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Nivada Grenchen F77 37mm Mens Watch Blue Lapis Lazuli
Ref. 68009A77
Sits in Nivada Grenchen’s upper tier here — more premium than three quarters of the Nivada Grenchen watches we list, which start at £560.
Price range £560 to £2,310 across 30 Nivada Grenchen watches in stock.The original F77 launched in 1977 as an integrated-bracelet sports watch, and this reissue stays close enough to that blueprint to function as a legitimate revival rather than a reimagining. The defining choice here is the dial: cut from natural lapis lazuli, it carries golden pyrite inclusions that vary from piece to piece, so no two watches from this reference are identical. The octagonal case — alternating satin-brushed and polished panels, eight visible screws on the bezel — frames that stone without competing with it. At 37mm with a 45mm lug-to-lug span, it sits neatly on most wrists, and 12.1mm of height is kept honest by the double-domed crystal, which accounts for much of that figure and gives the profile its period character. The Soprod P024 inside runs at 28,800 vibrations per hour and needs no date disc, which removes the half-position from the crown entirely — a small thing that improves daily use more than it sounds. The exhibition caseback lets you watch a movement that holds its own against the calibres it was designed to replace. Lume is deliberately restrained: small Super-LumiNova dots sit outside the applied hour markers rather than on them, keeping the stone dial visible at a glance rather than interrupted by it. The integrated bracelet tapers from 22mm to 16mm at the deployant clasp, with removable links — the architecture of a proper sports bracelet on a watch that will spend most of its time nowhere near the water.
- Reference
- 68009A77
- Brand
- Nivada Grenchen
- Collection
- F77
- Case size
- 37mm
- Case thickness
- 12.1mm
- Lug width
- 22mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Octagonal
- Dial
- Blue
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- ETA 2824
- Water resistance
- 100m
- Bracelet / strap
- Stainless steel bracelet
- Strap colour
- Silver
- Clasp
- Deployant clasp
- Lume
- Super-LumiNova
- Retailer
- Mappin & Webb
Additional specifications
- Lug-to-lug
- 45mm
- Power reserve
- 38 hours
- Origin
- Swiss made
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 3 collections
This watch appears in Stainless Steel Watches (3,133), Automatic Watches (1,750) and Blue Dial Watches (861).
Best of 2 retailers
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch for everyday wear.
Strengths
- 100m water resistance covers swimming and watersports
- 37mm suits most wrists
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
- One of Nivada Grenchen's more premium watches
Worth knowing
- 38-hour reserve means winding it after a day off
Nivada Grenchen F77 alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | 68009A77 | YA1264191 | B80-MOD-BLK-AQU |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £1,450 | £1,540 | £1,250 |
| Case size | 37mm | 38mm | 39mm |
| Water resistance | 100m | 50m | 100m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Stainless steel bracelet | Fabric strap |
| Power reserve | 38 hours | — | 56 hours |
| This watch |
|
|
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 comparedHow long does it run for when it's not worn?
About 38 hours fully wound — so it will usually stop if you leave it off overnight.
What size strap does it take?
22mm. Any strap of that width will fit, and on most modern watches quick-release bars make the swap a two-minute job with no tools.
Will it fit my wrist?
Lug-to-lug is 45mm, 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 37mm it sits in the range that suits anyone.
Cheapest place to buy
Both Mappin & Webb and Goldsmiths list it at £1,450, so choose on delivery and warranty rather than price.
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