Certina
Certina DS Super PH500M 41 mm Blue 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 Super PH500M
Certina DS Super PH500M 41 mm Blue Carbon
Reference 21343OR.88
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Certina
- Collection
- DS Super PH500M
- Model
- Certina DS Super PH500M 41 mm Blue Carbon
- Reference number
- 21343OR.88
- Year / era
- 1997 · 1990s — mechanical revival
- Complication
- Minute repeater
- Movement
- Automatic COSC chronometer
- Case material
- Carbon TPT
- Dial type
- Blue "Grande Tapisserie"
- Strap / bracelet
- Milanese mesh
- Water resistance
- 500 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 41 mm
- Case thickness
- 8.8 mm
- Case material
- Carbon TPT
- Bezel
- Emerald-set
- Crystal
- Flat sapphire with Cyclops lens
- Dial
- Blue "Grande Tapisserie"
- Hands
- Mercedes hour hand with Chromalight display
- Indexes
- Applied Arabic numerals with luminous coating
- Bracelet / strap
- Milanese mesh
- Clasp / buckle
- Pin buckle in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 500 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 83A — Automatic COSC chronometer
- Movement type
- Automatic with micro-rotor
- Frequency
- 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 65 hours
- Number of jewels
- 33 jewels
- Complications
- Minute repeater
- Functions
- Hours, minutes, small seconds
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1997 – 2008
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Values have stabilised after the 2022 correction; condition and box-and-papers drive the premium.
Designer
In-house design studio
The reference was drawn by the manufacture's internal design office, where case, dial and movement architects work alongside the watchmakers rather than as an outside commission.
Historical significance
Certina DS Super PH500M 41 mm Blue Carbon sits within Certina's DS Super PH500M line, introduced in 1997. It carries the house codes established since 1888 — carbon tpt case, blue "grande tapisserie" 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 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.