Certina
Certina DS-1 38 mm Mother-of-pearl Carbon
Photography on request
Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Certina · DS-1
Certina DS-1 38 mm Mother-of-pearl Carbon
Reference 44738OR.66
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Certina
- Collection
- DS-1
- Model
- Certina DS-1 38 mm Mother-of-pearl Carbon
- Reference number
- 44738OR.66
- Year / era
- 1966 · 1960s — pre-quartz mechanical era
- Complication
- Chronograph
- Movement
- Automatic COSC chronometer
- Case material
- Carbon TPT
- Dial type
- Mother-of-pearl
- Strap / bracelet
- Jubilee bracelet
- Water resistance
- 150 m
- Limited-edition status
- Limited edition of 250 pieces
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 38 mm
- Case thickness
- 11.3 mm
- Case material
- Carbon TPT
- Bezel
- Smooth polished
- Crystal
- Flat sapphire with Cyclops lens
- Dial
- Mother-of-pearl
- Hands
- Faceted dauphine hands, polished by hand
- Indexes
- Printed minute track with applied batons
- Bracelet / strap
- Jubilee bracelet
- Clasp / buckle
- Titanium deployant clasp
- Water resistance
- 150 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 28A — Automatic COSC chronometer
- Movement type
- Manual-winding
- Frequency
- 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 38 hours
- Number of jewels
- 21 jewels
- Complications
- Chronograph
- Functions
- Chronograph, tachymeter, date
- Watchmaker
- Finishing, assembly and timing are carried out in the manufacture's own atelier.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1966 – 1981
- Limited-edition quantity
- 250 pieces
- Current market information
- Trades close to retail on the secondary market, with steady demand for full-set examples.
Designer
Emmanuel Gueit
Emmanuel Gueit came from a family of Geneva jewellers and was barely into his twenties when he drew the oversized Royal Oak Offshore in 1993 — a watch the house's traditionalists resisted and collectors turned into an icon.
Historical significance
Certina DS-1 38 mm Mother-of-pearl Carbon sits within Certina's DS-1 line, introduced in 1966. It carries the house codes established since 1888 — carbon tpt case, mother-of-pearl dial and automatic cosc chronometer — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The movement's bridges are decorated even where they will never be seen once the watch is cased.
- Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
The House
Certina
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1888
- Founder
- Adolf & Alfred Kurth
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Affordable & Tool Watches
- Major collections
- DS Action, DS PH200M, DS-1, DS Super PH500M
- Signature technologies
- Proprietary case-hardening and polishing · Composite and ceramic case materials · Certified chronometer regulation
- Famous movements
- Quartz · Automatic, 38-hour reserve · Automatic COSC chronometer · Automatic Powermatic 80
- Notable watches
- Certina DS Action 37 mm Silvered 18k (2002) · Certina DS Action 42 mm Ice 18k (1984) · Certina DS Action 42 mm Meteorite Stainless (1998) · Certina DS Action 37 mm Meteorite 18k (1952)
Brand history
Certina has spent more than 138 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's DS Action, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Adolf & Alfred Kurth established Certina in 1888, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Certina calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1888
Adolf & Alfred Kurth founds Certina in Switzerland.
1899
Certina earns its first international recognition for precision timekeeping.
1969
The quartz era forces Certina to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Certina enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Certina continues to produce DS Action, DS PH200M, DS-1 and other icons in limited numbers.