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Nivada Grenchen F77 MK2 38mm Mens Watch Blue
Ref. 68048A77
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 35 Nivada Grenchen watches in stock.The F77 first appeared in 1977, one of a generation of angular, integrated-bracelet sports watches built around geometric geometry and a strong relationship between case and bracelet. The MK2 is not simply a reissue — compared to the MK1 it has more curved lugs that improve wrist contact, drilled lugs for easier strap changes, and a slimmed profile at 12.2mm that helps an integrated bracelet watch of this kind sit closer and flatter than its predecessor managed. This 38mm reference takes that revised platform and fits it with a dial cut from genuine lapis lazuli, which puts it apart from the tressed blue and white dials found elsewhere in the MK2 line. Lapis lazuli is quarried rather than manufactured, and the golden pyrite inclusions that form within it distribute differently in every piece of stone. The practical consequence is that no two dials share quite the same character — one will show a concentration of gold near the twelve, another scattered finely across the surface — and that variation is not a defect but the point of using the material at all. The Soprod P024 inside runs without a date function, which leaves the dial symmetrical and lets the stone read without interruption.
- Reference
- 68048A77
- Brand
- Nivada Grenchen
- Case size
- 38mm
- Case thickness
- 12.2mm
- Lug width
- 22mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Dial
- Blue
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- Soprod P024
- Functions
- Date
- Water resistance
- 100m
- Bracelet / strap
- Stainless steel bracelet
- Strap colour
- Silver
- Clasp
- Deployant clasp
- Lume
- Super-LumiNova
- Retailer
- Goldsmiths
Additional specifications
- 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 4 collections
This watch appears in Back in Stock (4,007), Stainless Steel Watches (2,833), Automatic Watches (1,417) and Blue Dial Watches (780).
Temporarily out of stock
Goldsmiths is not currently taking orders for this reference. Last listed as available on 26 September 2026. Stock is checked nightly and this page updates when it returns.
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
- One of Nivada Grenchen's more premium watches
Nivada Grenchen F77 MK2 alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | 68048A77 | R12160103 | GMT-BLK-BLK-AQ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £1,450 | £1,400 | £1,450 |
| Case size | 38mm | 38mm | 40mm |
| Water resistance | 100m | 100m | 100m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Stainless steel bracelet | Stainless steel bracelet |
| Power reserve | — | 80 hours | 42 hours |
| This watch | 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 comparedWhat 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.
Is it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's, though at 38mm it sits in the range that suits anyone.
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