Nivada Returns With New Versions of the Chronomaster and Antarctic

There are many Swiss watch brands that are essentially lost to history. When the industry was turned upside down by the quartz crisis, many brands folded and were never heard from again. A rare few, because of good design, watches with unique features, or just dumb luck, have risen in the public consciousness after going silent thanks to the whims of the vintage market. Nivada Grenchen is one of those brands. While the brand has been largely dormant for years, vintage Nivadas have proven to be popular with collectors, keeping the name of the Swiss house on the mind of watch lovers. Now the brand is relaunching, with a focus on the styles that kept them in the mix for all these years.

Nivada Chronomaster Aviator Sea Diver

• Case Material: Stainless steel
• Dial: Black or “Panda” configurations with various accents
• Dimensions: 39mm 
• Crystal: Sapphire       
• Water Resistance: 100 meters  
• Crown: Push/pull                  
• Movement: Sellita SW-510 BH B or SW-510 M BH B
• Strap/bracelet: Leather, Tropic rubber, stainless steel bracelet   
• Price: ~$1780 – $2,165
• Reference Number: n/a
• Expected Release: Pre-order in June, delivery in December

Nivada Antarctic 

• Case Material: Stainless steel
• Dial: Cream, gray, white, black, blue
• Dimensions: 38mm 
• Crystal: Sapphire       
• Water Resistance: 100 meters  
• Crown: Push/pull                  
• Movement: Sellita SW-200
• Strap/bracelet: Leather, Tropic  rubber, stainless steel bracelet   
• Price: ~$700
• Reference Number: n/a
• Expected Release: Pre-order in June, delivery in December

Two models will be available to start: the Chronomaster and the Antarctic. The Chronomaster will be familiar to many – it’s perhaps Nivada’s most iconic model, and contributor Christoph McNeill took a deep dive right here. A well balanced two-register chronograph with a few choice hints of 70s funk on the dial, the Chronomaster will be available in multiple colorways and customers will be able to choose between automatic and manually wound versions of the Sellita SW-510 caliber. The Antarctic is a simple three-hand dress watch, and will be available in both date and no-date versions. 

This iteration of the Chronomaster is the Chronomaster Aviator Sea Diver, and is a robust and toolish sports chrono that takes inspiration from watches meant for the air and the sea. The stainless steel case measures 39mm and features thin, gently curved lugs to create lines that are unmistakably vintage inspired. The dial is busy in a really pleasant way that fans of 60s and 70s sports watches will be drawn to. The manually wound version is quite traditional with black subdials over the black dial, and Nivada’s trademark pop of red on the minutes totalizer. Automatic versions have more variety, with subdials in contrasting colors, a white dialed version, and a black on black variant with a red lollipop seconds hand. 

The Antarctic is rigorously simple in both date and no-date configurations, and will be available in several dial colors (cream, gray, white, black, and blue). Based on classic references that have their roots in the late 50s, the new Antarctic is powered by a Sellita SW-200 and comes in at 38mm in diameter, a bit larger than the 34mm watches this new piece is based on. The original Antarctic was marketed as an explorer’s watch, and indeed was used in military and scientific applications.

Nivada coming back on the scene with new watches modeled after some of their most loved designs is sure to draw interest from the watch community, as it has with other brands who have taken similar paths from years of silence to suddenly making new timepieces again. For Nivada in particular, a brand that has seen it’s stock rise more than most on the vintage market in the recent past, the opportunity to purchase new watches with the Nivada signature presents an opportunity for collectors who might love the design but not be inclined to invest in vintage. With the Antarctic starting at a little over $700 and the Chronomaster in manually wound form coming in at about $1,780, these watches also present something of a value proposition. Nivada Grenchen