Nivada Grenchen Antarctic re-issue - I’m besotted

Fallout Boy

breaking-news: "Today, it remains a faithful nod to our history, linking each watch to the landscapes, symbols, and spirit of exploration that shaped our origins."

"CasebackSee-Through + Animated Erotic Scene"

(manual winding )

https://nivadagrenchenofficial.com/...Myb1bV668rGhxBUWPLvcaGKVZI4kA_aClFVE7Vj7LJyny

Spruce

When I started this thread a few months ago, I was convinced that I really needed to spend £800 or so on the new 35mm manual wind eggshell faced (as opposed to the black and white dials) Antarctic.

Despite visiting a few shops in London to try and have a look at one, no shop seemed to have one or indeed any Nivadas and on line, and Nivada were very prompt and helpful when I mailed, the watch had proved so popular that they are currently unavailable.

In the meantime, I’ve revisited my existing collection. I’ve rediscovered my 166.010 and, if I did/do want a manual wind watch, I have the Seiko 66-8050.

The Longines Heritage, the 35mm version, is pretty similar although it’s a shame it doesn’t come with silver indices …

…. and, as I posted yesterday, I’ve acquired a vintage Seiko Sportsmatic at a quarter of the price which, like the Antarctic has shiny indices.

It’s not impossible that at some stage I will still succumb but, for the time being at least …..

(And like many of us, I probably have too many watches - I know that’s heresy btw).

iosist

I am also finding myself very drawn to this category of watch. Nivada Grenchen is particularly appealing among the moderns in that their designs are direct 60's reproductions rather than homages or vintage-inspired like Baltic or Lorier for instance. My favorite of the bunch is the Antarctic Glacier with the date window on a beads of rice bracelet.

I've seen a fair bit of grumbling about modern NG being a "zombie brand," as the company has no direct continuity with the original incarnation and could be uncharitably described as a licensing play for marketing appeal. I'm not particularly swayed by that argument though. These brands are ultimately abstractions; the concrete material reality are the watches themselves. There is a Ship of Theseus phenomenon with just about any heritage brand older than a few decades regardless of the specific ownership structure. Omega's continuity as a firm, for instance, certainly hasn't guaranteed fidelity to its golden-age legacy.

All of that said though - the reason in my opinion to go for one of these watches over a vintage Seamaster or Polerouter or Seiko or something would be modern construction/durability and part availability. I'd like a watch I could bang around a bit more without feeling like I'm destroying a historical artifact which will never be produced again. So the fact that these are only rated to 5 ATM water-resistance with no particular shock protection kind of takes the wind out of my sails on the whole thing 🫩... Especially given that it's ostensibly an "expedition watch," what the hell!