The revitalized Nivada Grenchen has made a splash through the startlingly accurate reissues of its prodigious back catalog. Well known for their famous tool watches like the Chronomaster, Depthmaster, and Antarctic, they also produced their own unique take on the integrated bracelet steel sports watch that was all the rage in the 1970s, the F77. They’ve flipped this formula on its head with the new F77 Ceramic — a contemporary take on a vintage design.
The new F77 Ceramic retains the vintage dimensions of the original, 37mm case with an integrated bracelet design, while swapping tried-and-true stainless steel for modern ceramic. This lowers the weight of the overall watch, landing it between the stainless steel and titanium versions. It also maintains 100m water resistance rating found in the titanium and stainless steel versions.
As for the dial, the Braided Black design carries over from the original, creating a black on black aesthetic. This gives the watch an overall stealthy look that should pair well with almost any outfit.
Inside the Nivada Grenchen F77 Ceramic is the Soprod P024 movement, a Swiss-made automatic caliber based on the venerable ETA 2824-2. The P024 features 25 jewels, hacking, hand winding, a frequency of 28,000 beats per hour, and a power reserve of at least 38 hours. The variant in the F77 Ceramic is a true no-date caliber.
The F77 Black Ceramic is on Preorder with the first batch shipping by the beginning of January 2025.
- Case: Matte Black Ceramic
- Dial: Black
- Movement: Soprod P021 / ETA 2824-2
- Winding: Automatic
- Lens: Double-Domed Sapphire
- Strap: Matte Black Ceramic
- Water Res.: 100m
- Diameter: 37mm
- Length: 45mm
- Thickness: 12.85mm
- Swiss-Made
- Warranty: Two Years
Nivada Grenchen timepieces have been in the watchmaking industry since 1926, the year when Jacob Schneider first created it in Granges (Grenchen). In 1976, his son Max took over the business. In the United States of America (USA), the Croton Company distributed all Nivada Grenchen watches. The timepieces can have either the Nivada Grenchen or Croton signature, or both.
In 1930, Nivada Grenchen was one of the first companies to manufacture automatic watches. This led to the creation of Nivada Grenchen’s first waterproof automatic watch called the Antarctic in 1950. The watch was worn by the members of the American Navy’s Deep Freeze 1 during their expedition to the South Pole from 1955 to 1956.
