In this Vs article, we will be comparing Certina and Seiko watches. This will be an interesting comparison as these two brands come from completely different parts of the globe. Certina represents the Swiss watch market, while Seiko is a Japanese watch sompany.
A common theme among watch enthusiasts is that Swiss made watches are of the highest quality in the industry. Is this really true? And if it is, then how, can a Japanese company possible compete? Well, part of the reason that Swiss watches are so revered is because of their rich history.
Whenever there is competition in business, someone has to be at the top, and the Swiss, have established themselves as the pinnacle of excellence in watch craftmanship. But does this still hold true? And even if this is the case, not all Swiss brands are created equally.
Here we will see if the Japanese brand Seiko can compete against Swiss made Certina watches. First off, let’s get a little background information on these two brands.
About Certina And Seiko
Certina
Certina has a history dating back to the late 1800’s. They started off small, with the company being a family owned business consisting only of 3 people working from home. In the beginning, they were making watch parts for other companies. But even then, they were dedicated to the quality of their products.
When they finally did start producing their own watches, they wanted to continue to produce watches of a high quality. This dedication can be seen in the name, as the name “Certina” comes from the Latin root “Certus”, which means “certain”, or “assured”.
Even today, Certina is considered a luxury brand that produces high quality timepieces at relatively reasonable prices. There is almost never any doubt that if you buy a Certina watch, you are getting a watch of supreme quality.
Seiko
Seiko, has also been around since the 1800’s. They are a widely known, and recognized brand worldwide. This company is no slouch either when it comes to watchmaking, as they have made some major advancements in the industry as a whole.
Seiko created and released the first quartz watch ever! That alone had a huge impact on the entire watch industry, especially the Swiss watchmakers. Seiko is also responsible for spring drive technology, which provides increased accuracy in mechanical watches. Seiko even created the world’s first kinetic watch!
So as you can see, this single Japanese company has made some incredible strides in watchmaking, and even directly competed with the Swiss industry as a whole, when it released the first quartz watches.
Now that we know a little bit about the background of these two brands, let’s start looking at how their actual watches compare to each other. We’ll start by looking at the overall build quality of the watches produced by both brands.
Certina Vs Seiko: Build Quality
Certina
They produce watches ranging from quartz, to mechanical, automatic movements. They have cases made of stainless steel. The dial windows are going to be made of antireflective, scratch resistant sapphire crystal. The bands on Certina watches can be stainless steel, leather, or even rubber, depending on the model. Their watches have a water resistance of anywhere between 100 to 200 meters.
Additionally, Certina goes the extra mile to ensure the durability of their cases. They make their case with what is described as “double security”, or “DS” for short. What this means is that they want to ensure that every watch has both added shock and water resistance.
Seiko
Seiko makes quartz, and also automatic watches. They have the usual stainless steel cases. The dial windows, however, are made of Seiko’s proprietary hardlex material. While hardlex is not as scratch resistant as sapphire, it is still a grade or 2 above typical mineral dial windows.
Seiko’s watches have bands made of a variety of materials including stainless steel, leather, rubber, polyurethane, and silicone. The water resistance on Seiko watches ranges from as low as 30 meters in their standard watches, all the way up to 200 meters in their diving watches.
Build Quality Verdict
As we can see here, Certina goes the extra mile to enhance the durability of their watches by ensuring that each watch is both water and impact resistant.
Next, we’ll take a look at the designs and styles these brands bring to the table.
Certina Vs Seiko: Designs And Styles
Certina
While Certina may be considered a Swiss luxury brand, they do not necessarily stick to the conventional approach when it comes to design. They do have the standard designs you would expect, but they also have some unique and experimental styles as well. There is something for everyone when it comes to the variations in styles that Certina produces.
Seiko
Seiko has many different styles as well. Most are great tried and true designs. There are watches from Seiko that just about anyone would like. However, most of Seiko’s designs are pretty conventional. You aren’t going to see a whole lot of styles here that you wouldn’t see anywhere else.
Designs And Styles Verdict
When it comes to designs and styles, Certina has a more refined and varied approach to fashion.
The last factor we will compare between these two brands is the pricing
Certina Vs Seiko: Pricing
This one is pretty straightforward. While Certina is very much inexpensive for a Swiss luxury brand, their watches, on average, are going to run higher than Seiko.
While Seiko does have more expensive watches, overall, they offer a wider selection of less expensive options than Certina does.
Check Certina Prices On Amazon
Final Conclusion
Based on the comparisons presented here today, Certina, while more expensive than Seiko on average, has the stronger build quality, and a more refined and varied approach to fashion.
Keep in mind that this doesn’t always mean you should choose Certina over Seiko. It just depends on your individual needs. For example, if you were looking for more inexpensive selections, then Seiko offers plenty of fashionable or utility watches at lower prices.
If, however, you are looking for a more durable watch, an intriguing style, or just an introductory Swiss luxury watch, then Certina would be the relevant choice.
That concludes our Certina Vs Seiko comparison. if you enjoyed this, then you can find more of our comparisons like this here
