1. Where can I get a Certina catalogue?
Every official Certina representative will be happy to hand you a catalogue if you ask for one at a point of sale, otherwise you may also request the catalogue by email. It will then be sent to you as quickly as possible.

2. Where can I get a user manual?
You can download the user manual for your watch from the Certina homepage, by going to
«Retailer/Customer support/User manuals» or directly under the watch collection. It can also be obtained by contacting any of our official representatives in your country.

3. Where can I get my Certina watch repaired?
Please refer to the Certina list at Retailer/Customer support/Customer service. You should contact directly the Service Centre in your country.

4. Are Certina watches sold over the Internet?
Certina does not sell any watches on the Internet. Certina merchandises its watches exclusively through our worldwide network of authorised wholesale and retail distributors. Therefore, any purported Certina watches offered for sale, particularly on the Internet, by a seller who is not authorised by Certina, could be counterfeits or of dubious origin. They are therefore not guaranteed by Certina.

5. How can I be sure I am buying a genuine Certina watch?
You can be sure you are buying a genuine Certina watch if you follow these steps:

• buy a Certina watch only from authorised Certina retailers
• ask the retailer for the creditcard size guarantee, duly completed with the watch reference and their full company name and address.

6. Do you have replacement parts for my old Certina watch?
Certina guarantees minimum spare parts availability for 10 years for standard watches and for up to 20 years for gold watches from the date the production of the watch is discontinued. If for any reason, the production of a specific spare part is stopped or postponed at any time, Certina reserves the right to offer, at its sole discretion, alternatives to the customer. Thereafter, Certina will use its best endeavours to ensure collectors' items and vintage watches can be repaired.

7. How long is the lifetime of a watch battery?
The life of a battery usually varies from two to five years depending on the type of watch, its dimensions and the volume of energy required by the different functions. For instance, a chronograph has a higher energy consumption than a watch that only indicates the hours and minutes. Many Certina watches have an »End Of Life» (EOL) display (models with 3 hands): When the seconds hand starts jumping every four seconds, it is time to have the battery replaced by a Certina qualified watchmaker.

8. How frequently should a watch be serviced?
Like any high-precision instrument, a watch needs to be serviced regularly in order for it to work perfectly. Generally speaking, this should take place every 3 to 4 years. However, the intervals for these services depend entirely on the model, climate and the care taken by the watch's owner.

9. Why does Certina not deliver replacement parts directly to its customers?
For technical and quality reasons, we do not deliver individual replacement parts directly to our customers. The Certina World Customer Service Centre is available to all customers and offers a professional service which meets Certina's high quality standards.

10. To what depth are Certina watches water-resistant?
Certina sport watches set the standard in water resistance. For water sports, a timepiece with a minimum water resistance of 10 bar (100 m) is recommended. All Certina sports watches are equipped with the «DS»concept and tested to a minimum pressure of 10 bar in accordance with the relevant ISO standards.

It should also be understood that water resistance cannot be guaranteed for an indefinite length of time. It may become compromised by ageing of the seals or impacts to the crown or push-buttons. Certina therefore recommends that you have the timepiece checked for water resistance by an authorised Certina Service agent annually, and have any faulty components replaced. Do not attempt to open the timepiece yourself under any circumstances.

11. What should I do to ensure that my watch continues to provide excellent service for many years?

• Magnetic fields: Do not expose your watch to intense magnetic fields such as loudspeakers or refrigerators and other electromagnetic appliances.
• Bathing in the sea: Always rinse your watch with warm fresh water afterwards.
• Crown: Ensure that, depending on the model, the crown is carefully pushed or screwed in to ensure that no water can enter the watch.
• Cleaning: For stainless steel and titanium bracelets, and for all water-resistant cases, use a toothbrush and soapy water. Use a soft cloth for drying.
• Chemical products: Avoid direct contact with solvents, detergents, perfumes, cosmetic products etc., since they may damage the bracelet, the case or the seals.

12. What are the precision tolerances for Certina mechanical watches?
The accuracy of the watch depends on the movement and on the individual habits of the wearer and can therefore vary. A qualified Certina watchmaker can adjust the rate precision of a watch to be within Certina tolerances. The majority of watches that do not have a chronometer certificate have average precision tolerances of between -5 / +30 seconds per day. To earn the title of chronometer, the mechanical movement’s average daily variation in rate must be between -2 / +12 seconds per day.

13. What is the difference between a self-winding and a manual-winding movement?
The difference between these two movements is the way in which the watch is wound. Manual-winding watches must be wound every day by hand using the crown, whereas self-winding watches are wound by an internal rotor which responds to wrist movements.

