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This announcement is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an
offer to sell Shares. The Offer is made solely by the Offer to Purchase, dated
November 30, 1998, and the related Letter of Transmittal and any amendments or
supplements thereto, and is being made to all holders of Shares. The Offer is
not being made to (nor will tenders be accepted from or on behalf of) holders
of Shares in any jurisdiction in which the making of the Offer or the
acceptance thereof would not be in compliance with the laws of such
jurisdiction. In any jurisdiction where the securities, blue sky or other laws
require the Offer to be made by a licensed broker or dealer, the Offer shall be
deemed to be made on behalf of MMI Acquisition Corp. by one or more registered
brokers or dealers licensed under the laws of such jurisdiction. Notice of
Offer to Purchase for Cash All of the Outstanding Shares of Common Stock
(Including the Associated Preferred Stock Purchase Rights) of Circon
Corporation at $15.00 Net Per Share by MMI Acquisition Corp. a wholly owned
subsidiary of Maxxim Medical, Inc. MMI Acquisition Corp., a Delaware
corporation ("Purchaser") and a wholly owned subsidiary of Maxxim Medical,
Inc., a Delaware corporation ("Parent"), a wholly owned subsidiary of Maxxim
Medical, Inc., a Texas Corporation ("Maxxim"), is offering to purchase all of
the outstanding shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the "Common
Stock"), including the associated preferred stock purchase rights issued
pursuant to a Rights Agreement (as defined in the Offer to Purchase) (the
"Rights" and, together with the Common Stock, the "Shares") of Circon
Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the "Company"), at a price of $15.00 per
Share, net to the seller in cash, without interest thereon, upon the terms and
subject to the conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase dated November 30,
1998 (the "Offer to Purchase") and in the related Letter of Transmittal (which,
together with any amendments or supplements thereto, collectively constitute
the "Offer"). THE OFFER AND WITHDRAWAL RIGHTS WILL EXPIRE AT 5:00 P.M., NEW
YORK CITY TIME, ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 1999, UNLESS THE OFFER IS EXTENDED. The
Offer is conditioned upon, among other things, there being validly tendered and
not withdrawn on or prior to the Expiration Date (as defined in the Offer to
Purchase) such number of Shares that would constitute at least a majority of
the outstanding Shares on a fully diluted basis on the date Shares are accepted
for payment. The Offer is also subject to certain other conditions set forth in
the Offer to Purchase. See Section 14 of the Offer to Purchase. The Offer is
being made pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of November
21, 1998 (the "Merger Agreement"), by and among Parent, Purchaser and the
Company. Pursuant to the Merger Agreement and the Delaware General Corporation
Law, as amended (the "DGCL"), as soon as practicable after the completion of
the Offer and satisfaction or waiver, if permissible, of all conditions,
including the purchase of Shares pursuant to the Offer and the approval and
adoption of the Merger Agreement by the stockholders of the Company (if
required by applicable law), Purchaser shall be merged with and into the
Company (the "Merger") and the Company will be the surviving corporation in the
Merger. At the effective time of the Merger (the "Effective Time"), each Share
then outstanding, other than Shares held by (i) the Company or any of its
subsidiaries, (ii) Maxxim or any of its subsidiaries, including Parent and
Purchaser and (iii) stockholders who properly perfect their dissenters' rights
under the DGCL will be converted into the right to receive $15.00 in cash per
Share paid in the Offer, without interest. The Company Board has unanimously
approved the Offer and the Merger and determined that the terms of the Offer
and the Merger are fair to, and in the best interests of, the stockholders of
the Company and unanimously recommends that stockholders of the Company accept
the Offer and tender their Shares. For purposes of the Offer, Purchaser will be
deemed to have accepted for payment, and thereby purchased, Shares properly
tendered to Purchaser and not withdrawn, if, as and when Purchaser gives oral
or written notice to the Depositary (as defined in the Offer to Purchase) of
Purchaser's acceptance for payment of such Shares. Payment for Shares accepted
for payment pursuant to the Offer will be made by deposit in cash of the
purchase price therefor with the Depositary, which will act as agent for
tendering stockholders for the purpose of receiving payment from Purchaser and
transmitting payment to tendering stockholders. In all cases, payment for
Shares accepted for payment pursuant to the Offer will be made only after
timely receipt by the Depositary of (i) certificates for such Shares (or a
timely Book-Entry Confirmation (as defined in the Offer to Purchase) with
respect thereto), (ii) a Letter of Transmittal (or facsimile thereof), properly
completed and duly executed, with any required signature guarantees, or, in the
case of a book-entry transfer, an Agent's Message (as defined in the Offer to
Purchase) and (iii) any other documents required by the Letter of Transmittal.
The per Share consideration paid to any holder of Shares pursuant to the Offer
will be the highest per

