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Nivada Grenchen F77 Chrono Mecaquartz MK 38mm Mens Watch Blue
Ref. 68000Q77
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Stepping up in Nivada Grenchen's range
The F77 line draws its name and its silhouette from a 1977 integrated-bracelet design, and this chronograph is its first iteration built around a timing complication — not a revision of something earlier, but a genuinely new piece shaped by that original geometry. The riveted bezel, the downward-sloping lugs, the bracelet that flows into the case without a break: all of it reads as period-correct, and the pushers at 2 and 4 o'clock feel like something the original case had always been waiting for. At 38mm with a 46.2mm lug-to-lug span and 12.2mm of thickness, this sits closer to a dressed sport watch than a tool chronograph, and it will disappear under a cuff more readily than most mechanical-module rivals. The blue dial is where the design earns its keep: a woven carbon-look basket-weave texture that shifts character depending on the angle of the light, kept legible by snailed sub-registers and applied indices rather than printed ones. Inside, the VK64 mecaquartz runs the chronograph seconds hand through a smooth sweep at fifth-of-a-second intervals — the feel of a mechanical pusher, the reset snap of a mechanical module, without the winding or the servicing. For a chronograph worn daily rather than occasionally, that is a reasonable trade.
- Reference
- 68000Q77
- Brand
- Nivada Grenchen
- Case size
- 38mm
- Case thickness
- 12.2mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Dial
- Blue
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- VK64
- Functions
- Chronograph, Date
- Water resistance
- 100m
- Bracelet / strap
- Stainless steel bracelet
- Strap colour
- Silver
- Clasp
- Deployant clasp
- Lume
- Super-LumiNova
- Retailer
- Goldsmiths
Additional specifications
- Lug-to-lug
- 46.2mm
- Weight
- 86g
Learn more about Nivada Grenchen
Nivada was founded in Grenchen in 1926 by Otto Wüllimann, Hermann Schindler and Jakob Schneider, registered as Wüllimann, Schneider, Nivada SA. It was among the first Swiss firms to build automatic watches at scale, and it built its reputation on watches meant to be used rather than admired.
American sales came through the Croton Watch Company, an arrangement forced by Movado, which objected to the phonetic similarity of the two names. This is why vintage examples turn up signed Croton, Nivada, or both, and why Grenchen was eventually appended to the name.
The Antarctic of 1950 was the brand's first water-resistant automatic, and it earned its name properly: the model was worn by personnel on the US Navy's Operation Deep Freeze expedition to the South Pole in 1955 and 1956. The Chronomaster Aviator Sea Diver followed, a chronograph that tried to be a pilot's watch, a diver and a regatta timer at once, and the Depthmaster reached 1,000 metres.
The quartz crisis ended it. Production in Solothurn closed in the late 1970s, the name changed hands repeatedly, and Nivada Grenchen effectively disappeared while its vintage watches quietly became collectable.
Guillaume Laidet and Rémi Chabrat bought the name and back catalogue in 2018 and relaunched with faithful reissues rather than reinventions — the Chronomaster in 2020, the Antarctic in 2021 — at prices aimed squarely at the microbrand buyer.
- 1926
- Founded in Grenchen as Wüllimann, Schneider, Nivada SA.
- 1950
- The Antarctic, the first water-resistant automatic.
- 1955
- Worn on the US Navy's Operation Deep Freeze.
- 1970s
- Production closes during the quartz crisis.
- 2018
- Laidet and Chabrat buy the name and relaunch the brand.
Also in 6 collections
This watch appears in Back in Stock (3,714), Stainless Steel Watches (2,629), Automatic Watches (1,627), Chronograph Watches (968), Sports Watches (744) and Blue Dial Watches (730).
Manufacturer’s guarantee
Best of 2 retailers
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch for everyday wear.
Strengths
- 100m water resistance covers swimming and watersports
- 38mm suits most wrists
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
- Sits in the lower half of Nivada Grenchen's range as we list it
Nivada Grenchen F77 Chrono Mecaquartz MK alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | 68000Q77 | T1658071109100 | H70455133 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £685 | £690 | £715 |
| Case size | 38mm | 38mm | 38mm |
| Water resistance | 100m | 100m | 100m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Stainless steel bracelet | Stainless steel bracelet |
| Power reserve | — | — | 80 hours |
| This watch | Closely matched | Closely matched |
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
Yes. At 100m it is rated for swimming and snorkelling, though not for diving.
Water resistance explainedWill the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Sapphire, mineral and acrylic comparedDoes it need a battery?
No. It is automatic — the motion of your wrist winds it, and there is no cell to replace.
Quartz, automatic and solar comparedWill it fit my wrist?
Lug-to-lug is 46.2mm, which suits wrists from roughly 16cm (6¼ inches) upward.
Lug-to-lug decides fit more than case diameter does.
How to size a watch to your wristIs it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's, though at 38mm it sits in the range that suits anyone.
Cheapest place to buy
Both Goldsmiths and Mappin & Webb list it at £685, so choose on delivery and warranty rather than price.
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