14. How much is the power reserve for a self-winding mechanical Certina watch and how does it work?
A self-winding mechanical Certina movement depends on the wrist motions of the wearer for its operation. When fully wound, the watch has a power reserve of 38-42 hours. Since the watch's self-winding mechanism is directly linked to the wearer's activity, 10 to 12 hours' wear should be sufficient to generate a power reserve of 20 hours or more, which ensures that the watch will continue to run throughout the night. However, if a watch has not been worn for several days and its power reserve has thus run low, we recommend you wind the watch manually for around 15 rotations of the crown (clockwise) to ensure the best possible rate from the outset.

15. What are the precision tolerances for Certina quartz watches?
Certina quartz movements are produced in accordance with Certina’s highly renowned quality standards and manufacturing methods. Ambient temperatures (20°-25°) may affect the rate precision of quartz movements and lead to variations of between -0.5 and +0.7 seconds per day.

16. What is the difference between a chronograph and a chronometer?
A chronograph is a timepiece which, in addition to displaying the time, is equipped with a stopwatch mechanism to measure and record elapsed time. Depending on the model, the measured time is shown either by an analogue display with an hour, minute, second and even a 1/10 second hand or by a digital display. A chronometer is a watch that has obtained an official rate certificate from the COSC (Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres), which certifies that the movement has passed a range of precision tests in different positions and at different temperatures over a 15-day period. Certification can be granted for mechanical, automatic and quartz movements.

17. What is a COSC-certified quartz chronometer
To earn the title of chronometer, a watch must be equipped with a movement that has obtained an official rate certificate from the COSC (Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres). To obtain this, precision tests in different positions and at different temperatures must be carried out. These tests take place over a 15-day period.

Thermocompensated means that the effective temperature in the watch is measured and taken into account when improving precision. This allows fluctuations in the rate precision of a normal quartz watch due to temperature variations to be reduced by several seconds a week. Precision is 20 times more accurate than on a normal quartz watch, i.e. +/- 10 seconds per year (0.07 sec-onds/day).

18. What does COSC mean?
COSC stands for «Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres». This official control is used to test the rate precision of watch movements. Only those movements that pass the various tests are awarded a COSC certificate and then dispatched.

19. Which specification must a watch meet to be given the ISO 6425 diver's watch certification?
To meet ISO standard 6425 for diving watches, a watch must have a device for preselecting a period of time. Furthermore, it must be guaranteed as readable from 25 cm away in darkness and operate effectively in water. Also, bracelets, crowns and other components must be resistant to external forces, seawater and thermal shock. In addition, this type of watch must have magnetic field protection and be water resistant to a given diving depth and 25 percent beyond (e.g. 20 m = 20 bar + 5 bar = 25 bar) and shockproof.

20. Can I wear a Certina stainless steel watch if I am allergic to nickel?
The materials used by Certina are subjected to rigorous tests in order to avoid allergies. The stainless steel (316L) used by Certina does contain a small amount of nickel, but does not release it and is therefore safe for nickel allergy sufferers. The only exception is for those who are hyper-sensitive to stainless steel. In this case, Certina recommends the purchase of a watch made from titanium or gold, or a PVD-coated watch.

21. What is the «DS» Concept?
«DS» stands for “Double Security”. The concept can be identified by the toughened case, a sapphire crystal, special seals in the crown, the stem and case back. This process confers on the watch an exceptional resistance, even under extremely demanding conditions.

22. What does PVD mean?
PVD are the initials for Physical Vapour Deposition. It is a sophisticated process, performed under vacuum, which deposits microscopic particles on the products by ion bombing or sputtering, to form a protective coating on a substrate. Very thin layers (1 to 3 µm) of impurityfree components can be made which possess high levels of hardness (nitride, carbides, etc.) and which are hypoallergenic.

23. What is titanium?
Titanium is a metallic element found in the earth’s crust. The element occurs as a bright, lustrous metal or a silver-grey or dark-grey powder. Its compounds are found in practically all igneous rocks and their sand deposits. Hardened titanium is 30 percent stronger than steel and nearly 40 percent lighter, but more expensive. Titanium resists corrosion; when exposed to the atmosphere, titanium forms a tenacious oxide film that resists salt water corrosion. Titanium is hypoallergenic.: it is nickel-free.

