Hands-on + Video: Nivada Grenchen Chronomaster Aviator Sea Diver Automatic

Text:/Photo: Aleksandar Mladenovic

Nivada Grenchen is an appreciated brand among watch enthusiasts and vintage collectors. The brand was revived a couple of years ago and made a relaunch of one of its most classic models. We at Eqotime have, in collaboration with Nivada Grenchen, taken a closer look at the new Chronomaster Aviator Sea Diver.

The history

Nivada Grenchen was founded in 1926 in Grenchen, which is in Switzerland. The company focused on making robust tool watches. As early as 1930 it was one of the first manufacturers of automatic watches. 20 years later it launched its first automatic and water-resistant watch, the Antarctic. The watch was worn by members of the American Navy’s Deep Freeze 1 during their expedition to the South Pole between 1955 and 1956. 

The Chronomaster was launched in 1963, a chronograph that was water resistant down to 200m. It was manufactured over a long period, up until the end of the 1970s, and underwent a number of cosmetic changes as well as mechanical ones during the period.

During the 1960s the Swiss watch industry blossomed and over a period of 5 years Nivada Grenchen a little more than tripled its exports, from 52,000 watches in 1964 to 173,000 in 1969.

Nivada Grenchen was represented on the American market under the name Croton and that is why it is common to find watches made by Nivada with the Croton logo (and/or both of them) on the dial.

The quartz crisis hit many manufacturers hard during the 1970s and unfortunately Nivada was one of the brands that went to the grave. Until 2018.

A reissue faithful to the original

Many brands that revive old models, from let us say 40-50 years back in time, have a tendency to want to blow up the size of the original to be more modern. That is not the case with the new Chronomaster, however.

The reissue that was launched in 2020 is very similar to the original apart from a few details. The most essential thing, though, is the diameter of the watch, which has remained the same, that is 38mm.

There are a few different variants of the ”Broad Arrow” model – automatic and manual with coloured luminous material in vintage style, a manual version with white lume and a manual version with a ”tropical dial”. The model we have in our hands is the one with the automatic movement and coloured luminous material.

The case is made in stainless steel and our example comes on a classic ”beads of rice” bracelet in a matching execution. The automatic version is somewhat thicker than the manual one – 14,8 vs 13,8mm. From lug tip to lug tip the watch measures 46,5mm which means that it sits nicely on smaller wrists too.

The case is for the most part brushed apart from a polished chamfer on the lugs and a polished crown as well as pushers.

The rotating bezel can be turned in both directions (without clicks) and has an insert in aluminium with 60 minute markings as well as 12 hour markings. The rotating bezel can thus be used both to time dives and to use as an extra time zone indicator.

The water resistance of the watch is 100m unlike the original's 200m and the crown is screwed down. The chronograph's pushers feel distinct.

When it comes to straps and bracelets there are 8 different alternatives to choose from. From leather straps and rubber in tropic style to beads of rice and oyster bracelets in steel.
When buying a watch you can make use of the code Eqotime#Strap to get an extra strap at no cost. Just make sure to put the strap into the shopping cart separately first for the code to work as it should.

The small criticism we have regarding the watch concerns the clasp of the beads of rice bracelet. Unfortunately it does not feel anywhere near as high quality as the rest of the watch.

Dial in vintage style

The dial really smells of vintage with its coloured luminous material. This is a watershed among people, whether it is pure fake patina, or a good aesthetic choice is up to each person to judge for themselves, the editorial team thinks that it fits in and lifts the watch.

The hour hand is in so-called ”broad arrow” style and the hands in the sub-dials are dauphine shaped. The sub-dials are sunken into the dial and the right one, which is the 30 minute register for the chronograph, has a red pie slice that can be used for a countdown at a regatta race.

The movement is a Sellita SW510 BH b that ticks at a frequency of 28,800 bph and has a power reserve of 42h.

Concluding thoughts

The editorial team is very happy that so many different companies with a rich history choose to look backwards to take inspiration for new releases. At least as much fun is it when brands that are much appreciated in enthusiast circles like Nivada Grenchen get a completely new start in a modern guise. Our overall assessment is that this release does not just do the original justice, it is an updated model that you dare to wear daily and that is adapted to cope with ”more” than the vintage variant does. This at a price tag that is not frightfully far above what a decent vintage example does and with the same elements in the design.

Thumbs up, and we hope to see more releases going forward.

Technical specifications

Brand: Nivada Grenchen
Model: Chronomaster Aviator Sea Diver
Reference number: 86001A

Diameter: 38mm
Thickness: 14,8mm
Case material: Stainless steel

Dial: Matte black
Water resistance: 100m
Bracelet: Bracelet in stainless steel or leather strap

Movement: Sellita SW510 BH B
Complications: Chronograph
Power reserve: 48
Winding: Automatic

Price: 1,940CHF on bracelet

Read more about the watches at Nivada Grenchen