(2024-06-24) Cry of a turtle
----------------------------
Recently, I've told that my watch collection is not going to expand but some
upgrade replacements of existing items might be possible, although that's
pretty unlikely. Well, now I'm willing to talk about one of those unlikely
replacements I've had to perform recently, and I'm going to explain why it
had to be done.
If you've been following this phlog since the beginning, you know that one of
my early posts was about Invicta 8926OB. This had been my most interesting
mech until I got the Kamasu (Orient RA-AA0001B). While the Invicta's
performance was pretty OK (and I never had it unscrewed for regulation),
there are some unavoidable issues that can only be spotted if you actually
wear Kamasu or some other higher-spec automatic watch of the same "diver"
class. I'm talking about (relatively) weak lume, stiff bezel and that stupid
date magnifying glass slapped onto the (mineral) crystal in an overall
attempt to look like a Rolex. And then there's that engraving (which doesn't
bother me at all btw) made in an attempt to show that no, it's not a Rolex.
For its actual price, 8920OB is pretty good but the Kamasu has been superior
in every possible way. And I actually took the time to make it even better
by regulating its accuracy myself. But still, with this weight and diameter,
it still is on the usability borderline for me when it comes to wearing it
24/7. I felt a need to upgrade my mechs the same way I upgraded my quartz
timepieces to Citizen PMD56: replace them with something rugged while
stylish, compact and lightweight. Alas, Orient doesn't offer anything <=40mm
made of titanium these days, and all Citizen's mech titanium Promasters are
41mm or larger, so I had to take a look at the Swiss offerings one more time.
And again, Certina to the rescue. This time, the model number is
C032.807.44.081.00, and the market name is Certina DS Action Diver 38mm
Powermatic 80 Titanium. I don't even know which one of these two model names
is better. The Swiss (and Swatch Group in particular) definitely need to
work on their model numbering. Just like in case of the DS Caimano 39mm,
only a single color variant of this model actually has a titanium casing,
and it is the one with turquoise blue markers and hands. That, I must add,
definitely is a marketing stunt, because otherwise this watch definitely
competes with the 39mm Tudor Pelagos while being about $4700 cheaper. After
some initial research, I ordered it from the same shady dude I got the PMD56
from, but I only had to wait for one day this time, not for three weeks. In
fact, I had to wait for exactly 24 hours since that dude responded to my
order before the watch was delivered to the house. Wonders do happen
sometimes.
The first thing I noticed out of the box is that the watch is quite compact
indeed. IRL, it looks even smaller than the PMD56 but the actual dimensions
are pretty similar. Definitely within my comfort zone. Still don't get why
they chose this exact colorway but this model definitely looks more
expensive than it is: no wonder they compare it to those titanium Tudors.
However, I also don't understand why they chose to go with 19mm lug width
for their bracelets: the Citizen's 20mm would look just as fine and make the
transition here even smoother. Still, this is probably *the* smallest
diver's watch that I have ever seen. And yes, it's not just a "diver-style"
watch, it is ISO 6425:2018 certified for 300m submersion. And the bracelet,
besides having a wonderful system that allows to remove "half a link" from
either side, has an extension to be able to put the watch over a diver's
suit, by the way. Hence, I don't want to open it up myself (it would be
pointless btw, see below) and will try to live with the level of accuracy
that it provides out of the factory, but more on that later.
As it stands, this Certina is pretty comfortable to wear. With my personal
bracelet configuration (two full links removed), it weighs just 93 grams,
less than the Invicta 8926OB on a NATO or the Kamasu on a mesh. And that's
the main point of going full titanium on something worn 24/7: your hands
will thank you. The crown is convenient to operate and the rotating bezel
action is reassuring: although I kinda miss the smoothness of the Kamasu
bezel here, it's not nearly as stiff as on the Invicta and has zero backplay
whatsoever. And lest we forget about the decent amount of lume on the
markers, hands and the bezel 12h lume pip: all that allows to easily see the
current time in the darkness, including the second hand with that circular
bubble. The turtle on the caseback reminds us of its true purpose. So,
overall, it looks and feels as GADA as it can, at least to the extent
available for its purely mechanical innards.
Speaking of which... This ETA Powermatic 80.611 (aka C07.611) is something
that is at least looking good on paper: 80-hour power reserve, antimagnetic
balance spring (made of an alloy branded as Nivachron) and additional
shock-resistant construction. Also, unlike the base and controversial
C07.111, this one doesn't use any plastic parts and is projected to last
much longer. On the other hand, I might want to see C07.811 where those
parts are made of silicon but I understand that they might detract from the
overall shock resistance. There is, however, a potentially big problem with
this movement: it is regulated at the ETA factory by laser-trimming the
balance wheel to adjust its inertia once and for all, and it cannot be
further regulated at home with any currently known method. In other words,
we have to live in the setting imposed on us by the manufacturer of the
movement, and this is something that I'm not 100% comfortable with. Because
no matter what, the accuracy is bound to change over time, and the main
question is whether or not it still is going to remain within my range of
tolerance. For now though, I've started collecting the realtime data and the
first two days look promising with well under 0.5 spd deviation in my
all-round wearing mode. Let's see what it settles upon in the future.
Now, just like with the DS Caimano Titanium, the paradox keeps repeating
itself here. That one delivered a ±10 s/year movement in a WR100 titanium
case for far cheaper than any Japanese brand could do. This one delivers a
laser-regulated 80h power reserve movement in a **compact** ISO-certified
WR300 titanium case for far cheaper than any Japanese brand offers. And
believe me, I searched really hard, there's nothing else under 41mm with
these specifications. Surprise me, Citizen, Orient and Seiko, try beating
the $950 price of this one, I know you can do this as soon as you stop
catering to the bear-handed and revert to smaller sizes and lighter
materials. I, for instance, would *love* to see a 38mm titanium version of
the Orient Kamasu, especially equipped with an F8 series movement with
better OOTB accuracy and longer power reserve. And Certina, on the other
hand, looks like one of the very few remaining Swiss brands (and probably
the only one left in the Swatch Group) that aim for producing real watches
and not those decorative marketing gimmicks for showing your "status" in the
shallow world of corporate vanity. For the time being, this DS Action Diver
38mm Titanium occupies the firm second place among the top 10 watches that
I've ever owned. After Citizen PMD56-2951, of course.
