hands and love the "waterking" font/script.
 
cineaste
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This arrived a few days ago, it is a dome dial Blue Ribbon from 1966.

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Nupero
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Hello Certina lovers! Here is my Bristol 190 with Arabic numerals and blue hands. A simple yet handsome watch!
 
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Nupero
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The other night I was looking at old Certina catalogues and the ancient list prices. I am sure everyone is bored to death when it comes to the “watches as an investment” jargon… So here is my little investment thesis:

Charming looks, in-house movements and reasonable prices, could Certina be a good investment? Let’s look at the price history over the past 50 years. A basic vintage Certina from the 60’s can be bought around 150-250 Euros today. Below is a 1967 West German catalogue that lists a few models: Automatic DS for 266 Deutsche Marks, Blue Ribbon for 197 DM and a gold-plated herrenuhr for 126 DM. According to a currency converter 266 Deutsche Marks is equivalent to 541 Euros today when adjusted for inflation. So, an automatic DS has lost ~50% of its original MSRP over the last 54 years. Is a vintage Certina a good investment? Probably not, as even a turtle could outrun your potential profits unless Ryan Gosling is spotted wearing a DS-2. But 50% value retention is not bad either. I mean, the watch has performed better than JCPenney, Lehman Brothers and the Warsaw Pact. In conclusion, Certina is the new gold 😁 Disclaimer: Information on past performance, where given, is not necessarily a guide to future performance.

 
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Buynitsky
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My early DS 5601.003 "pat pend" caseback:

Certina-DS-2-wn.jpg
 
b-lilja
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Nupero Nupero
The other night I was looking at old Certina catalogues and the ancient list prices. I am sure everyone is bored to death when it comes to the “watches as an investment” jargon… So here is my little investment thesis:

Charming looks, in-house movements and reasonable prices, could Certina be a good investment? Let’s look at the price history over the past 50 years. A basic vintage Certina from the 60’s can be bought around 150-250 Euros today. Below is a 1967 West German catalogue that lists a few models: Automatic DS for 266 Deutsche Marks, Blue Ribbon for 197 DM and a gold-plated herrenuhr for 126 DM. According to a currency converter 266 Deutsche Marks is equivalent to 541 Euros today when adjusted for inflation. So, an automatic DS has lost ~50% of its original MSRP over the last 54 years. Is a vintage Certina a good investment? Probably not, as even a turtle could outrun your potential profits unless Ryan Gosling is spotted wearing a DS-2. But 50% value retention is not bad either. I mean, the watch has performed better than JCPenney, Lehman Brothers and the Warsaw Pact. In conclusion, Certina is the new gold 😁 Disclaimer: Information on past performance, where given, is not necessarily a guide to future performance.

Hey or you could be Hodinkee and sell that T and C for 5x its original cost!
 
Mooieklokjes
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I actually quite like these Argonauts. They’re only 35mm but due to the squared case they have a lot of wrist presence. They come in a variety of cool dials too.
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Nupero
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That is a nice Argonaut! I think these watches really shine in wrist shots. In normal pics Argonauts often look a little bit clumsy.
 
cineaste
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Unfortunately the date wheel on my Certina blue ribbon is broken, I have heard this part is unavailable for quite a while now. Luckily I found a guy in Sweden who has the part needed!
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DanT
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Great to see so much appreciation for Certina. Here's mine, recently acquired via OF sales...apologies for the filters!

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DanT
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styggpyggeno1 styggpyggeno1
Vintage Certinas pretty much fly under the radar price wise. A lot of potential for beginner collectors. I would start there if I were to begin today.

Got these:

Not so much under the radar (and a radar would actually pick this one up as a battle ship size echo) but still cheap compared to lesser, and more expensive, divers watches...

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This one is a good example of a nice "as found" vintage Certina that can be bought for small sums (and this one was for free):

https://omegaforums.net/threads/the-roman-greco-wrestling-watch.29775/

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No longer mine but a nice Certina. I sometimes miss it. Quartz - a nice one.

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Here together with its big brother.

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Great looking divers - why these are 'under the radar' (or rather sonar) is strange. I'd have mine over a Sub any day.
 
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