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Share consideration paid to any other holder pursuant to the Offer. The term
"Expiration Date" shall mean January 5, 1999, at 5:00 P.M., New York City time,
unless and until Purchaser, in accordance with the terms of the Merger
Agreement, shall have extended the period of time during which the Offer is
open, in which event the term "Expiration Date" shall mean the latest time and
date at which the Offer, as so extended by Purchaser, pursuant to the terms of
the Merger Agreement, shall expire. Subject to the applicable rules and
regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and to applicable law,
Purchaser expressly reserves the right, in its sole discretion (subject to the
terms of the Merger Agreement), at any time and from time to time, to extend
for certain reasons, including the occurrence of any of the events specified in
Section 14 of the Offer to Purchase, the period of time during which the Offer
is open by giving oral or written notice of such extension to the Depositary.
Any such extension will be followed by a public announcement thereof by no
later than 9:00 a.m., New York City time, on the next business day after the
previously scheduled Expiration Date. During any such extension, all Shares
previously tendered and not withdrawn will remain subject to the Offer, subject
to the right of a tendering stockholder to withdraw such stockholder's Shares.
Without limiting the manner in which Purchaser may choose to make any public
announcement, Purchaser will have no obligation to publish, advertise or
otherwise communicate any such announcement other than by issuing a press
release to the Dow Jones News Service or otherwise as may be required by
applicable law. Except as otherwise provided below or as provided by applicable
law, tenders of Shares are irrevocable. Shares tendered pursuant to the Offer
may be withdrawn pursuant to the procedures set forth below at any time prior
to the Expiration Date and, unless theretofore accepted for payment and paid
for by Purchaser pursuant to the Offer, may also be withdrawn at any time after
January 29, 1999. To be effective, a written, telegraphic or facsimile
transmission notice of withdrawal must be timely received by the Depositary at
one of its addresses set forth on the back cover of the Offer to Purchase. Any
such notice of withdrawal must specify the name of the person having tendered
the Shares to be withdrawn, the number of Shares to be withdrawn and the name
of the registered holder of the Shares to be withdrawn, if different from the
name of the person who tendered the Shares. If certificates evidencing such
Shares to be withdrawn have been delivered or otherwise identified to the
Depositary, then, prior to the physical release of such certificates, the
serial numbers shown on such certificates must be submitted to the Depositary
and, unless such Shares have been tendered by an Eligible Institution (as
defined in the Offer to Purchase), the signatures on the notice of withdrawal
must be guaranteed by an Eligible Institution. If Shares have been delivered
pursuant to the procedures for book-entry transfer set forth in Section 3 of
the Offer to Purchase, any notice of withdrawal must also specify the name and
number of the account at the Book-Entry Transfer Facility (as defined in the
Offer to Purchase) to be credited with the withdrawn Shares and otherwise
comply with the Book-Entry Transfer Facility's procedures. Withdrawals of
tendered Shares may not be rescinded, and any Shares properly withdrawn will
thereafter be deemed not validly tendered for purposes of the Offer. However,
withdrawn Shares may be retendered by again following one of the procedures
described in Section 3 of the Offer to Purchase at any time prior to the
Expiration Date. All questions as to the form and validity (including time of
receipt) of notices of withdrawal will be determined by Purchaser, in its sole
discretion, whose determination will be final and binding. The information
required to be disclosed by paragraph (e)(1)(vii) of Rule 14d-6 under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, is contained in the Offer to
Purchase and is incorporated herein by reference. The Company has provided
Purchaser with the Company's stockholder lists and security position listings
for the purpose of disseminating the Offer to holders of Shares. The Offer to
Purchase, the related Letter of Transmittal and the other tender offer
documents will be mailed to record holders of Shares whose names appear on the
stockholder list, and will be furnished to brokers, dealers, commercial banks,
trust companies and similar persons whose names, or the names of whose
nominees, appear on the Company's stockholder lists, or, if applicable, who are
listed as participants in a clearing agency's security position listing, for
subsequent transmittal to beneficial owners of Shares. The Offer to Purchase
and the related Letter of Transmittal contain important information and should
be read carefully before any decision is made with respect to the Offer.
Questions and requests for assistance or additional copies of the Offer to
Purchase, the related Letter of Transmittal and the other tender offer
documents may be directed to the Information Agent (as defined in the Offer to
Purchase), at its address and telephone number set forth below, and copies will
be furnished

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promptly at Purchaser's expense. None of Maxxim, Parent or Purchaser will pay
any fees or commissions to any broker or dealer or other person other than the
Information Agent for soliciting tenders of Shares pursuant to the Offer. The
Information Agent for the Offer is: MacKenzie Partners, Inc. 156 Fifth Avenue
New York, New York 10010 (212) 929-5500 (Collect) or Call Toll Free (800)
322-2885 November 30, 1998

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