Certina
Certina DS-1 36 mm Slate 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 36 mm Slate Carbon
Reference 57756OR.69
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Certina
- Collection
- DS-1
- Model
- Certina DS-1 36 mm Slate Carbon
- Reference number
- 57756OR.69
- Year / era
- 1973 · 1970s — quartz-crisis era
- Complication
- Moon phase
- Movement
- Automatic COSC chronometer
- Case material
- Carbon TPT
- Dial type
- Slate grey
- Strap / bracelet
- NATO textile strap
- Water resistance
- 30 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 36 mm
- Case thickness
- 14.1 mm
- Case material
- Carbon TPT
- Bezel
- Octagonal with 8 hexagonal screws
- Crystal
- Box sapphire with AR coating
- Dial
- Slate grey
- Hands
- Skeletonised sword hands, white luminescent
- Indexes
- Applied Roman numerals
- Bracelet / strap
- NATO textile strap
- Clasp / buckle
- Triple-folding clasp with safety catch
- Water resistance
- 30 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 46B — Automatic COSC chronometer
- Movement type
- High-frequency automatic
- Frequency
- 25,200 vph (3.5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 10 days
- Number of jewels
- 25 jewels
- Complications
- Moon phase
- Functions
- Annual calendar, moon phase
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1973 – 1985
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Trades close to retail on the secondary market, with steady demand for full-set examples.
Designer
Marc Newson
Marc Newson is an Australian industrial designer whose work spans Qantas cabins, Apple hardware and Jaeger-LeCoultre's Atmos clocks; his watch design reduces the object to pure geometry and legibility.
Historical significance
Certina DS-1 36 mm Slate Carbon sits within Certina's DS-1 line, introduced in 1973. It carries the house codes established since 1888 — carbon tpt case, slate grey dial and automatic cosc chronometer — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
- The bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
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.