Certina Enters the Affordable Integrated Bracelet Sports Watch Arena with the New DS-7 Powermatic 80

The affordable integrated bracelet sports watch wars have been waged on multiple fronts for many months at this point, and now, in a surprising development to some, they’ve hit the Swatch Group in a major way. Since its introduction, the Tissot PRX has been the standard bearer in the value driven integrated bracelet sports watch market, offering a huge variety of dial colors, sizes, and movement options at a price point that makes them compelling for collectors curious to try out what is undoubtedly still the hottest variety of sporty watch in the greater horological landscape. But now, a new challenger has emerged from within, with the introduction of Certina’s DS-7 Powermatic 80. Certina, at least in the United States, is frequently overlooked, as the brand doesn’t have significant distribution here, but they hold a key spot in the Swatch Group’s roster of brands on the more affordable side of the spectrum, and the new integrated offering here is an interesting and subtle contrast with the vaunted PRX. 

The PRX is notable for its highly angular case shape, inspired by a distinctly 1980s design language. Particularly in quartz variants, it feels decidedly retro while still giving more than a whiff of Royal Oak if you just give it a quick glance. The DS-7 as seen here is a very different animal, with a much softer and rounder case shape and bracelet integration. If the PRX conjures the 1980s, the DS-7 feels more like a 1970s throwback, particularly considering some of the brightly colored dials that the collection is launching with. The measurements look promising and would appear to be in the Goldilocks zone for watches of this style: a 39mm case diameter, and a case height of 9.94mm. 

At launch, there are six variants to choose from (including a titanium version), all providing a slightly different character and charm. The most straightforward reference is the stainless steel model with a turquoise colored dial. The green and black dial variants are also in stainless steel, but these references have PVD coated accents on both the bezel and middle links of the integrated bracelet. There’s also a silver dial in a two-tone configuration, a full gold (PVD) version, and a blue dialed option with a titanium case and bracelet. 

As the name of the watch would suggest, these watches run on the same Powermatic 80 caliber that is found in the comparable PRX. Other specs would appear to be similar to the PRX as well, including a sapphire crystal and 100 meters of water resistance. 

The new Certina DS-7 Powermatic 80 is available now through authorized Certina channels, with retail prices ranging from CHF 740 (for the turquoise dial in steel) to CHF 860 (the titanium model with a blue dial). Certina