Nivada’s first automatic-powered wristwatch was the Antarctic. The movement inside a Nivada watch changed from the Valjoux 92 to the Valjoux 7733 also. The Nivada Grenchen logo also changed to an N letter inside a shield. During its run, it underwent some key changes including the shape of the hands from dauphine to arrow-shaped and then to tritium-treated stick indexes. The addition of a reliable and accurate movement made the Nivada Grenchen Chronomaster a huge success right up to the 1970s, where it then ceased production. For its time, this watch was a breakthrough within the dive watch industry, with very few brands able to compete with the technology and know-how needed to achieve such a robust and practical tool for professional and amateur diving.ĭuring the 1950s Nivada Grenchen was using Valjoux 92 for its early Chronomaster models, as well as Ebauches SA calibres. This was superseded by the Depthmaster watch with a design that could withstand pressures of up to 1000 meters underwater. Just a year later the Depthomatic watch was launched with a depth indicator or bathymeter built into its design. The series was home to three sub-categories named the Sea Diver, the Aviator and the self-titled Chronomaster. In 1963 Nivada released a waterproof chronograph watch named the Chronomaster.

With a heavy-duty diver’s strap and a date window at 3 o’clock, the Antarctic watch was both innovative and practical for its time and gained Nivada its reputation for producing robust and reliable watches. A rotating bezel made it possible for the wearer to measure elapsed time, whilst the hour markers and hands were highly luminous for easy readability in the dark. The lugs that attach to the strap of the Antarctic watch were part of the case and crafted from stainless steel. This watch would go on to be worn on the wrists of those involved in the US Navy’s Deep Freeze 1 mission to the South Pole from 1955 to 1956. In 1976, his son Max Schneider took over the company which had already produced its first waterproof automatic watch at this point.

The company was first founded in 1926 by Jacob Schneider. To fully appreciate the appeal of Nivada’s original tool watches built for diving and extreme exploration, it is firstly worth delving into the history of the brand.

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