The CHAOSMASTER Series – How do you react when the world is upside down?
Romaric André’s graphic language sizzles with Nivada Grenchen’s watchmaking codes, as they answer this question, put to them by TIME+TIDE. And the best news is, there’s no wrong response.
Get ready to look at watches from a fresh point of view…
Resident (space) alien Romaric André a.k.a. seconde/seconde/ has come to disrupt Nivada Grenchen’s CHRONOMASTER AVIATOR SEA DIVER collection, with another hallmark pop-minimalist graphic twist.
The proposition this time is a simple one, and it was put forward by Andrew McUtchen, founder of TIME+TIDE: “It feels more than ever like we live in a mad world. Through war, pandemic, extreme weather, we’ve had to ask ourselves; how do we react when the world is upside down?”
“Are we just fine? Perhaps freaking out? Or are we fantastic? Romaric had the answer in the form of custom-designed emojis and upside down text, and Nivada Grenchen had the perfect model as a platform – the CHAOSMASTER Series that we have conceived lets the wearer choose their reaction – one watch, three emoji variations, each one produced in a limited edition of 33 pieces.”
The price: an incredible $1,995 USD each. Available from 30 November 2022 – exclusively on Australian-founded watch media and commerce platform, TIME+TIDE.
Capsule collections and hijacked dials
This is not the first time Nivada Grenchen and seconde/seconde/ have collaborated, nor will it be the last. The Swiss neo-retro brand Nivada Grenchen is jazzed to share that it will be working on several limited-edition capsule collections throughout the year to come with Romaric, who is rapidly gaining a reputation as a ‘Banksy’ of the watch world by adding an artistic and though-provoking twist to watch design.
Over the coming months, Romaric’s flashy but minimalist touch will be gracing Nivada Grenchen watch dials, out of the blue and with laser-like focus. His hallmark? A vibrant-unconventional twist on vintage dials that will be taking the artistic direction of the Swiss watch brand’s into new territory for the 2023 product lineup, which is in the middle of a shake-up under the impetus of CEO Guillaume Laidet.
Remember? Not too long ago we had the Super Antarctic “KEEP FROZEN”, the first venture of a collaboration initiated in September 2022. Today, chapter two: the “CHAOSMASTER” series.
Why so serious?
While the growing appetite worldwide for so-called neo-vintage watches has certainly not gone unnoticed, Romaric proposes an extra serving straight out of his singular and transgressive universe. The counterpoint he takes is of the radical sort: could the envy of vintage watch purists be his endgame? Be that as it may, one thing is certain: he’s a huge breath of fresh air in this oh-so-serious world of patinaed dials and rusty hands that whisper sacrosanct authenticity. Romaric’s screaming second hands are as cool as they come. His graphic language is cool, too. A dose of sass and a return to simple graphic codes, that’s his recipe for stirring the pot seconde/seconde/-style. Could it be a natural reaction to an all-too-serious watch industry?
Redrawing watchmaking with seconde/seconde/ is letting out the child within
The characteristic universe of seconde/seconde/ lights up with those little sparks that tell us that we’ll never really grow up: colors, pixels, emojis, paper, cardboard, humor. Romaric shows us that it’s always in the details that big ideas are hinted at. His approach is instinctive. His work consists in totally or partially altering the seconds hand of big brand vintage watches, with icons that sometimes resemble emojis, sometimes pixelart. Never adulterating the original watch and always totally respectful of its intrinsic DNA, Romaric usually works his magic only on the central hand (the seconds hand), which explains his alias. His touch leaves the original product absolutely unscathed, nor does it in the least impact the mechanical functions of the watch.
In all modesty and discretion, he explains: “If I vandalize the products of others, it’s only because I can’t make my own.”
Are watches art? An often-debated question. Beyond the shadow of a doubt, the contrasting universe of seconde/seconde is proof positive that they are.
7 questions for Romaric André…
How would you qualify this collaboration?
Total chaos. First of all because that’s the theme. But also because the creative process and the exchanges between the three parties involved were quite laborious. And that’s a good thing! Because it’s proof of clashing subjectivities and sensitivities. When what happens upstream in a collaboration is too fluid or too quiet, that’s often a sign of a lack of involvement of one of the parties.
How many projects have you collaborated on so far ?
This is my 10th.
What was the brief?
I don’t operate on a “brief.” Forcing myself to respect a brief would mean trying, at all costs, to solve a problem. I work with ideas. If I come up with an idea I really like, I just roll it out, hoping the brand will like it. If it doesn’t resonate, I leave it at that and move on, get out of the rut. With this project, the starting point was the desire to do something around Nivada, but for and with Time + Tide. The thing is, they carry within them a sense of territoriality, Australia no less. So we started from this particular place, on the other side of the world, down under, where their up is our down. From this cliché, we veered off to a more global context and a more current vibe, that of an entire world, upside down, that just spins and spins, ever faster, out of control. In short, from a jovial and local cliché we migrated towards global chaos and a darker tone.
