The Atlantic company was established in Bettlach, a village near Grenchen Switzerland, in 1888. It was founded by Eduard Kummer, born March 26, 1845. He was one of the founders of Swiss watchmaking. During his many years of apprenticeship and further education in the Swiss Jura, he constantly refined his skills as a watchmaker. He came back to his native city as a qualified master of horology. The citizens of Bettlach recognized Kummer's business ambitions and supported the establishment of the industry, which soon became the heart of Swiss watchmaking. The vision of setting up a high-quality watchmaking business became true. In 1888, 15 to 20 employees worked in the first workshop. Over the subsequent years the factory developed steadily, reaching 720 employees before the end of the 19th century.
Although Eduard Kummer was known as very traditional, he believed strongly in the development of the watch industry. At that time, the workweek lasted 6 days and 11 hours per day. There was no such thing as paid vacation nor extra wages. The introduction, in 1937 of 6 days of paid vacation per year at EKB was a social breakthrough.
The company was originally called EKB (short for Eduard Kummer Bettlach). Initially the company manufactured parts for such renowned watch producers as Longines, Certina, and many others. The first watches under the name of “Atlantic” with a sextant as a logo were released in 1932, including one of the first waterproof chronographs. The invention of the “Speed Switch” in 1960 sets a milestone in the watchmaking history. The innovation allowed the date to switch 52 times faster than before. By selling this innovation to other watch manufactures, Atlantic clearly demonstrated its watch making skills.
Atlantic flagship models are from the “Worldmaster” family. With this piece, the company achieved a high degree of recognition and the models are still today regarded as the brand’s identification mark. The traditional “Worldmaster” is however constantly upgraded to stay timeless.
In the past, the Atlantic watches were aimed at strong personalities, who always pursued their goals and were represented in a high price range. Today, Atlantic has a wide range of watches, distinguished by their high quality, in a middle price segment. In addition to the timeless “Worldmaster”, Atlantic offers a wide selection of sporty, classic and elegant watches. However, what distinguishes the traditional models is their unique and specific Atlantic look.
Certina watches are known for their precision, reliability and sporty character. The sport watch brand has an international reputation built on quality Swiss workmanship, throughout its 125-year history.
1888. The sport watch brand is born
The brothers Adolf and Alfred Kurth set up their own watch production facility in the Swiss town of Grenchen. In this idyllic spot at the foot of the Jura mountains between Solothurn and Biel, the brothers and their three employees work in an annex to the family home. Within a short time business is flourishing, and so in the following years various extensions are opened and new employees taken on.
1906. A new brand name
In 1906 the Kurth brothers introduce a brand name for their watches: "Grana", short for "Granacus", the Latin name of Grenchen. The quality of this timepiece is immediately recognised and earns several awards. In the 1920s Alfred Kurth’s sons Erwin and Hans join the company and see it through the difficult time of the Great Depression.
1939. Certina. With Security
During the 1930s the company increasingly uses the brand name Certina, for a good reason: it is easy to pronounce in all languages and is based on the Latin word "certus", which means "sure". The brand is officially registered in 1939 and in 1949 is chosen to be the sole brand name.
1959. The DS Concept is born
In 1959, the company brings out the first Certina watch with DS Concept. The Certina DS is an extremely shock-resistant automatic watch with water resistance up to 20 bar (200 meters). This sets new standards for a whole generation of wristwatches.
1960. Expedition to the Himalayas
The Certina DS accompanies an international expedition on the first successful ascent of the 8,167-metre-high Dhaulagiri in western Nepal. It overcomes all the challenges – from strong temperature fluctuations to considerable height and pressure differences – with no problem at all.
1965. With Sealab II at the bottom of the ocean
The Certina DS takes part in the US Navy's Sealab II underwater project, which involves scientists and divers working in a diving station in different areas of marine research. They confirm that the Certina DS is absolutely reliable under all conditions.
1969. A successful dive
The innovative DS-2 Super PH 500 M is part of the Tektite underwater experiment, in which four scientists live in two underwater residential tanks for two months under NASA observation. The Certina models worn by the scientists achieve the very best scores.
1970. Flying high
A Japanese expedition to Mount Everest is accompanied by Certina watches, which also stand up to these highly challenging conditions. During the expedition, the Japanese skier Miura achieves one of the most daring ski runs of all time, descending through 1,000 metres from an altitude of 8,000 metres, while wearing a DS-2 Chronolympic.
1971. Time to listen to one's body
The Certina Biostar is the first watch in the world to display a person's daily biorhythms. At a glance it shows the wearer's physical, mental and emotional biorhythms.
1973. Champions together
The Belgian rider Roger de Coster wins the motocross world championships 500cc class for the third time, proudly wearing his Certina DS 288.
1976. A powerful duo
The ultra-robust and scratch-resistant DS DiaMaster attracts attention everywhere – including on the wrist of the famous American heavyweight boxer Muhammad Ali.
1983. A new chapter in the history of watchmaking
Certina joins the newly founded SMH Group, which is led by the visionary entrepreneur and watch-lover Nicolas G. Hayek. SMH becomes the world’s leading watch group, and is renamed the Swatch Group Ltd. in 1999. Certina sport watches are in the middle-price segment of the corporate group's range.
1995. Clearly a sport watch
With its new Cascadeur models, the Certina brand's skill in making sport watches can be seen at very first glance: the strap of this timepiece is designed like the chain of a motorbike, and two eye-catching metal rods over the sapphire crystal provide extra protection.
2002. Off-road timekeeping
Certina continues to extend its involvement in motorsport, and can now be seen on the wrist of the popular rallying world champion Colin McRae.
2004. Absolute precision
The DS-3 1000m recaptures the heritage of Certina’s famous diver's watches. This automatic timepiece is water resistant to a record-breaking depth of 1,000 metres.
2005. On the winners’ podium
As the official sponsor of the Sauber Petronas team, Certina celebrates its debut in Formula 1, a discipline to which it will remain loyal for many years. At the same time, the brand is delighted at the 125cc class world title win by motorcyclist Thomas Lüthi, whom it has sponsored since the beginning of his career. These sporting successes are reflected in the launch of the DS Podium, whose sporty design and precision make it one of the most popular and successful Certina watch families to this day.
2011. An exceptional athlete
The Norwegian Ole Einar Bjørndalen, most successful biathlete in sporting history, joins the international Certina family as an official brand ambassador.
2013. 125 years of Certina
On the occasion of its 125th anniversary, Certina presents not only a completely new and fresh corporate identity, but also three new watch movements. The Powermatic 80, a highly precise movement with a power reserve of up to 80 hours, the C01.211, an extremely reliable chronograph and the ultra-accurate Precidrive™ movement, the latter representing a new generation of quartz watches whose precision is comparable with that of chronometers.
2015. New partners in speed
Certina is expanding its presence in motor rallying, as the official partner of the Abu Dhabi Total World Rally Team, one of the most famous and most successful teams in this sport. It is also entering into partnership with the renowned ADAC GT Masters. As the official timekeeper in one of the most exciting racing series in Europe, the brand is consolidating its reputation as an authentic sport watch, which is at home at the world's major motorsports events.