24. What is a tachymeter?
A tachymeter is an instrument for measuring speed. It is a chronograph with a graduated dial on which speed can be read off in kilometres per hour based on a 1000 metre distance. How to read the tachymeter: Only the central chronograph seconds hand is used. For longer durations, the indications of the timers (minutes and hours) also count. Example for calculating the speed of a car: The chronograph indicates that the distance of one kilometre has been covered in 30 seconds. The corresponding point on the tachymeter scale indicates 120. The speed is therefore 120 km per hour.

25. Does the dial and hand of my watch contain radium or tritium?
Radium was abandoned by Certina a long time ago, followed by tritium some years ago. Tritium has been replaced by a new luminescent material called Super-LumiNova that is used in the manufacturing of our dials and hands. Super-LumiNova is phosphorescent and consequently has no radioactivity whatsoever. The Super-LumiNova material takes its luminescence from daylight or any artificial source of light. The watch should therefore be exposed to bright light in order to ensure the luminescence of the dial and hands in the dark, i.e. during the night. The luminescence decreases after some time but it is restored as soon as the watch is exposed to bright light.

26. What is a unidirectional bezel?
A unidirectional bezel only turns one way to prevent any danger of false manoeuvre. This is especially important when being used to measure diving times as even if the bezel is knocked and moved it will simply indicate the diver has less air or decompression time rather than more.

27. Why is the 4 o’clock Roman numeral on my watch represented with 4 strokes (IIII) when the correct number is IV?
The «correct» Roman numeral is IV, but the IIII can also be used. Several explanations are possible as to the reason for this interpretation of the Roman figure. One thing is certain: It has been like this for more than four centuries. On a watch, IV and VI be easily confused, especially when the numerals are upside down. In the 16th and 17th centuries, many people were illiterate. Time was therefore displayed mainly on public monuments like churches, temples and towers. And it was easier to add up four strokes than to read a foreign numeral. For Certina, this usage is now also preferred for decorative reasons, since IIII sits nicely opposite VIII.

28. What does the guarantee cover?
Certina customers receive additional benefits with an extended guarantee period. The management at Certina decided to introduce a 24-month guarantee period for all Certina wristwatches sold worldwide, starting from January 1st, 2002. All terms and conditions of this extended 24-month guarantee remain the same as in the previous one year guarantee.

Guarantee (excluding the USA))

Following repairs, the guarantee remains valid for one year for the work carried out.

Guarantee (except for the USA)

Your Certina® watch is guaranteed by Certina SA* for a period of twenty-four (24) months from the date of purchase under the terms and conditions of this guarantee. The international Certina guarantee covers material and manufacturing defects existing at the time of delivery of the purchased Certina watch ("defects"). The guarantee only comes into force if the guarantee certificate is dated, fully and correctly completed and stamped by an official Certina dealer** (valid guarantee certificate).

During the guarantee period and by presenting the valid guarantee certificate, customers have the right to have any defect repaired free of charge. In the event that repairs are improper to restore the normal conditions of use of your Certina watch, Certina SA guarantees its replacement by a Certina watch of identical or similar characteristics. The guarantee for the replacement watch ends twentyfour (24) months after the date of purchase of the replaced watch.

This manufacturer's guarantee does not cover:

• the life of the battery;
• normal wear and tear and ageing (e.g. scratched crystal; alteration of the colour and/or material of non-metallic straps and chains, such as leather, textile, rubber; peeling of the plating);
• any damage on any part of the watch resulting from abnormal/abusive use, lack of care, negligence, accidents (knocks, dents, crushing, broken crystal, etc.), incorrect use of the watch and failure to observe the directions for use provided by Certina SA;
• indirect or consequential damages of any kind resulting from e.g. the use, the non-functioning, the defects or the inaccuracy of the Certina watch;
• damage caused to the Certina watch as a result of it being handled by unauthorised persons (e.g. for battery replacement, services or repairs) or which has been altered in its original condition beyond Certina SA's control. Any further claim against Certina SA for damages additional to the above described guarantee is expressly excluded, except mandatory statutory rights the purchaser may have against the manufacturer.

The above manufacturer's guarantee is:

• independent of any guarantee that may be provided by the seller, for which he carries sole responsibility.
• does not affect the purchaser's rights against the seller or any other mandatory statutory rights the purchaser may have against the seller.

Certina SA's customer service ensures the perfect maintenance of your Certina watch. If your watch needs service, contact an official Certina dealer or an authorised Certina Service Centre as set forth in the enclosed list. They can carry out a guarantee service according to Certina SA standards.

Certina SA CH - 2400 Le Locle, Switzerland

**Special Certina dealers in EU countries

Certina® is a registered trademark