On which parts of the design did you leave your mark?
As usual, I worked on replacing the seconds hand (in three variations). But this time, the seconds hand reacts to a discreet modification of the dial’s markings. The name of the brand and the name of the watch are upside-down, to express the idea of disruption, of chaos. In short, a watch and a world flipped on their heads.
Were you given ‘carte blanche’ or were there certain constraints?
The only constraints came from me. I like to disrupt the existing but not to supplant it totally, so by definition, I’m not the type to want to “change everything.” To understand and appreciate a detour, a workaround, the original framework must still be clearly discernible and understandable. In short, I take it easy. That’s why my requests are often realistic and feasible.
What do you particularly like about this CHRONOMASTER model?
Nivada Grenchen’s CASD is the boss. The gentle gorilla. It’s a long name – “Chronomaster Aviator Sea Diver” – but it just rolls off the tongue without batting an eye. There’s this supercomputer nerd vibe, too, with nine separate functions. All this in a package that has everybody in agreement design-wise, since forever. In short, it’s hard not to be moved by this watch.
So the idea of having fun and, if possible, of catching this “know-it-all” watch off guard was kind of fun!
If you had to put into one sentence what this watch means to you, it would be…?
Faced with the chaos of the world, we all have the right to react differently and to navigate or surf our way through the uncertainties.
Since when do you exist as seconde/seconde?
If you believe the Registry of Commerce and Companies, 2018. And if you believe me: since forever.
Nivada Grenchen and the legendary Chronomaster
Nivada Grenchen watches have been part of the Swiss watchmaking landscape since 1926, when Jacob Schneider founded the brand in Granges (Grenchen in Swiss German). In 1976, his son Max took over the company. In the United States, the Croton Company was the official distributor of all Nivada Grenchen watches, which explains why some timepieces bear the Croton signature. From the outset, the Swiss brand had always been synonymous with performance and reliability under extreme conditions.
In 1930 Nivada Grenchen was among the first to manufacture automatic watches. The first Chronomaster, a chronograph waterproof to a depth of 200 meters, came out in 1963; it remained one of Nivada Grenchen’s top-sellers until the late 1970s. In 2018, after years of dormancy and under the impetus of Guillaume Laidet, the brand was reborn with two of its iconic models, one of them being the legendary Chronomaster Aviator Sea Diver.
Like all Nivada Grenchen watches, this Chronomaster boasts exceptional quality and can be counted on for high precision. Its proportions and design, with its ‘Broad Arrow’ style hands, both sporty and casual chic, take us back to the 1970s when a real watch brought elegance to the wrist. The polished and brushed case of this chronograph houses a Sellita SW510 BH B movement, which is both manual and self-winding.
The CHAOSMASTER comes on a Tropic-type rubber strap, directly inspired by the diving watch straps of the middle of the last century. Made of vulcanized rubber, it is virtually indestructible under any conditions, hot or cold, dry or wet, fresh or salty. Its “tapestry” texture ensures perfect wearability and comfort at all times.
Price and availability
Since its digital rebirth more than 2 years ago, Nivada Grenchen has been able to develop with a growing community online, especially Instagram. Since its relaunch, the brand has always relied on a sales model consisting of successive and time-limited capsule collections, offered exclusively online via a pre-order system. A smart and virtuous entrepreneurial model, as Guillaume Laidet, the brand’s co-founder, points out: “Our desire is to produce watches that are as close to the originals as possible, while remaining affordable.”
All three CHAOSMASTER versions will be available for the unbeatable price of $1,995 USD, starting 30 November 2022, exclusively at: https://shop.timeandtidewatches.com/
The order desk will open at 9:00am CET (or 7:00pm in Australia) sharp for a limited period of two weeks only.
Nivada Grenchen Chaosmaster Technical Specifications
Reference: /86007M
Limited Edition: 33 pieces for each one of the 3 versions
Movement: Sellita SW510 M BH B
Chronograph, Manual winding
Additional functions: Tachymeter, yachting timer at 3 o’clock
Power reserve: 63 hours
Case: 316L Stainless-steel
Finish: Polished and satin-brushed
Diameter: 38mm
Thickness: 13.7 mm
Crystal: Double domed sapphire crystal
Bezel: Unidirectional, rotating, in aluminum
Case back: Stainless steel, screw-in
Water resistance: 10ATM, equivalent to about 100 meters
Retail price: 1,995 USD
Available exclusively at TIME+TIDE: https://shop.timeandtidewatches.com/
