Certina’s New Watches Are Among the Best Bargains in the Watch World

When the precursor to the Swatch Group was being organized in the late 1980s, the conglomerate made the decision to withhold certain brands from the U.S. market in order to concentrate on their heavy hitters in North America, such as Omega and Longines. Certina was among the brands that was reserved for the local European markets (and did quite well there). Finally, after that lengthy hiatus, the brand is returning to the U.S. via the Hodinkee Shop — and this is particularly good news for fans of affordable watchmaking.

Certina’s wares, such as their DS series of divers, GMTs and even an automatic chronograph, make robust, serious tool watches available to the masses, many around the $1,000 mark. This move truly changes the landscape of affordable watches available from large Swiss brands for the American buyer.

Hodinkee

Previously only available in Europe, the Certina DS PH200M, for example, is a handsome, vintage-inspired diver with 200m of water resistance, a sapphire crystal, gilt accents, and the buyer’s choice of blue or black dial and different strap variations. Recalling an original model from 1968, it gives the watch world access to vintage Omega Seamaster 300 vibes for under $1,000 — a compelling value proposition considering its inclusion of the ETA Powermatic 80.611 automatic movement with 80 hours of power reserve.

Hodinkee

Also notable is a GMT with a feature one typically only finds from the likes of brands such as Rolex: a local jumping hour, meaning you can easily update the local hour when you travel. The DS Action GMT is powered by the Swatch Group’s Powermatic 80 caliber with second time zone, which includes the function, making the Action GMT one of just a handful of affordable watches that can compete with something like the GMT Master II. (Amazing, it’s a sub-$1,000 watch, as well.)

These two models are more are all available from the Hodinkee Shop. Check them out, and read up on more detailed Certina history here.

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The Makers of This Brilliant New Bike Hitch Rack Thought of Everything

Küat Piston Pro X
Materials: Aluminum and steel
Lighting: LED
Capacity: 2 bikes
Price: $1,389

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There are a few common, inconvenient truths about bike racks: Getting a bike on is awkward. It typically takes both hands to open a rack for loading. Most bike racks are incongruous with a high-end bike or nice car. And hitch racks block a car’s license plate and tail lights.

Granted, those things haven’t stopped me from using a hitch rack. A hitch-mounted tray rack that doesn’t touch the bike’s frame is the best way to carry a high-end bike because you don’t have to lift it onto the roof, and there’s no danger of frame damage unless you get rear-ended.

But with the $1,389 Piston Pro X, Küat takes everything that’s great about a hitch rack and makes it better. With solid construction and a bevy of smart features, the rack also addresses the category’s most annoying hangups, making it simple to use — and maybe even fun.

To open the rack, I squeezed a lever, which released the spring-loaded, pneumatic arms, which feature pistons resembling the exposed part of a high-end mountain bike fork. Each side of each bike mount has a lever release that pops the rack arm open 180 degrees so that it’s level with the ground. I set my bike on the non-directional tray — the front wheel can face either way — and, holding my bike with one hand, I ratcheted in each rack arm until it was tight on the wheel.

A huge advantage over non-directional racks is that it’s easy to offset bikes so that their handlebars and saddles don’t clash. The Piston Pro X fits 20- to 29-inch tires up to 5 inches wide, and bikes with up to a 53-inch wheelbase. Each tray can hold 67 pounds, meaning e-bikes are welcome. Küat will also offer add-on trays so that you can carry up to four bikes, as well as an e-bike ramp to help load heavy bikes.

While the main material is aluminum, Küat also employs high-quality IGUS bushings on key pivots, custom-formulated Tiger Powder coating and stainless steel hardware. There’s also an automotive-grade 750-hour salt spray on steel components, so this rack shouldn’t rust even if you drive it all winter on salty roads.

One of the Piston Pro X’s most notable features is its handy integrated LED taillights. Küat designed the rack so that the lights are visible when the rack is empty and folded up against the tailgate, as well as when it’s loaded. To use this feature, your car needs a wiring harness, which can be installed by your mechanic. Pair the car wiring harness with the rack wiring harness, which attaches magnetically to the rack. When you take the rack off your car, the rack wiring clicks off effortlessly.

Instead of theft deterrents — how I’d characterize most rack-integrated bike locks — the Piston Pro X has a semi-integrated, rubber-coated, 12-millimeter thick cable lock that lives in your trunk until you need it. It clicks into a lockable fitting in the rack after wrapping around multiple bikes.

One more thing I love? The stability and security with which this rack attaches to transporting vehicles. Küat’s camming hitch tightens with a knob, then locks in place with a hex key that’s integrated into the locking rack handle, so there’s no wobbling or swinging even on class 4 roads.

Sometimes a brand introduces a product with a platinum price tag and a bronze build. The price of this rack matches the quality, performance and features. As soon as I can get my hands on more mounts to expand this rack to carry four bikes, I will.

Price: $1,389

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