What is it that we hold in our hands? In one, the faithful successor to an Original, the Antarctic-Diver; in the other, a wonderful book to tell the story behind and around this iconic watch. The one you see here is none other than the first diving watch that appeared at the end of the 1950s at Nivada Grenchen, reborn. A watch that emerged and stood out in its own way as the wave of dive watches crested with the likes of the Rolex Submariner or the Blancpain Fifty-Fathoms, to name but two. After World War II, skindiver watches gained enormous popularity as water sports and exploring undersea life became the new thrill. No self-respecting brand would be seen without a dive watch in its line-up. Nivada Grenchen didn’t just follow the trend, releasing several models, starting with the Antarctic-Diver. Let’s zoom in on the flagship model of one of the famed watch manufacturer’s emblematic collections.
Breaking the waves: the Antarctic-Diver re-issue
Guillaume Laidet, CEO of Nivada Grenchen, knew from the start that his mission would be to capture the spirit of the Antarctic-Diver, but in a modern way. Crystal? Double-domed sapphire. Movement? Swiss, of course: the SOPROD P024. With a 316L stainless-steel case and a screw-down crown to ensure water resistance to 20 ATM.
The first thing you notice when you put the new Antarctic Diver on your wrist is its presence. The impression of quality is enhanced by the solid heft of its universally sized 38mm-diameter (up from 36.5mm), 12.9mm-thick case. Let’s just say you can confidently take it on any (underwater) excursion, with plenty of margin.
Slim, comfortable, built for any task, whether it’s navigating a reef or a cocktail party, it exudes casual chic with that conversation-starting vintage vibe.
As far as the overall design of the watch is concerned, it looks exactly like the original, complete with patinaed “cream latte” hands and indexes. To continue the ‘blast from the past’ look, the Antarctic Diver comes with a generous, easy to read black dial providing a crisp backdrop for the markings, all in the same shape and position and as on the original, including the unmistakable script. The unidirectional rotating bezel now a black ceramic insert, giving it a deeper, richer contrast, along with greater durability. The date window is located at 3 o’clock.
True to the original, the dial comes with the discreet ‘red cross hairs’. Back in the day, the buyer could choose between several versions (red or white ‘cross hairs’; the numbers 1-12 on the bezel). The reissue honors the iconic version with red cross hairs and the minimalist, non-numbered bezel.
The tribute would not be complete without the legendary Nivada Automatic logo at 12 o’clock and Antarctic-Diver in the unmistakable vintage script at six o’clock faithfully echoing the aesthetics of the original. The caseback is engraved with the signature emblem of the Antarctic collection: the profile of a penguin, an allegory of the great cold and a nod to the name of the collection.
The Antarctic Diver is available in ten wristband variations:
– Brown leather with or without white stitching
– Black leather with or without white stitching
– Steel bracelet ‘Forstner Bonklip’
– Steel bracelet ‘Beads of Rice’
– Steel bracelet ‘Oyster’ (3 rows)
– Rubber bracelet ‘Tropic’
– Steel bracelet ‘Forstner/Beads of Rice’
– Steel Bracelet ‘Forstner Rivet’
The Antarctic Diver will be available from May 25, 2023, exclusively at nivadagrenchenofficial.com. The order desk will open at XX:00 CET (XX:00 EST) sharp for a limited time of two weeks. Note that an initial stock of timepieces will be available immediately, with guaranteed delivery before the summer vacations. The price: XXX EUR for all the pleasure this piece can bring to everyday life and for the history it packs.
The Antarctic Book: a retrospective of the “Antarctic” Collection
An indispensable reference for vintage watch enthusiasts
Here’s a book on watches that should feel right at home on your desk, coffee table or nightstand: the reference work that meticulously retraces all possible variations of NIVADA GRENCHEN’s Antarctic pieces. Thanks to the rigorous methodology of the author, Aashdin K. Billmoria, a passionate collector of the brand since his childhood, this tome is both an initiation for the neophyte and a reference guide for the experienced collector. It also delivers proof that this legendary collection has crossed the ages to find its rightful place among the most desirable vintage watches of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.
Following the success of the CHRONOMASTER BOOK published a few years ago and the numerous encouragements of its readers, NIVADA GRENCHEN is launching a collection of several volumes. The concept of is to summarize in 100 pages everything there is to know about the NIVADA GRENCHEN Antarctic collection. NIVADA GRENCHEN maintains this editorial approach for each collection and intends to have a thematically dedicated book published on an annual basis. This year, the author and collector Ashdin K. Billmoria analyses the Antarctic era as a whole (emblematic watches, variations, trends). A new volume will be published each year on a specific watch category.
The book can be purchased directly from the brand’s website: https://nivadagrenchenofficial.com/collections/the-books/products/super-antarctic-book
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Aashdin Billimoria has been a full-time watchmaker, archivist, historian and writer for over thirty years. His current projects include a book on the DEPTHMASTER collection by NIVADA GRENCHEN as well as more comprehensive work, the COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO VINTAGE SWISS WATCHES (to be published in Fall 2023), which he has been working on for over 3 years. Coming from a family of watch collectors, he caught the bug early at the age of 8. With about 450 watches in his collection, mostly vintage, he buys watches that make him smile, regardless of their value. His passion is his profession, and he spends a few hours every day studying watchmaking. An authority in the field, he recently appeared on Fratello Watches’ #speedytuesday and is a respected figure in the watchmaking community.
ABOUT NIVADA GRENCHEN
Nivada Grenchen timepieces have been part of the Swiss watchmaking landscape since 1926, when Jacob Schneider founded the brand in Granges (Grenchen in Swiss German). His son Max took over the company in 1976. In the US, the Croton Company was the official distributor of all Nivada Grenchen watches, which explains why some timepieces bear the Croton signature or both the Croton and Nivada Grenchen logos. In 1930, Nivada Grenchen was one of the first companies to manufacture automatic watches. The Antarctic, introduced in 1950, was Nivada Grenchen’s first waterproof automatic watch.